Raise the River – Video ‘Report from the Field’

To help show the on-the-ground work that our Raise the River team does, Dr. Osvel Hinojosa of Pronatura Noroeste, a member of the Raise the River coalition, reports weekly from the field in our new video blog. In this video, Dr. Osvel takes us to Morelos Dam, where the water was released to flow into the Colorado River Delta. He explains how regular flows maintain the restoration work done in the Delta. All of the Report from the Field videos are available for viewing on the Raise the River YouTube channel.

From now through October 31, every dollar contributed to Raise the River is matched through a generous initiative by Hunter Industries. Please consider sharing our work with your network of friends, or adding to your donation to help us bring life back to the Colorado River Delta. Donations are received via our Rally page. Thank you!

Colorado River Memorable Moments – Photo Contest Announced!

Spread the message of the importance of water conservation and the restoration of the Colorado River Delta region by being a part of our Colorado River Memorable Moments photo sharing contest. Raise the River invites you to participate for an opportunity to win a special experience in the Colorado River Delta!

Nina-agua-flujo-pulsoShare your most memorable experience related to the Colorado River with your social network of friends and have the opportunity to win the following:

  • From August 1 through August 31, post a photo of your ‘Colorado River Memorable Moment’ on the Raise the River Facebook page, using the hashtag #MyColoradoRiver, and also share it with your friends.
    • The photo with the most “Likes” from the community will win a trip to the Colorado River Delta and our restoration sites, participating in a special, guided Media Tour to take place in mid-November.

Contest entries are shared on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RaiseTheRiver

Complete Contest Rules and details available here, and on our Facebook Notes tab.

 

Announcing the ‘Colorado River-Memorable Moments’-Hunter Matching campaign

Today — July 25 — is Colorado River Day, marking the 94th anniversary of the Grand River being renamed the Colorado. We’re celebrating this mighty river that we are helping to restore by launching a new awareness and fundraising campaign, with the notable support of Hunter Industries.

From July 25 to October 31, Hunter Industries will generously match, dollar-for-dollar, all contributions to the Raise the River initiative, up to $25,000. Donate today and be a part of bringing water and life back to the Colorado River Delta.

©Bill Hatcher 2015Because 30 million people in the West rely on the Colorado River, the river no longer meets it Delta. Communities and ecosystems south of the U.S./Mexico border no longer have the water needed to thrive. Hunter is resolute in its commitment to helping restore the Colorado River Delta, and has partnered with Raise the River, Change the Course, The Sonoran Institute, and Protect the Flows in this effort.

Right now, when you donate to Raise the River you double the impact of your giving, through this important match by Hunter. These contributions will help plant native cottonwood and willow tree saplings as well as provide critical support for scientific data collection, youth education programs and ongoing restoration efforts in the Colorado River Delta.

Later this week, we’ll be announcing our Colorado River Memorable Moments photo and video sharing contests. This is a way for you to contribute to our project by helping to spread the message of the importance of water conservation and the restoration of the Colorado River Delta. When you participate, you’ll have the opportunity to win a special experience in the Colorado River Delta…stay tuned for details!

We’ve come a long way with your help. Last year, the Colorado River reconnected with the ocean for the first time in 60 years. We’ve also planted more than 160,000 cottonwood and willow trees on 654 acres of restoration sites. These trees provide critical food and shelter for birds migrating along the Pacific flyway – and have attracted birds not seen in the Delta in 50 years, like the yellow-billed cuckoo. Beyond these environmental gains, the real results are much richer – the residents have their river back again, and with it comes pride, new forms of economic opportunity, and community.

To join us and add your donation, please visit https://rally.org/raisetheriver, and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to follow our progress.

About Hunter Industries: Hunter Industries is committed to helping restore the Colorado River and its Delta, through water conservation, direct efforts and stewardship. Hunter’s efforts for conservation extend far beyond their product lines of innovative solutions that save water and energy. The practice of minimizing resource use is alive in every aspect of their business to ensure a promising future.

