Martin Litton
Encyclopedia
Martin Litton is a Grand Canyon
river runner and a longtime environmental
activist, best known as a staunch opponent of the construction of Glen Canyon Dam
and other dams on the Colorado River.
Although not a well-known environmental activist until the 1950s, as early as October 1935 he wrote a letter to the Los Angeles Times
at the age of 18, which read in part: "The people of the entire state should rise up against the destruction of Mono Lake
. Mono Lake is a gem-among California's greatest scenic attractions."
He first floated the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1955, at the time becoming only the 185th person known to have made the trip down the river first pioneered by John Wesley Powell
. He ran the river again in 1962 and continued to run the Colorado for decades afterward, founding Grand Canyon Dories in 1971 and running commercial river trips through the 1970s and 1980s. Litton showed a contrarian preference for using small wooden boats, known as dories
, at a time when other river runners had mostly switched to inflatable rubber rafts. These boats were originally used in Oregon
; it was Litton who adapted their use to the Colorado River. He sold the business in 1990.
Litton was a close friend of David Brower, Edward Abbey
, and other major figures in the conservation movement. Brower first recruited him in 1952 for a campaign to oppose the construction of two dams in Dinosaur National Monument
. Congress voted down approval for the dams in 1956. This began a longtime association with the Sierra Club
and a lifelong opposition to dam-building on the Colorado. He was active in the fight to stop dams from being constructed within Grand Canyon National Park
. A 1964 river trip led by Martin Litton, which included David Brower, Philip Hyde (photographer)
and author Francois Leydet, led to the publication of the 1964 book authored by Leydet, Time and the River Flowing, with photographs by Ansel Adams, Philip Hyde and others, which helped galvanize opposition to the proposed dams within the Grand Canyon.
Between 1954 and 1968 he was the travel editor for Sunset Magazine
. In 1960, Sunset ran a cover story entitled "The Redwood Country," which is credited with launching a campaign which eventually led to the establishment of Redwood National Park.
Litton is the author of the 1968 book The Life and Death of Lake Mead. He has been featured in documentary films including Monumental: David Brower's Fight for Wild America and River Runners of the Grand Canyon.
He has remained active in environmental causes. His most recent environmental activities have revolved around opposing logging
in the Sequoia National Forest
and the recently created Giant Sequoia National Monument
, and campaigning to remove Glen Canyon Dam and drain Lake Powell
.
He still continues to make occasional river trips. In 2004 at the age of 87, he broke his own record as the oldest person to run the Grand Canyon, rowing the entire trip in a dory. A life-long pilot, Litton flew the Grand Canyon at river level many times in his vintage Cessna 195 including flying the photography for the IMAX film GRAND CANYON The Hidden Secrets. In the 1960's he flew then-governor Edmund "Pat" Brown over Northern California's redwoods, convincing him not to sign a bill that would have extended freeways through the redwood forests.
Litton served on the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club from 1964 to 1973. In 1990 he convinced Harriet Burgess to found the American Land Conservancy and served on the executive committee for ten years. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
and on the Honorary Board of Directors of the Glen Canyon Institute
. In 2005, he was a write-in candidate
for the Sierra Club Board of Directors, but did not win election.
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
river runner and a longtime environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
activist, best known as a staunch opponent of the construction of Glen Canyon Dam
Glen Canyon Dam
Glen Canyon Dam is a concrete arch dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona in the United States, just north of Page. The dam was built to provide hydroelectricity and flow regulation from the upper Colorado River Basin to the lower. Its reservoir is called Lake Powell, and is the second...
and other dams on the Colorado River.
Although not a well-known environmental activist until the 1950s, as early as October 1935 he wrote a letter to the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
at the age of 18, which read in part: "The people of the entire state should rise up against the destruction of Mono Lake
Mono Lake
Mono Lake is a large, shallow saline lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in a basin that has no outlet to the ocean...
. Mono Lake is a gem-among California's greatest scenic attractions."
He first floated the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1955, at the time becoming only the 185th person known to have made the trip down the river first pioneered by John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...
