<div align="center"> <h1>First Descent of the Salween<br> Bemba to Lhorong, Tibet<br> August 30 - September 22, 2007</h1> </div><br> <span class="content"> A special thanks to <a href="http://www.lastdescents.com" target="_blank"><font size="+1">Last Descents</font></a> for helping make this trip happen.<br><br> Can a team of American, Chinese, and Tibetan professional river enthusiasts use a first descent to draw in depth international insight to a river threatened by the largest hydropower projects in world history?<br><br> YOU BET!!!<br><br> THE SALWEEN RIVER, in places called the Nagchu (Tibetan - 'Black River'), the Gyalmo Ngulchu, and the Nujiang (Chinese - 'Angry River'), may be one of the most significant rivers in China's modern development paradigm, which by extension makes it of considerable significance in the world development scene. It is the last free flowing river that crosses provincial boundaries in China, and only one of two major free flowing rivers in China. Downstream, it crosses into Burma and Thailand, where over 100 million people depend on it for their livelihood. Fully one third of the world's population depends on the rivers draining the Tibetan Plateau for sustenance, and yet no one in the US and few in China know of this river that is some places in referred to as 'China's Grand Canyon.' <br><br> RIGHT NOW, there is a mega hydropower project larger than Three Gorges Dam indefinitely ON HOLD for the Salween, thanks to Premier Wenjiabao's foresight in heeding an unprecedented surge in public outcry over the project, stemming from a newer and more transparent approach by policy makers to incorporate laws and public opinion into the decision making process. Yet, dam workers continue to work on this thirteen dam cascade while provincial officials simultaneously consider turning this already designated World Heritage area into China's 'first' National Park. <br><br> FEW PEOPLE IN CHINA or the US know the real story and the real value of this river. In fact, according to renown wildlife biologist George Schaller, the region of eastern Tibet that we plan to float through is one of the last two 'unexplored' areas on the planet. We hope this trip can bring this river and its story, into the mainstream.<br><br> WITH THIS TRIP, we are exploring more than a river or new environmental perspectives. We will use this trip to help create a GROWING MOVEMENT that emphasizes mutual cooperation and understanding between China and the US as opposed to one sided criticism from the US towards China. We will empower citizens from all walks of life in the US and China to create a vision for a brighter world future where direct appreciation and experience of natural resources is part of every decision making process. We hope to do the same within China, where recent policy has begun to emphasize creating cooperation among different ethnicities and social classes to work together for more balanced economic development. We believe we are the right team for the project for the following reasons:<br><br> WE ARE ORDINARY. Our team currently consists of ten Americans, two Chinese, and one German who have devoted their lives to bringing people to experience the world we live in. Our Tibetan translator is Chongdak, whose father worked as a scribe for the Dalai Lama, and who, after spending some time training as monk, has devoted his life to bringing Chinese and foreigners alike to experience his Tibet. In recent years he has also become addicted to river recreation. The trip leaders are Travis and Carmen Winn, a brother and sister pair who grew up on the river and for the last several years have devoted their lives to bringing Chinese on their rivers and plan to spend the rest of their lives helping the Chinese develop their own relationship with free flowing rivers. <br><br> OUR OTHER TEAM MEMBERS are friends and family of Eric and Brandy Ladd that have grown up on rivers in the watersheds of Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming. Many of them are now river guides, NOLS instructors, and other outdoor professionals that have conducted expeditions throughout the US, South America, and Canada. Our German participant is Tony Griessbach, a German kayaker that has traveled twice to China to produce an independent documentary film and a multi-media presentation on Chinese rivers that he has presented across Europe. Kristen McDonald, a PhD student at UC Berkeley (who has spent the last four years researching local water management practices on the Nu) will also join us. <br><br> MOST IMPORTANTLY, it includes Lin Gu, an Oxford-educated Chinese journalist who has worked for BBC, PBS, Lonely Planet and Xinhua News Agency along the Salween in Burma and the Qinghai-Lhasa Railway in Tibet (among other places) and will help bring our movement into the international media. <br><br> WE HOPE that you will join us in this effort and we look forward to hearing from you with questions. </span> <p>If you see this message, then your browser doesn't support frames. Click <a href="home-frame.html" target="_blank">here</a> to view the page.</p>
