Photo: Davis Gulch, Will Buckley and Diego Riley, What the River Knows
Co-hosted by Glen Canyon Institute, Returning Rapids Project, and the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah.
With support from NSF Futures Engine in the Southwest, Holiday River Expeditions, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Party Shirt International, and Holdfast Collective.
Symposium Presentations
Check out each of the speakers and their presentations:
CHANGING ECOSYSTEMS
Seth Arens An upside to drought, climate change and overallocation of water in the Colorado Basin: Emerging ecosystems in Glen Canyon
Riparian ecosystem recovery in Glen Canyon. At the 2023 low elevation of Lake Powell, over 100,000 acres of previously flooded landscapes were exposed and ecological succession was occurring. Landscapes had been exposed for 1-25 years approximately 100 tributary canyons and drying bay areas. In 2022-2023, 88 plant survey sites were established to characterize plant cover, non-native species and to understand the structure of re-establishing ecosystems. Plant survey sites were re-surveyed two years later to understand how these dynamic landscapes change over time. Plants established during the first year of a landscape’s emergence from Lake Powell and by 2-3 years after emergence, native shrubs, grasses and forbs were dominant. By 5-10 years after a landscape emerged from Lake Powell, Fremont’s cottonwood, a keystone species to the desert riparian ecosystem, was common. Overall, plant survey sites at locations previously flooded by Lake Powell had lower coverage of plants and greater abundance of non-native plant species, but on landscapes that emerged from Lake Powell greater than 20 years ago, percent plant cover, abundance of non-native plants and species richness was similar to sites that were never flooded by Lake Powell.
Alan Kasprak Landscape change along the Colorado and San Juan Rivers in response to two decades of water level decline in Lake Powell
Current work examines the patterns and timescales of land cover change in response to water level declines in Lake Powell. Using high-resolution aerial imagery along the Colorado and San Juan Rivers, this research provides insight into how quickly emergent landscapes are colonized by vegetation, and how vegetation communities have evolved over the last two decades of reservoir fall. The results of this research can inform how future reservoir management can best support native riparian ecosystems in a drying climate. This work is in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Utah, Returning Rapids Project, Fort Lewis College, and the USGS.
Abby Burk Guided by Feathers: Avian Insights of Habitat Recovery
In May 2025, Burk joined the Returning Rapids Project expedition on the lowest reaches of the San Juan River into Glen Canyon, navigating a transforming landscape shaped by Glen Canyon Dam operations, the decline of Lake Powell, and the gradual return of habitat. As a river ecologist, advocate, and restoration specialist with Audubon Rockies, she focused on the intimate relationship between re-emerging riparian habitats and bird life—some of the river’s returning inhabitants.
This presentation shares observations of key species—including yellow warbler, Lucy’s warbler, and black crowned night-heron—encountered among newly forming backwaters, wetlands, and cottonwood and willow-lined terraces. These feathered riparian specialists, and more, are indicators of ecosystem health, discovering and utilizing the recovering vegetation along this stretch of river—pausing along their migratory routes in search of food, shelter, and, in some cases, nesting habitat. Their presence signals both ecological resilience and the promise of renewal, as life responds to even modest restoration of natural processes.
Drawing from her work advancing riparian restoration and sustainable water management—and a background in Colorado water policy and Colorado River management—Burk explores the ecological significance of these recovering habitats and the urgency of aligning science, on-the-ground action, and advocacy. This story, grounded in field experience and long-term watershed work, contributes to a broader consideration of Glen Canyon’s past—and a hopeful vision of renewal rooted in resilience, relationships, and river health.
PROTECTING & STEWARDING RIVER SYSTEMS
Dave Wegner Late to the Game but Not Forgotten: The Role of Science, the Colorado River and our Relationship with Water
Since 1922, three distinct eras of science have existed in the Colorado River Basin. Era One, 1922-1970, was defined by development and building with no science but some “salvage.” Era Two, from 1970 to 2007, focused on legal requirements, endangered species, engaged scientists, and adaptive management goals. Since then, in Era Three, science has been narrowed and we have pulled back on adaptive management. There have been some successes, but increasing demands battling the reality of climate change. Moving forward, science must continue to play a significant role in the decision-making process. Whether or not that happens, depends on us.
