Glen Canyon Institute’s 30th Anniversary Celebration at Publik Space – Salt Lake City, UT

Glen Canyon Institute (GCI) was founded in 1996 with the mission of restoring Glen Canyon and a free-flowing Colorado River through Grand Canyon.

30 years later, the organization remains committed to these same principles.

GCI continues to:

• Facilitate and amplify research, art, and news to better understand and share the story of the Glen;
• Advocate for science-based public policy to protect the canyon's environmental and cultural resources; and
• Educate the public and decision makers about the need to restore Glen Canyon.

Schedule

6:00 PM - Doors open

Enjoy food and drinks

6:30 PM - Opening remarks

Welcome from Glen Canyon Institute executive director Eric Balken and founder + board president Rich Ingebretson

6:45 PM - Voices of Glen Canyon

Presentations from author Zak Podmore, author Morgan Sjogren, and Returning Rapids Project co-founder + principal investigator Mike DeHoff

7:30 PM - Presentation of the David Brower Conservation Award

Honoring Returning Rapids Project, featuring Ken Brower and board trustee Dave Wegner

Find more information about the award including past recipients here

7:45 PM - Panel Discussion / Audience Q+A

With Eric Balken, Mike DeHoff, Zak Podmore, and Morgan Sjogren

Until 9:00 PM - Enjoy great company and conversations

Speakers

The program includes remarks from advocates, authors, and researchers, all dedicated to Glen Canyon and the Colorado River:

Eric Balken - Executive director of Glen Canyon Institute. Eric has been entrenched in Colorado River policy for over a decade, directing advocacy and research for Glen Canyon.

Ken Brower - American writer and environmentalist with several books about envrionmental issues and natural history in addition to articles appearing in National Geographic. Son of David Brower.

Mike DeHoff - Co-founder and principal investigator of the Returning Rapids Project, an organization that studies the changes and shares the story of the Colorado and San Juan Rivers as they recover from Glen Canyon Dam. From his home in Moab, UT, Mike has a love of flowing water, wild landscapes, and quiet places.

Rich Ingebretson - Founder and board president of Glen Canyon Institute. Rich also founded Wilderness Medicine of Utah and is a physician and faculty member at the University of Utah School of Medicine and Department of Physics.

Zak Podmore - Author and journalist who has been writing about water and conservation issues in the western United States since 2011. Zak lives in Bluff, Utah and is the author of Life After Dead Pool: Lake Powell’s Last Days and the Rebirth of the Colorado River and Confluence: Navigating the Personal & Political on Rivers of the New West.

Morgan Sjogren - Based in Utah's canyon country, Morgan writes about Western lands and water through a lens of history, culture, science, and adventure. Her works include Path of Light: A Walk Through Colliding Legacies of Glen Canyon, Wild Words Substack, and two forthcoming books supported by the 2026 Ellen Meloy Fund Desert Writer’s Award.

Dave Wegner - Water scientist, manager, and policy writer, Dave has spent over 50 years writing and working in the fields of water, climate, law, and science. He has developed national legislation for the protection and management of water and serves on the board of Glen Canyon Institute.

Cathedral in the Desert. Above: Tad Nichols, 1965-1966. Below: Dawn Kish, 2023.

WHERE: Publik Space - 975 S W Temple St. Salt Lake City, UT 84101

WHEN: November 19th, 2026 from 6:30-9:00 PM

WHAT: GCI's 30th Anniversary Celebration + presentation of the David Brower Conservation Award to the Returning Rapids Project

TICKETS: $35. Admission includes food, refreshments, presentations, and great company!