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Katie Lee, Colorado River Activist, Dies at Age 98

Katie Lee website

Arizona singer, artist, and environmental activist Katie Lee has died at age 98. She was known in many boating and outdoor recreation circles for her love and advocacy for the Colorado River. She told KSJD about her connection to the river in 2014.

 

“When I saw Glen Canyon, in ‘54, I knew that I belonged in that place,” she said.

After the Glen Canyon Dam was finished in 1963, Lee spent the rest of her life advocating for its removal. Her life and advocacy were the subject of the 2016 short film https://vimeo.com/209928424" style="text-decoration:none;">“Kick-Ass Katie Lee.” According to a press release written by her friend, Lee died in her sleep at her home in Jerome, Arizona on Wednesday.

Austin Cope is a former Morning Edition host for KSJD and now produces work on a freelance basis for the station. He grew up in Cortez and hosted a show on KSJD when he was 10 years old. After graduating from Montezuma-Cortez High School in 2010, he lived in Belgium, Ohio, Spain, northern Wyoming, and Himachal Pradesh, India before returning to the Cortez area. He has a degree in Politics from Oberlin College in Ohio.
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