Morgan Sjogren A Century-Old Dream to Protect Glen Canyon
In 1929, explorer Charles L. Bernheimer dreamed up a National Park Proposal that may have prevented Glen Canyon Dam and protected a huge swath of surrounding landscape. Inspired by a decade of expeditions in the Four Corners region, Bernheimer wanted to “do more than be a sightseeing tourist.” Today, the Glen Canyon region faces great uncertainty in both land and water management. A century ago, Bernheimer recognized these issues, along with the value of adventurers channeling their passion for place into efforts to protect irreplaceable landscapes. This exploration and Bernheimer’s story are the subject of Path of Light: A Walk Through Colliding Legacies of Glen Canyon. Bernheimer’s legacy and enduring love for Glen Canyon can inspire the current generation of outdoor enthusiasts to advocate for the protection and stewardship of the Colorado River watershed for generations to come.
Louis Williams HOZHO along the San Juan River: The hozho concept utilized as guidance in the backcountry and along the rivers
Ancient Wayves is privileged to lead adventures along the San Juan River and within the Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. The lands we adventure in are the ancestral lands of the Ute, Paiute, Diné (Navajo), Hopi, Zuni and other Pueblo groups. As Indigenous guides in our ancestral homelands, we’re able to provide tours focused on the sharing of our culture and educating guests about the landscape.
HOZHO is a Navajo concept that interweaves the four elements: Spirituality, Physical ability, Mentality & Nature…to achieve balance. It helps guide us on the river as we learn about surrounding plants, water, wildlife, and landscapes, connections to the livelihoods and heritage of the various tribes, sustainability measures to promote conservation, and the preservation of these resources for current and future generations of our wildlife and people.
Michael Fiebig Inflow and Intactness: Tools and Opportunities to Protect the Colorado River System and its Tributaries Upstream of Lake Powell
Tools and Opportunities to Protect the Green River, Colorado River, and their Tributaries: this presentation explores opportunities and needs in southeast Utah to protect rivers and riverside lands, including the many tools that can be used, and how people can get involved.
UNDERSTANDING HISTORY TO SHAPE THE FUTURE
Melissa Sevigny Writing the Wild River
Sevigny’s nonfiction book Brave the Wild River tells the story of botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, who set off in 1938 to undertake the first plant collecting expedition for Western science in Cataract, Glen, and Grand Canyons. As the only comprehensive plant list published before the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, their work gives insight into what this landscape once looked like, raising questions about “shifting baselines” and the value of scientific research in shaping future Colorado River management.
Natalie Tanski Geologic Perspectives on How the Colorado River Carved Glen Canyon and Canyonlands
The canyons of the Colorado River, including Glen Canyon and Cataract Canyon, are some of the most iconic landscapes on Earth, carved over millions of years by the persistent power of water and sediment. Tanski’s PhD research focused on understanding how these deep canyons formed and evolved over the recent geologic past. By studying ancient river terraces, sediment deposits, and river incision patterns, she have pieced together the long history of how the Colorado River shaped the canyons we love today.
Although the construction of Glen Canyon Dam has profoundly altered the river, many of the processes driving change today, such as shifts in sediment supply, base level, and flow regime, are not so different from those that shaped the river in the geologic past. In fact, the Colorado River has been dammed before by natural events, including lava flows and landslides, and today Cataract Canyon itself acts as a natural dam, storing sediment behind house-sized boulders. While the scale and speed of modern changes may be unique, the river’s history shows a remarkable resilience and capacity for change.
This research on the geologic controls and incision history of the Colorado River through Glen Canyon and Canyonlands helps set the stage for understanding the forces that continue to shape this iconic and ever-changing landscape.
John Weisheit Respect for Geography, Climate, and Culture
At the present, we know the temperatures of the atmosphere and ocean are warming and disrupting our safety and well-being. Contrarily, if the atmosphere and ocean were cooling, the disruptions would still exist. Society is headed toward an epoch of austerity. We must prepare and transform.
RESERVOIR SEDIMENT IN THE CANYON
Pete Lefebvre Repeat Photography of Lower Cataract Canyon
The latest findings from RRP’s October science trip highlight rates of change in lower Cataract Canyon as Lake Powell reservoir recedes and the Colorado River carves into sediment deposited sediment.
Sam Bagge Exposed Reservoir Sediment Erosion in Lower Cataract Canyon During Prolonged Low Water Levels in Lake Powell Reservoir
Lake Powell’s water levels have dropped so low that sediments once buried underwater are now exposed and beginning to move again. This study examines how those sediments are being eroded, shifted, or deposited in Cataract Canyon and its tributaries. Using elevation maps, field surveys, and direct observations, we tracked how much sediment is moving, how fast, and where. The patterns reveal both short-term changes during monsoonal floods and long-term shifts since 2006, closely tied to reservoir fluctuations and the shifting river–reservoir transition zone, and highlight what these changes mean for the future of Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell reservoir management.
