Happy Friday, everyone!
Conflict is probably the most frequently used word in stories about water in the U.S. West. The word represents the seriousness of global water issues, from the drought-prone areas of Asia to the infrastructure-poor countries of central and southern Africa. Is the future one of litigation amidst an increasingly unsustainable economy and its growing uncertainty?
The crux of the problem is how society manages water. What matters most in these water conflicts is its access: When and where it is available. Water delivered in one place rarely is interchangeable with water delivered elsewhere. Water available in January is not a substitute for water available in August. People in developed nations typically are unaware of this because of infrastructure, such as reservoirs and canals, that allows for the storing of water from one season to the next, and its transport from one place to another.
Check out this great opinion piece by Giulio Boccaletti, managing director of the Global Freshwater Program for The Nature Conservancy.
Rush on the Grand Canyon
We’re not saying this is what your summer should look like.
But if you wanted to go kayaking on a river, and the Colorado River was driving distance, we couldn’t stop you now could we?
Summer is right around the corner!
Looking to get away for a few days? Swing by Rocky Mountain National Park to trek across alpine trails, spot mountain goats, and hurry past berry-snacking black bears.
Our favorite attraction, though, would be the tiny streams of the Colorado River headwaters. Though hard to tell apart from other streams, eventually these little waterways become the mighty Colorado River.
Image via Aparofan’s World.
From Wyoming to Mexico, a Beautiful Time-Lapse Trip Down the Colorado River
Drawing rain runoff and snow melt from the slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River is a dominant source of water for the American southwest, providing fresh water for drinking and farming and hydroelectric power to millions.
In 2011, Will Stauffer-Norris and Zak Podmore spent nearly four months kayaking and portaging and hiking the length of the Colorado River, from the Green River in Wyoming, which feeds into the Colorado, to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. That 113-day journey was crushed into this beautiful three-and-a-half-minute time-lapse, showcasing the varied landscapes of the southwest. Read more at Smithsonian.com.
Maybe you noticed, like we did, that the only part of their journey after leaving Wyoming that Will and Zak spent out of the water was the Colorado River Delta.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
By joining us in our efforts to Raise The River, you can be a part of nurturing the Colorado River from its beginnings in the Rocky Mountains to its home in the Pacific Ocean.
(Source: http://smithsonianmag.tumblr.com/)