For more than two weeks, the Colorado River has been flowing in its delta, through more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) of recently bone-dry river channel choked with desert scrub. The flow is all too brief, lasting only eight weeks in all. The United States and Mexico are demonstrating how a “pulse flow” of water can bring environmental benefits to this long-parched reach of the river. The last 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the Colorado are a critical link in the Pacific Flyway, and new habitat can help the hundreds of species of birds that depend on it.
But for now, the principal species benefitting from the flow is us. People love this river!
From the first day the water appeared, the community has come out in droves to see the river. Some older folks are marveling in a sight they thought they would never see again. Parents bring their children – there’s a whole generation being introduced to the river for the very first time.
Earlier today we posted Jennifer Pitt’s photographs from the area. Read her wonderful article about the impact of the Colorado River on its neighboring communities.