Cari Johnson Stuck in the Mud: Sediment Stories Revealed from the Glen Canyon Dam ‘Experiment’
This talk summarizes results from several years of collaborative research on reservoir sedimentation on the Colorado and San Juan River Arms feeding into Lake Powell. Previous investigations include documenting exposed sediment layers deposited during previous reservoir highstands, monitoring of slump features and remobilized sediment, mapping delta movement over time, and geochemical and lithologic analysis of sediment cores. Current efforts are focused on repeat bathymetric and subbottom surveys within the reservoir, which preliminarily suggest accelerated sedimentation rates in the subaqueous prodelta.
Mike DeHoff The North Wash Boat Ramp: A Displaced River, Scouring into an Unknown Future
Downstream of the confluence of the Colorado and Dirty Devil Rivers, the Colorado has been pushed out of its pre Lake Powell reservoir channel. There has been a collective effort to study the area where the river has been downcutting into the landscape. In other areas on the Colorado and San Juan Rivers where reservoir caused sedimentation has displaced rivers, significant hazards in the form of rapids and waterfalls have emerged. This presentation shares bathometric survey data of the alarmingly fast scour rates, and what the underlying geology looked like prior to Lake Powell.
THE POWER OF ART AND STORYTELLING
Beth Henshaw The Emotional Landscape of Glen Canyon
Complex emotions arise when we mourn the loss of a free flowing river and reckon with the reality of Lake Powell. Within this complexity, this presentation explores how we move forward with hope and curiosity.
Chad Niehaus Feeling the Flow: An Artist’s Take on a Recovering Landscape
This presentation focuses on the emotional, inspirational, and creative aspects of visiting the rivers impacted by Glen Canyon Dam, with a focus on the San Juan and the Dirty Devil. Most of the current focus in these zones is on science, which is great and important. But it’s also vital to feel, express, and share our basic human responses to these places as well.
Niehaus is a visual artist, a writer, and a San Juan river ranger. A focus of his art is on the ephemeral moments found along flowing rivers, including on sections affected by the Dam. This presentation includes stories and artwork from time spent in these places, and a friendly plea for a “whole person” approach to visiting them.
Chyenne Klemme Diné Perspectives of Glen Canyon
This presentation highlights the stories of Diné community members who hold intricate relationships with Glen Canyon and the surrounding area. The stories are derived from the upcoming book I am working on; a counter narrative to the dominant hegemonic perspectives and history long told about Glen Canyon.
The writing is choreographed to embrace the sacredness of storytelling and our connection to land and water.
Lower: Abby Burk, Seth Arens, and Alan Kasprak speak on a panel about Glen Canyon’s changing ecosystems. Photos by: Dawn Kish.
Posters and Exhibits
Check out the installations set up in the Sun Court during the event:
SCIENCE POSTERS
Brenda Bowen, Cari Johnson, Mark Radwin, Hannah Baggs, Kelly Wilson, Mary Roalstadt, Sam Bagge, Elizabeth Mahone, and Mike DeHoff Rates and styles of Lake Powell delta migration on the Colorado and San Juan Rivers
Since the creation of Glen Canyon Dam over half a century ago, river water traveling down the Colorado and San Juan Rivers, as well as the sediment carried by the water have been trapped in Lake Powell. Sediment is deposited at the river-reservoir transitions in elongated deltas that migrate up and down the river corridor as reservoir level changes through time. Here, we utilize analysis of satellite data to track the location, form, and movement of the delta over decadal to annual timescales. We utilize manual image inspection to identify river-reservoir transitions, delta features, and turbid plumes at the interface on the Colorado and San Juan Rivers though time since the 1980s. In addition, we utilize a more automated approach over the last 5 years and develop spectral indices to identify and quantify areas of delta sedimentation and turbidity. These results are compared with field-based manual quantification of reservoir turbidity near the delta from 2024-2025. These analyses demonstrate how patterns of landscape evolution and rates of change in these dynamic corridors relate to rise and fall of the reservoir and changes in river discharge. The observed timescales of delta migration through the river corridor provide insights that may be useful for reservoir and river management and planning.
Cynthia Dott, Gary Gianniny, and Alan Kasprak Coupled vegetation and sediment changes along the San Juan River arm of Lake Powell Reservoir
Thanks to logistical support from Returning Rapids Project, we have observed surprising patterns in the vegetation colonizing exposed reservoir sediments along the San Juan arm of Lake Powell. The trees and shrubs that dominate the newly formed river corridor are primarily native species (coyote willow, Fremont cottonwood, Gooddings willow) with invasive non-natives (tamarisk, Russian olive) being much less common.
