The Colorado River flooded the Grand Canyon on Monday as part of an ongoing experiment to rebuild beaches and restore fish habitat in the iconic Arizona gorge. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was on hand to open the river outlet tubes at the Glen Canyon Dam in an attempt to clear out the hundreds of millions of tons of sediment that settled at the bottom of the river thanks to the massive concrete barrier. The programmed flooding (which is now planned to be executed every year) is expected to restore the natural balance of the Canyon by providing the all too valuable sludge to the ecosystem, along with additional fresh water. [1, 2]
ARTIFICIAL floods to restore the NATURAL balance?
It sounds weird… And a little bit paradox as well…
Maybe the balance restored is not so “natural”… Or maybe the floods conducted are not so “artificial”… We ARE part of Nature after all, aren’t we?!?
Related article: Against Ecology Coercion
