Everything changed for the Colorado River in Grand Canyon with the construction of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. GCMRC (Grand Canyon Montoring and Research Center) was created in an effort to help preserve the natural state of the river amidst the radically altered downstream environment. Researchers monitor and combat the dam’s effects on the canyon’s botany, geology, zoology and cultural history. I was lucky to document some of the science down in the BIG DITCH, as it is called lovingly. I rowed boats for the GCMRC science trips for 10 years and was engulfed into the science and the white water.