However, the river channel is so dynamic as it cuts through erodible reservoir sediments that it often maroons large areas of previously moist habitat. On the San Juan arm of the reservoir, the wider valley exists due to geologic fold-parallel valleys and more easily erodible bedrock strata. These wider valley segments with more extensive Dominy Fm. deposits create large areas of drought-stressed habitat (see work by Alan Kasprak). Tamarisk was especially prevalent in these areas, and is now often stressed and dying, leaving those areas open to other invasive weeds.
The plant succession story seen in the drying reservoir operates in two directions: First, older plant communities up-river to younger ones down river (see work by Seth Arens); and second, from high Dominy Fm. terraces to younger, inset channel margins.
Cari Johnson and Brenda Bowen Rates of change, geomorphic and sedimentological expressions, and controls on connected fluvial-deltaic-lacustrine systems as revealed by the Glen Canyon dam “experiment”
This poster summarizes results from several years of collaborative research on reservoir sedimentation on the Colorado and San Juan River Arms feeding into Lake Powell. Previous investigations include documenting exposed sediment layers deposited during previous reservoir highstands, monitoring of slump features and remobilized sediment, mapping delta movement over time, and geochemical and lithologic analysis of sediment cores. Current efforts are focused on repeat bathymetric and subbottom surveys within the reservoir, which preliminarily suggest accelerated sedimentation rates in the subaqueous prodelta.
Aditya Pandey, Brenda Bowen, and Sam Bagge Micro-scale characterization of exposed reservoir sediment from Colorado River side canyons
Micro-scale characterization of exposed reservoir sediment on the Colorado and San Juan Rivers: how grain size, mineralogy, and micro-texture help us to understand erosion and failure of the Dominy formation. Massive accumulations of now-exposed reservoir sediment have altered the landscape of the Colorado and San Juan Rivers. Multiple layers of relic reservoir sediment from Gypsum Canyon, Clearwater Canyon, Dark Canyon, and the main stem of the Colorado River were analyzed with multiple different laboratory tools at the University of Utah to characterize the sediment grains. Comparisons across canyons and through time help to constrain changes in reservoir processes and impacts on sediment properties. The textures, compositions, and grain size impact the way the sediment fails and remobilizes, providing insights into evacuation rates and styles of erosion.
Katie Woodward The Role & Management of Invasive Species in Ecological Recovery Following Reservoir Decline in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
LINK TO POSTER (to come)
This research evaluates the presence of non-native Saccharum ravennae (ravennagrass) and Bromus spp. (brome) in Lake Powell’s recovering reservoir bed, and the effectiveness of interventions targeting these species. Manual and chemical treatments were applied in 2017 across 45 plots in four canyons (Cottonwood Canyon and Gulch, Llewellyn Gulch, and Slickrock Canyon) and one terrace (Pollywog Bench), with resampling conducted five times through 2018. The sites were resurveyed in spring 2025 to collect vegetation data and soil samples, and data on native and non-native species cover and richness are being analyzed to assess long-term treatment outcomes. By linking these community patterns to soil properties and recovery timelines, this study aims to provide insight into predictors of invasive establishment. Findings will be used to inform management strategies and highlight ecosystem resilience in Glen Canyon’s re-emerging habitats.
ART EXHIBITS
Isabel Adler Scroll Maps: A Visual Guide for Understanding a Changing Landscape
The Returning Rapids Project Scroll Maps Initiative is a visual exploration of river change over time, focusing on stretches of the Colorado and San Juan Rivers. Using historical surveys, archival documents, and contemporary data, the maps trace the submergence and reemergence of these shifting landscapes. Each scroll unrolls a layered story of disruption, adaptation, and memory. The project invites viewers to place themselves within a landscape in ecological flux, and to imagine what it might have felt like to experience Glen Canyon before inundation.
Robyn Holmes picking up the pieces
This work explores the colors, textures, and connections within Glen canyon ecosystems.
Dawn Kish Glen Canyon Exposed: Now and Then
This unique showcase presents two perspectives of Glen Canyon: Nichols’ iconic 1950s images, captured before the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, and Kish’s contemporary photographs and documentary film, chronicling the canyon’s stunning reemergence as water levels recede.
Glen Canyon Exposed blends art and advocacy, bringing together the work of two artists separated by decades but united by their shared love for Glen Canyon.
Elliot Ross Geography of Hope
For more than a half century, Glen Canyon has been drowned by the creation of Lake Powell–a casualty in humankind’s quest to reshape the natural world to serve our needs. Geography of Hope offers a glimpse into the lost heart of the Colorado Plateau. After 25 years of megadrought, the American West has desiccated in the driest era experienced for 1200 years. Lake Powell, once 186 miles long, has languished—eventually revealing over 100,000 acres of this vast labyrinthine system. This is a story of silver linings and a testament to nature’s resilience. Today, Glen Canyon is among the world’s largest ecological recovery zones and is undergoing a remarkable transformation as native flora and fauna return. Geography of Hope invites us to contemplate the dynamic aesthetics of this landscape in flux, and the complex stakes of its future as it remains vulnerable to future exploitation and inundation as reservoir levels rebound.
