Protecting Rivers & Your Clean Water
A Paddler’s Perspective on Protecting the Colorado River
Jessie Thomas-Blate, Coordinator, Most Endangered Rivers
April 18, 2013 | Climate Change, Most Endangered Rivers, Water Supply
O.A.R.S., a family-owned river rafting company, has been running trips on the Colorado River since 1969. During the last 44 years, we have guided over 50,000 vacationers on river trips on the Colorado and its tributaries. Healthy river flows are crucial to our business and countless others in the Colorado River corridor. These businesses serve clients who want to spend recreational time experiencing the excitement, tranquility, and restorative value of the river each year.
Read more »Smarter Farming Leads to More Water for Rivers
Jessie Thomas-Blate, Coordinator, Most Endangered Rivers
April 18, 2013 | Climate Change, Most Endangered Rivers, Water Supply
My family lived in Denver for many years and one day on a trip to Grand Junction in 2008 we fell in love with and then bought the Mesa Park Vineyards in Palisade, Colorado. Our operation is a small, family-owned and run business. The farm is 10 acres total, and we focus on creating superior wines— over a 1000 cases per year. To produce the plump grapes we need for our winemaking, we rely heavily on a healthy flowing Colorado River.
Read more »Announcing America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2013
Amy Souers Kober, Senior Director of Communications
April 17, 2013 | Climate Change, Most Endangered Rivers, Water Supply
For thirty years, our America’s Most Endangered Rivers report has highlighted urgent threats to rivers and has spurred the public to take action. Through the report, we have helped sound the alarm on hundreds of rivers, saving them from threats like pollution and new dams.
The river at the top of the 2013 list, announced today, is the Colorado River – a river that is so dammed, diverted, and drained that it dries to a trickle before reaching the sea.
Read more »Plumbing the Colorado River
Matt Niemerski, Director, Western Water Policy
April 17, 2013 | Water Supply
Great poster former HCN publisher, Ed Marston, depicting how the Colorado River basin's rivers drain into various reservoirs and, from there, into water management systems.
Read more »The Colorado is America’s Most Endangered River
Jessie Thomas-Blate, Coordinator, Most Endangered Rivers
April 17, 2013 | Climate Change, Most Endangered Rivers, Water Supply
Mark Twain once said, “Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.” His words ring true today about another river, the Colorado, that many call the lifeblood of the West. In some places the Colorado River is drained dry, in others its flows are so depleted and manipulated that fish and wildlife are federally listed as “endangered,” and in yet others more dam/diversion/pipeline projects are proposed that would drain the last legally allowed drops of water out of the river.
Read more »Preserving our Fish, Wildlife and Plants in an Uncertain Future
Fay Augustyn, Intermountain West Blue Trails Manager
April 16, 2013 | Climate Change, Dams & Dam Removal
Since I was a baby, I have spent summers in Colorado. Memories of playing in the rivers and hiking the mountain trails are some of my fondest. I continue to believe there is nothing more liberating than escaping the everyday grind of the city and heading into the great outdoors. However, over the course of the last few years we have seen an increasing number of extreme weather events that are impacting our valuable natural resources. Unfortunately, these impacts are expected to increase with our rapidly changing climate, putting our cherished resources at risk.
Read more »What’s Happenin’ on The Hooch?
Jessie Thomas-Blate, Coordinator, Most Endangered Rivers
April 15, 2013
The Chattahoochee River was #3 on last year’s list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers®. Reservoir projects on the Chattahoochee River have largely been on hold over the past year. Water supply issues continue to be a major concern across the Southeast and the rest of the country.
Read more »