Show A16 The SidtLik-Tribun- UTAH Sunday March 28 2004 f v r 'l Photos Bullfrog! Rlrn fanvnn Valinnal nrTn AREA ' Q' y 'calaract Lukt Powell " ill ? v Y fim for everybody to go to see the beautiful canyon down there9 O llcerratiun Area KANE CO vv j Halls Crossing ! RICHARD INGEBRETSEN Glen Canyon Jf - -- vt ' ite 7ri6unf TAis is 5 ' tVXJ--"T Paul KRAUGHTON7icM rr Hilel IIII) ('() GARI (Boulder by i:'sr X 0 10 ARIZONA Founder Glen Canyon Institute 20 MIIm V Suit hlkr Inbuilt " - :'"- - r' r II IS llTmS hZrSnh!ai A v "" S Don Bel1' left' and Jess Jimenez' of Montro$e-Co10P4°hwell'?Ulfr0q Ma:lM "ere °nce mol their boat after a day of successful bass fishing Bell says the lower has receded past the end of the Bullfrog Marina ramp boaters must use a temporary ramp to launch Lake Powell is revealing old wonders Continued from Al SandS-Cente- r' the ferry from Halls Crossing to Bullfrog is running an 8 am to 5 pm schedule But the first good spring runoff anticipated since 1998 has evaporated with the March weather said Brian Mclnerney a Salt Lake with the National Weather Service "On March 1 the picture for Lake Powell was much better than it is City-base- d now" extending into the receding water should be completed sometime in May Boat ramps at Wahweap also are being lengthened The marina at Hlte is closed because of low water as is the ramp at Antelope Point There is no vehicle access at Crosby Canyon The launch site at Halls Crossing however is in excellent condition And Mclnerney said a predicted runoff of percent of normal for the Colorado River drainage has faded to less than 50 percent March typically one of the snowiest months has turned out dry and exceptionally warm The upshot is that the reservoir will gain several Teet in depth until July but then fall again to below the present level unless weather patterns change 85 - - V "It will take Lake Powell five years to fill with normal runoff" Mclnerney said Richard Ingebretsen wouldn't wish a drought on anyone But even the founder of the Glen Canyon Institute — whose ultimate goal is to drain Lake Powell and let nature restore the drowned canyon — says it should not be missed "This is the time for everybody to go to see the beautiful canyon down there" With the reservoir level at 3584 feet elevation Lake Powell is more than 100 feet below Its capacity Wonders such as the Cathedral in the Desert and Gregory Natural Bridge are among those now visible by boat for the first time since the 1970s Ingebretsen said "Whether you like Powell or not this is just spectacular" he said "By r 1 revealing these features we've been able to show people just how valuable Glen Canyon is" For river runners too the low level is a rush because the lake no longer extends up the Colorado River into Cataract Canyon Ingebretsen noted "Thirty miles of river is back Ten big rapids have returned" What were record low levels for the reservoir might have kept some people away last year conceded Steve Ward public relations director for Aramark the private corporation that operates Lake Powell resorts for the National Park Service But the Lake Powell experience is better than ever "A lot more beaches have been exposed with the low water" he said "We're trying to promote the idea that this is a whole new lake" Aramark has built a new marina at Bullfrog and has a new fleet of houseboats for rent along with daily rentals of power boat3 And if the new sights and beaches aren't enough then the fishing should be Ward added because the lower water levels promote nutrient growth that small-moutbass and stripers feed upon "We expect a record year for fishing" he said That statement was backed up by Don Bell and Jess Jimenez fishermen from Montrose Colo who landed a slug of stripers during a morning outing on Bullfrog Bay "It's a different lake and you've got to watch out for the shallows" said Bell who fishes Powell often "But we aren't complaining" h csmart((sltribcotQ |