Created with support from the Glen Canyon Institute, the Returning Rapids Project, and the Center for Environmental Journalism.
Lower: Attendees view Dawn Kish’s exhibit Glen Canyon Exposed: Now + Then. Posters, exhibits, and RRP photo matches fill the Sun Court. Photos by: Dawn Kish.
Event Contributors
Check out the bios for all presenters, authors, artists, moderators, and panelists:
PRESENTERS
Seth Arens
Seth Arens works as a climate scientist and ecologist for Western Water Assessment, a University of Colorado based research group that brings cutting-edge climate science to resource managers, planners and communities in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to help adapt and build resilience to changes in climate. Seth has been working in the Glen Canyon region since 2019 on research projects to understand how plants and ecosystems are establishing in areas previously flooded by Lake Powell.
Sam Bagge
Sam Bagge is a research assistant for Dr. Brenda Bowen at the University of Utah and for the Returning Rapids Project. She grew up in Cortez, Colorado, recreating all around the Four Corners region. Sam completed her undergraduate degrees and master’s at the University of Utah in SLC in Geology. Between her degrees, she worked as a river guide on the Green and Colorado Rivers. Sam feels lucky enough to have her passions and career coalesce in work that is centered around the livelihoods of the people and ecosystems that rely on the Colorado River.
Abby Burk
Abby Burk is the Western Rivers Program Director for Audubon Rockies, where she leads freshwater conservation efforts across Colorado with impact that ripples throughout the Colorado River Basin. She works at the intersection of science-based water policy, on-the-ground restoration, and community engagement to support healthy riverscapes for birds and people. Abby brings a deep passion for rivers and decades of experience in collaborative conservation to her work across the West.
Michael Fiebig
Michael Fiebig directs the Southwest River Protection Program at American Rivers, leading efforts to protect the most ecologically and culturally valuable rivers in the Southwest U.S., partnering with Tribes, local communities, NGOs, land managers, and elected officials on place-based work and policy reforms. For the past two decades Mike has worked domestically and internationally on conservation, education, and research for institutions such as the U.S. Forest Service, USAID, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOLS, Winter Wildlands
Alliance, and others. His work is informed and inspired by the wildlife and people he has met during hundreds of weeks spent leading expeditions in remote places, including rowing source-to-sea on the Green and Colorado rivers.
Paul Grams (unable to present)
Paul Grams is a geomorphologist at the Southwest Biological Science Center’s field station, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. He manages a set of projects collectively called the River Geomorphology and Geomorphic Change project. These include a range of studies that describe, quantify, and predict geomorphic change, mostly on large rivers in the western United States.
Beth Henshaw
Beth Henshaw is a writer based in Page, Arizona and the owner of a new guiding company in Glen Canyon called Pronghorn Expeditions, launching in January 2026. She is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in creative nature writing through Western Colorado University. Her videos and repeat photography of the fluctuating lake levels near Glen Canyon Dam have reached over 30 million views on Instagram. She publishes extensively about Glen Canyon on her blog and Instagram (Blog by Beth) and is pursuing publication for her debut memoir.
Cari Johnson
Dr. Cari Johnson is a Professor in the Geology and Geophysics Department at the University of Utah. Her work historically has focused on “deep time” stratigraphy, and she is very excited to be delving into the wild and wacky world of anthropogenic sedimentology.
Alan Kasprak
Alan Kasprak is a geomorphologist and hydrologist who studies landscape change in watersheds across the Colorado Plateau. A graduate of Utah State University, he has been a faculty member at Fort Lewis College in Durango, a scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and is currently a researcher at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
Chyenne Klemme
Chyenne Klemme (she/they) is a Diné adzaani from the small desert town of Page, AZ. The sandstone mesas, canyons, and sagebrush-painted plateaus became her teachers, instilling her creativity capacities. Chyenne’s professional and educational background revolve around the realms of social and environmental justice. Her MA in Indigenous Studies and BA in Social Justice and Environmental Studies from Prescott College allow her to mindfully work for various non-profits in the Four Corners region.
Pete Lefevbre
Peter Lefebvre grew up in New Hampshire and made his way to Arizona during college. There, he discovered his love for rivers. He now lives in Moab, UT and has worked as a river guide for the last 20 years. He helped start the Returning Rapids Project years ago, and continues to work with the project today.
