Latest news with #MikeGauthier
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Backlash as iconic landmark removed from Lake Mead reservoir
An iconic Nevada landmark has been removed from Lake Mead as officials labelled it an 'eyesore.' A vertical speedboat that stuck out of the lake's waters, known as the monolith of Lake Mead, served as an unofficial water level marker and a popular spot for a photo. National Park Service officials confirmed that the famed wreck has been removed in an effort to preserve the area's image as part of the Love Lake Mead program. 'We understand that some were curious about the abandoned boat in the Las Vegas Wash area. But the boat, like other abandoned boats, was also viewed as an eyesore and nuisance - and poorly represented the quality of boating recreation at Lake Mead,' Lake Mead Superintendent Mike Gauthier said in a statement to 8 News Now. 'We communicated with our concessioners, recreation partners, and gateway business community, and they agreed that removing trash, abandoned camps, pop-ups, and derelict boats helps to restore and protect the grandeur of Lake Mead.' The boat garnered attention as waters in Lake Mead disappeared during the summer of 2022, and the boat was seen above the waters surface for the first time. A devastating drought had brought the waters of the 112-mile-long lake on the Nevada-Arizona border to dangerously low levels, exposing sunken boats, the bodies of missing dead people, and dried up fish carcasses. Shocking photos emerged of the cracked dirt where waters that millions in the state rely on used to sit. A devastating drought had brought the waters of the 112-mile-long lake on the Nevada-Arizona border to dangerously low levels, exposing sunken boats, the bodies of missing dead, and dried up fish carcasses Water levels receded almost 60 feet in the two years before the drought, at which point it reached lows of 1040 feet above sea level. Since its surfacing, the iconic boat served as a symbol of the areas diminishing water levels. 'That was our Statue of Liberty,' one fan wrote on Facebook. Many social media users said the boat was often used to mark water levels and described it as an 'icon' of the lake. 'Hopefully they move it to the visitor center entrance,' one user commented. 'Icon!! It should have went on a vote for the lake mead boaters community,' another said. Others queried why the boats weren't removed during the 2022 drought that exposed most of the sunken wrecks almost entirely. The iconic upright boat became one of the most famous throughout the reservoir, and was named 'Skyward' by one regular visitor. 'We had named all the boat wrecks back in 2022 because we kept finding so many, we wanted the audience to be able to keep track,' Joey Alexander told the outlet. '"Skyward" by far was the most famous. The next popular? "Higgins," at the marina.' It's contents, including a teddy bear and other personal items, were documented as part of the mystery surrounding the vessel. However, despite the attention that the abandoned wrecks were getting, Gauthier made it clear in a community meeting in 2023 that he believed in a better reputation for the lake. 'We don't want our visual to be abandoned boats,' he said. 'We want our visual to be people having a great time at the lake.' Jill Lagan, CEO of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, told 8 News Now: 'Lake Mead is one of our region's greatest assets, and how it's cared for matters - to our visitors, our economy, and our identity as a gateway community. 'We support the Park's efforts to remove abandoned boats and other blight that detract from the lake's beauty. Restoring the shoreline is not just about aesthetics - it's about protecting the experience that brings people back to Boulder City and to the lake year after year.' Alexander, although a fan of the iconic landmark, added: 'Though the Skyward boat had become an icon of the Lake Mead drought and was a popular landmark for many, including me, it was also a reminder of our water quality.
Newsweek
13-06-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Lake Mead's Shrinking Waters Spark Boat Problem
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As water levels at Lake Mead keep dropping, officials are actively removing abandoned boats, describing them as "eyesores" on the landscape, says Fox 5. Why It Matters Lake Mead provides essential water to millions across Nevada, Arizona, California, and parts of Mexico. But falling water levels may threaten municipal water supplies, agricultural irrigation, and hydroelectric power generation. Lake Mead and the "bathtub ring" are shown along the Colorado River near the Hoover Dam on March 14, 2025 in Boulder City, Nevada. Lake Mead and the "bathtub ring" are shown along the Colorado River near the Hoover Dam on March 14, 2025 in Boulder City, To Know Many boats have since been removed as levels drop, officials describing the task as a priority, the outlet reported. "That's why we want to clean up some of the boats that are left," Lake Mead National Recreation Area superintendent Mike Gauthier said in a 2023 clip published by Fox 5. "The visuals are really unattractive and don't help the park." Park officials told Fox 5 that the abandoned boats pose a danger to boaters. As more visitors are drawn to them, the sites can become littered with trash and graffiti, the outlet reported. The cleanup effort has been underway for some time, yourNEWS reported. As far back as 2023, officials were seeking volunteers to help remove abandoned boats from the growing stretches of exposed terrain, it said. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S., capable of storing nearly 29 million acre-feet of water. Close behind is Lake Powell, with a capacity of around 26 million acre-feet. Recent forecasts lowered runoff into Lake Powell to just 55 percent of average, down from an earlier estimate of 67 percent, due to an underwhelming winter snowpack. Lake Mead, which receives flows from Lake Powell, hit critically low levels during the summer of 2022, following years of drought. At the time of writing, Lake Mead's water levels were 1,055.86 feet mean sea level, 173.14 feet below its full pool of 1,229, according to Lakes Online, an online resource for lake and reservoir information. What People Are Saying Lake Mead National Recreation Area Superintendent Mike Gauthier said in a statement, as reported by Fox 5: "We have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to clean up and protect this incredible resource. Through efforts like Love Lake Mead program, we're inviting the community to be part of the solution." What Happens Next A recent study found that increasing wastewater recycling to 40 percent in the Colorado River Basin could save around 900,000 acre-feet of water each year, which would be enough to supply nearly two million homes. Meanwhile, the states that depend on the Colorado River have been in talks to establish new water-sharing agreements by 2026.
