Pee wo DUBON BULLETIN 
Published Quarterly by the 
ee lLeN Oost Ave) «Us BON SOO FET. Y 
ROOSEVELT ROAD AND LAKE SHORE DRIVE, CHICAGO 5, ILL. 
Number 89 March, 1954 
The Case Against a Dam in Dinosaur 
By RAYMOND MOSTEK 
SECRETARY OF THE INTERICR Douglas McKay has recommended to President 
Eisenhower that Echo Park Dam be authorized for construction within 
Dinosaur National Monument in western Colorado. This proposed dam is 
part of the Upper Colorado River Storage project which contemplates a 
series of hydroelectric and storage dams to harness the mighty Colorado 
river and utilize its waters in arid lands. 
The Illinois Audubon Society, together with other conservation groups 
throughout the nation, is vigorously opposed to the Echo Park Dam. We 
fully realize that certain water development projects are necessary to the 
economic progress of the western states. 
The Echo Park Dam is opposed because it would flood the superb canyons 
of the Green and Yampa rivers under 500 feet of water, and thus many of 
the scientific and scenic treasures for which the area was first set aside 
would be needlessly destroyed. Such unwarranted construction of a dam 
invades public domain, which in the eyes of an increasing number of Ameri- 
cans has become priceless. Important, too, is the plain fact that many al- 
ternate sites are available. It is a severe indictment against Secretary 
McKay that such alternate sites would provide greater storage facilities 
and would be far less costly to the American taxpayer. 
An indication of McKay’s weak thinking and hasty, ill-considered action 
on the entire project is his suggestion that $21 million be spent for study 
and development of what remains of the Dinosaur Monument after the dam 
is built. A mere fragment of this huge sum, if it were spent to enlarge fa- 
cilities and build necessary highways to make Dinosaur Monument more 
accessible, would make this area a precious jewel in our National Park 
system, and thus relieve our other, better known parks of the huge crowds 
that now attend them. 
Our Society has joined other groups in urging passage of HR 1038, an 
act which has been introduced in Congress to forbid construction of dams 
within national parks and monuments. A companion bill is HR 1037, which 
confers national park status on Dinosaur National Monument. 
The case of Dinosaur is one of the most important national park issues 
that has been raised in the last forty years. If Echo Park Dam is authorized, 
it can set a dangerous precedent whereby every canyon in every national 
park will be under attack. This most unwarranted threat against our 
nation’s treasures must be repulsed. Such regions as Dinosaur Monument 
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