Chad Niehaus
Chad Niehaus is an explorer, visual artist, and river ranger residing (mostly) in Moab. He’s passionate about public lands, our access to and enjoyment of them, and celebrating the inspiration and mental nourishment these special places provide.
Melissa Sevigny
Melissa L. Sevigny is a writer whose work focuses on the intersection of science, nature, and history in the American West. Her most recent book, Brave the Wild River, won a Reading the West Award and National Outdoor Book Award.
Morgan Sjogren
Morgan Sjogren writes about Western lands and water through a lens of history, culture, science, and adventure. She is the author of Path of Light: A Walk Through Colliding Legacies of Glen Canyon (Torrey House Press 2023); 2025 Utah Book Award Winner and Library of Congress “Great Reads from Great Places” selection. Sjogren is based in Utah’s canyon country, and shares her Wild Words and explorations on Substack, Instagram @morgan.sjogren, and
morgansjogren.com.
Natalie Tanski
Natalie Tanski is a geomorphologist who studies how landscapes, particularly river systems, evolve in response to geologic controls. One of Natalie’s greatest passions is running rivers in the desert Southwest, and her love for these landscapes deeply shapes both her research interests and connection to geology. Her PhD research explored the long-term evolution of the Colorado River, focusing on how it carved Glen and Cataract Canyons over the past several hundred thousand years.
Robert Tusso (unable to present)
Robert Tusso is a Hydrologist at the USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center studying the bed & banks of rivers in the Colorado River Basin using various imaging and survey technologies. He enjoys the challenge of collecting good data in difficult environments using custom equipment and techniques.
Dave Wegner
Dave Wegner has spent the last 50 plus years working/playing in water as a scientist, manager, writer of agency policy and in developing national legislation for the protection and management of water. He continues to write and work in the fields of water, climate, law, and science. He has served on the National Academy of Sciences and multiple national and international water organizations, including the Glen Canyon Institute.
John Weisheit
John Weisheit is a co-founder of Colorado Plateau River Guides, Living Rivers, and Canyonlands Watershed Council. He is a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance and serves as the Colorado Riverkeeper. Since 1991, John has been working with professors of hydrology, and many publications have been produced from a total of about 40 river expeditions. These publications have provided baseline data to help climate scientists measure and monitor our ever-changing world.
Chris Wilkowske (unable to present)
Chris Wilkowske is a hydrologist with the U.S Geological Survey and works in the Moab Field Office as part of the Utah Water Science Center. He has been involved in the operation of streamgages throughout the Colorado River basin for the past 30 years.
Louis Williams
Louis Williams is a member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation. He currently resides in Blanding, Utah and has been guiding on the San Juan River since 2011. Louis studied environmental science at the University of New Mexico and is now the owner of Ancient Wayves River and Hiking Adventures.
POSTER AUTHORS
Brenda Bowen
Brenda Bowen is an interdisciplinary geoscientist with expertise on sedimentology, geochemistry, and environmental change in extreme landscapes altered by human infrastructure and extraction. She is a professor of Geology and Geophysics and chair of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah. Her research uses field observations, satellite and airborne remote sensing, and a wide range of lab-based analytical techniques (primarily geochemistry and microscopy) to characterize and interpret sedimentary records of change.
Katie Chapman (unable to present)
Katie is a geologist at the USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center studying sand storage and river response to dams and changing reservoir levels in the Colorado River Basin. She processes topographic survey data and has recently started processing the GNSS data needed to get high accuracy data in remote places. She takes pride in doing science that goes toward understanding a high-profile river and informing important management decisions and appreciates every moment of getting to do field work in beautiful places.
Bridget Deemer (unable to present)
Bridget Deemer is a research ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center where she leads a long-term water quality monitoring program on Lake Powell and conducts research to inform the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program. Much of her work examines how dam and reservoir management affect water quality, ecosystem productivity and greenhouse gas emissions. Bridget Deemer received her PhD from the School of the Environment at Washington State University where she studied reservoir nitrogen removal and greenhouse gas production in the Global Change and Watershed Biogeochemistry Lab.
Cynthia Dott
Cynthia Dott is a Professor Emeritus of Biology at Fort Lewis College, Durango (FLC). She has studied riparian ecosystems of the Four Corners region for the last 30+ years, in addition to teaching ecology to undergraduate students at FLC for 25 years. Her research focuses on how changes in river discharge impact sediment movement and vegetation patterns in river floodplain. Cynthia and her students have studied both native shrubs and trees of the region and non-native species.