. He ran the river again in 1962 and continued to run the Colorado for decades afterward, founding Grand Canyon Dories in 1971 and running commercial river trips through the 1970s and 1980s. Litton showed a contrarian preference for using small wooden boats, known as dories
Dory
The dory is a small, shallow-draft boat, about long. It is a lightweight and versatile boat with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. They are easy to build because of their simple lines. For centuries, dories have been used as traditional fishing boats, both in coastal waters and in the...
, at a time when other river runners had mostly switched to inflatable rubber rafts. These boats were originally used in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
; it was Litton who adapted their use to the Colorado River. He sold the business in 1990.
Litton was a close friend of David Brower, Edward Abbey
Edward Abbey
Edward Paul Abbey was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental...
, and other major figures in the conservation movement. Brower first recruited him in 1952 for a campaign to oppose the construction of two dams in Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument is a National Monument located on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers. Although most of the monument area is in Moffat County, Colorado, the Dinosaur Quarry is located in Utah...
. Congress voted down approval for the dams in 1956. This began a longtime association with the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
and a lifelong opposition to dam-building on the Colorado. He was active in the fight to stop dams from being constructed within Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is the United States' 15th oldest national park and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the Wonders of the World. The park covers of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties.Most...
. A 1964 river trip led by Martin Litton, which included David Brower, Philip Hyde (photographer)
Philip Hyde (photographer)
Philip Hyde was a pioneer landscape photographer and conservationist. He attended Ansel Adams' photography program at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, beginning with the Summer Session in 1946 and enrolling in the full-time professional photography training,...
and author Francois Leydet, led to the publication of the 1964 book authored by Leydet, Time and the River Flowing, with photographs by Ansel Adams, Philip Hyde and others, which helped galvanize opposition to the proposed dams within the Grand Canyon.
Between 1954 and 1968 he was the travel editor for Sunset Magazine
Sunset (magazine)
Sunset is a lifestyle magazine in the United States. Sunset focuses on homes, cooking, gardening, and travel, with a focus almost exclusively on the Western United States...
. In 1960, Sunset ran a cover story entitled "The Redwood Country," which is credited with launching a campaign which eventually led to the establishment of Redwood National Park.
Litton is the author of the 1968 book The Life and Death of Lake Mead. He has been featured in documentary films including Monumental: David Brower's Fight for Wild America and River Runners of the Grand Canyon.
He has remained active in environmental causes. His most recent environmental activities have revolved around opposing logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
in the Sequoia National Forest
Sequoia National Forest
Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boundaries of the forest....
and the recently created Giant Sequoia National Monument
Giant Sequoia National Monument
The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the southern Sierra Nevada in eastern central California. It is administered by the United States Forest Service as part of the Sequoia National Forest and includes 38 of the 39 Giant Sequoia groves that are located in the...
, and campaigning to remove Glen Canyon Dam and drain Lake Powell
Lake Powell
Lake Powell is a huge reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona . It is the second largest man-made reservoir in the United States behind Lake Mead, storing of water when full...
.
He still continues to make occasional river trips. In 2004 at the age of 87, he broke his own record as the oldest person to run the Grand Canyon, rowing the entire trip in a dory. A life-long pilot, Litton flew the Grand Canyon at river level many times in his vintage Cessna 195 including flying the photography for the IMAX film GRAND CANYON The Hidden Secrets. In the 1960's he flew then-governor Edmund "Pat" Brown over Northern California's redwoods, convincing him not to sign a bill that would have extended freeways through the redwood forests.
Litton served on the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club from 1964 to 1973. In 1990 he convinced Harriet Burgess to found the American Land Conservancy and served on the executive committee for ten years. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is a wilderness preservation organization in the United States based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with field offices in Washington, D.C. and Moab, Utah...
and on the Honorary Board of Directors of the Glen Canyon Institute
Glen canyon institute
Glen Canyon Institute is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 dedicated to the restoration of the Colorado River through Glen Canyon, which is currently covered by Lake Powell, a reservoir created by Glen Canyon Dam...
. In 2005, he was a write-in candidate
Write-in candidate
A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
for the Sierra Club Board of Directors, but did not win election.
External links
- "A matter of grove concern" Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, December 21, 2006