Gary Gianniny
Gary Gianniny is a Professor Emeritus of Geosciences at Fort Lewis College. He studies the movement and processes which deposit sediments, and sedimentary rocks, and has studied water issues on western rivers for the last 30 years. With their undergraduate students at FLC, Gianniny and Dott have published articles and abstracts on the Dolores River focused on interactions of dams on downstream floodplain sediments, groundwater, and riparian plant communities, and the San Juan River which is impacted by the “Dam Sandwich” of Navajo and Glen Canyon dams. Gianniny and his students also investigate the role of the Redwall Limestone as an aquifer in Grand Canyon.
Matt Kaplinski (unable to present)
Matt Kaplinski is a Physical Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. Matt has been studying the sediment dynamics of Colorado River and Geologic history of the Grand Canyon for over 30 years with Northern Arizona University and more recently the USGS. Currently, Matt participates in the development and implementation of the protocols for high-flow releases from Glen Canyon Dam and works with the sandbar and geomorphology monitoring programs. Matt has also worked as a commercial boatman and represented the Grand Canyon River guides on the Adaptive Management work group.
Shannon Sartain (unable to present)
Shannon is a hydrologist at the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center studying the response of Colorado River Basin sediment resources to the operation of large dams using a variety of methods, such as traditional total stations, multibeam sonar, and lidar. She enjoys running and studying rivers with people who know way more than her, like pro guides, veteran scientists, and high school students.
Katie Woodward
Katie is a graduate candidate at Western Colorado University, where her research reflects a long-standing fascination with riparian habitats in Glen Canyon and across the Colorado Plateau. For her M.S. in Ecology thesis, she is examining the role and management of invasive species in Glen Canyon’s recovering ecosystem, and she recently completed a Master of Environmental Management for which she developed a repeat photography database showcasing 150+ years of riparian change in the Escalante River watershed. Throughout her graduate career, she has also had the privilege of supporting fieldwork in the broad-scale studies of Glen Canyon’s ecological recovery.
EXHIBIT ARTISTS AND CURATORS
Isabel Adler
Isabel Adler is an environmental advocate and researcher with the Returning Rapids Project, a graphic designer, and a river guide based in Moab, UT. She’s passionate about using visual storytelling to explore the connections between environmental change, history, and landscape to immerse viewers in changing places.
Beth Henshaw
Beth Henshaw is a writer based in Page, Arizona and the owner of a new guiding company in Glen Canyon called Pronghorn Expeditions, launching in January 2026. She is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in creative nature writing through Western Colorado University. Her videos and repeat photography of the fluctuating lake levels near Glen Canyon Dam have reached over 30 million views on Instagram. She publishes extensively about Glen Canyon on her blog and Instagram (Blog by Beth) and is pursuing publication for her debut memoir.
Robyn Holmes
Robyn is a professional river nerd (focusing on stream restoration) and semi-pro artist interested in the intersection of art and science.
Dawn Kish
Dawn Kish, photographer and filmmaker, connects art, adventure, and advocacy. Her passion for storytelling has led her to transform her captivating photographs into immersive films. Kish’s latest project, Glen Canyon Exposed: Now and Then, combines a photography and film exhibition, showcasing at the John Wesley Powell Museum until April 2026. The film, “Tad’s Emerging World: Glen Canyon Exposed,” made its debut at the prestigious Banff Film Festival in 2022. Kish’s works have been commissioned by esteemed clients such as Audubon, Grand Canyon Trust, National Geographic, and Patagonia.
Elliot Ross
Elliot Ross is a Taiwanese-American photographer and writer based in Boulder, Utah. His practice is centered on longform projects that examine how landscapes–both natural and artificial–shape community and culture. Ross’s ongoing investigations include: the struggle for Indigenous self-determination, energy production, and the consequences of climate change on natural resources and communities. Ross is a National Geographic Explorer, a Ted Scripps Fellow, and a fellow at The Center for Contemporary Documentation. He has published several books including American Backyard, cover-stories in National Geographic and TIME, and features in The New Yorker and The New York Times.
Wendy Wischer (unable to present)
Wendy Wischer is an artist and educator currently living and working in Connecticut after more than a decade living in Utah. With investigations in a variety of media from sculptural objects to installations, video, projection, sound, drawing and public works, she is compelled to find pathways for translating data into personal meaning and to create artwork that moves the viewer emotionally.
MODERATORS
Brenda Bowen
Brenda Bowen is an interdisciplinary geoscientist with expertise on sedimentology, geochemistry, and environmental change in extreme landscapes altered by human infrastructure and extraction. She is a professor of Geology and Geophysics and chair of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah. Her research uses field observations, satellite and airborne remote sensing, and a wide range of lab-based analytical techniques (primarily geochemistry and microscopy) to characterize and interpret sedimentary records of change.
Mike DeHoff
Mike DeHoff is the co-founder and principal investigator of the Returning Rapids Project. Mike has a love of flowing water, wild landscapes, and quiet places. Throughout his life, Mike has worked as a river guide, an administrator for an outdoor education organization, a jet boat pilot and shuttle driver, and a welder/fabricator of river gear. Moab, Utah is home for Mike, his wife Meg, a few cats, and a lot of boats.
Zanna Stutz
Zanna Stutz is the Program Manager at Glen Canyon Institute. She has a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Dartmouth College where her research highlighted the impacts of climate change on the environmental politics of the Lower Snake River Dams. At GCI, Zanna manages outreach, events, and communications while supporting Glen Canyon media and research field trips.
PANELISTS
Eric Balken
Eric Balken is the Executive Director of Glen Canyon Institute. His interest in water policy started at the University of Utah where he received bachelor’s degrees in environmental studies and geography. From a young age, Eric has worked with non-profits in grassroots organizing, land surveys, and public outreach. For the past decade, he has been entrenched in Colorado River policy, directing advocacy and research for Glen Canyon.
Lorelei Cloud
Lorelei Cloud is a leading advocate for Indigenous water rights. She is the co-founder of The Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network, Board Trustee for The Nature Conservancy Colorado, a leader at the Water and Tribes Initiative, and currently serves on the Colorado Water Conservation Board. As a three-term Southern Ute Tribal Council leader, serving as Vice Chairman and Treasurer, Lorelei has fought to protect Tribal resources and sovereignty, ensuring rivers like the San Juan, Dolores, and Animas are managed with both science and cultural reverence.
Meg Flynn
Meg Flynn is a river runner and librarian from Moab, Utah who has enjoyed exploring Colorado Plateau rivers for over 20 years. She is a founding member of the Returning Rapids Project and works in various capacities for the project—from creating and editing content to rowing boats to archival research and more. She has a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and is the Assistant Director of the Grand County Public Library in Moab.
Dave Wegner
Dave Wegner has spent the last 50 plus years working/playing in water as a scientist, manager, writer of agency policy and in developing national legislation for the protection and management of water. He continues to write and work in the fields of water, climate, law, and science. He has served on the National Academy of Sciences and multiple national and international water organizations, including the Glen Canyon Institute.
About the Event
Curiosity-driven collaboration has always been at the heart of both RRP and GCI. Rivers of Change provides a forum for multidisciplinary collaborators and members of our extended community to share work with each other, stakeholders, and the public.
Symposium of Current Work (12:30 – 6:00 PM)
The symposium includes a series of presentations from scientists, artists, and advocates on their current work. Topics span disciplines and geologic time, covering large-scale changes in ecosystem recovery to micro-scale sediment characterization. Others highlight intricate relationships with Glen Canyon and the surrounding area, asking what it means to approach this landscape with hope, curiosity, respect, and responsibility. Doors open at 12:00 PM.
Dinner + Poster and Exhibit Display (6:00 – 7:30 PM)
98 Center food and refreshments are available in the Sun Court alongside a display of science posters, artwork, maps, and photographs. Attendants of both the symposium and film screening are welcome to join. $10 suggested donation per person; no food or drink allowed in Star Hall.
What the River Knows Film Screening (7:30 – 9:00 PM) – $15 tickets
The evening is centered around a screening of What the River Knows, a Good Intentions Paving Co. documentary that explores the reemergence of Glen Canyon from the receding waters of Lake Powell reservoir. Weaving together past and present, What the River Knows reveals a new way forward for the Colorado River. An introduction from Meg Flynn is followed by an opening short doc from Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. Keep Labyrinth Canyon Wild! covers the BLM’s efforts to reverse the 2023 Labyrinth Canyon Travel Management Plan. The event wraps up with a panel discussion between: Eric Balken, Lorelei Cloud, Meg Flynn, and Dave Wegner.
Photos by: Will Buckley and Diego Riley, What the River Knows.
Rivers of Change in the News
About the Co-Hosts
As Lake Powell reservoir levels dropped, Returning Rapids Project (RRP) emerged in response to visible changes in the whitewater and sediment characteristics in mainstem and tributary corridors of the Colorado and San Juan rivers. The organization brings together those interested in better understanding the speed, scale, and implications of changes occurring in this space, and shares this information for the benefit of effective resource management. Collaborators have included scientists—including those from the University of Utah’s Department of Geology & Geophysics—as well as students, journalists, media creators, river runners, policy makers, conservationists, advocates, and more.
RRP functions as a project of Glen Canyon Institute (GCI), a science-based advocacy nonprofit dedicated to the restoration of Glen Canyon. Founded in 1996, GCI coordinates with scientists, artists, advocates, and policy makers to support the protection of environmental and cultural resources across this landscape.