Connecting Youth with Nature

a story of Sonoran Institute’s community engagement in the Colorado River Delta

Gaby

Gabriela González Olimón, Environmental Education Coordinator for the Colorado River Delta Program at Sonoran Institute Mexico

By: Gabriela González Olimón

Mexicali, Baja California‒ I am watching kids skim their fingers on the water, sitting on the edge of what is left of this river.

Restoring a fragile ecosystem is a very ambitious project; nonetheless Sonoran Institute has been working in the Delta for nearly 20 years. Our goal from day one: Reconnect the Colorado River with the Gulf of California and actively engage the communities of the Delta in this process. Reconnecting the River will contribute to the restoration of the riparian and estuarine ecosystems of the Delta and renewing the relationships between these ecosystems and their people. Community involvement will ensure that future generations build on this work.

We started by involving the community, especially children and youth, to help them gain a basic understanding and sense of awareness of the Colorado River Delta and its associated challenges and opportunities. A major component of this effort became formal when we were able to officially start an environmental education program in January 2015. Sonoran Institute’s education program aims to provide the community with opportunities to be actively involved in working towards resolving environmental problems in the Delta, and create positive behavioral patterns necessary to restore the ecosystems to a more sustainable and healthier form. We currently offer in-school programs to teach kids about the local riparian and estuarine ecosystems. We also offer field trips to our restoration sites (Laguna Grande Restoration Site, Hardy River, and the Colorado River estuary) and native tree nursery where we are growing over 100,000 trees to be planted each spring. There, through observation and games, children explore and study plant and animal relationships as well as the importance of water to the dynamics of the ecosystem and region.

We hit the ground running in January and so far our environmental education program has conducted more than 47 restoration site visits and in-school workshops. Numerous national and international government agencies, NGO’s, K-12 and university students, community members, and donors have visited one or more of our restoration sites or have attended our workshops.

This spring we hosted a reforestation event where, with the help of 250 volunteers, we planted more than 5,624 cottonwoods and willows at Laguna Grande. Josué Reyes, a high school student and volunteer, said that “Reforesting sustains nature, as well as our own existence” as he dug a hole for his young cottonwood tree. For as little as $25, you can sponsor a child to attend environmental education workshops and birding activities.

While visiting an elementary school in Ejido Francisco Murguia, a small community in Baja California, México, that lies 25 miles from the US-México border, and within a mile of the old Colorado River channel, I asked a group of kids if they knew where their water came from. With their wide eyes avoiding mine, I knew their answer. A lot of the kids have never seen the River nor do they know that one –a big one!—used to flow through their community a couple generations ago. Educating communities and showing them what they have around them, so they can protect it, is exactly the reason why we are doing this project. What started with one fifth-grade group in January has grown to more than 1,300 people reached by June 2015.

I watch the kids skim their fingers on the water, sitting on the edge of a river that is making a comeback.

Gabriela González Olimón: Gabriela is the Environmental Education Coordinator for the Colorado River Delta Program at Sonoran Institute Mexico, A.C. in the Mexicali, Baja California office. Gabriela graduated in Biology from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. She has experience in wildlife monitoring and has implemented environmental education programs in Mexican National Parks and at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Now in the Delta, Gaby focuses on promoting ecological restoration in the communities near the Delta.

Spring in Bloom!

skybirds LRRaise the River is celebrating the spring renewal of the Colorado River Delta. We invite you to join in our Spring in Bloom fundraising and awareness campaign – May 25-July 25 – to help ensure that the new life that blossomed in the region this spring will survive and thrive in the future.

We hope you will help us reach our campaign goal of planting 50,000 trees in the Delta.

Just over one year ago, the Colorado River reconnected with the ocean for the first time in 60 years. This was the result of the historic Minute 319 bi-national alliance between the U.S. and Mexican governments to restore this region, which enabled the March 2014 pulse flow, the first deliberate bi-national release of water into the Colorado River delta.

With this water came life. From the time the river began to flow once again, the waters attracted migrating birds and moistened the soil to welcome native tree seeds carried on the wind. One year later, we have seen that the return of water to this region has brought back much of the native plant, bird and animal life that has been absent for many years.

Beyond the original environmental objectives, the overall results have been much richer – the community’s engagement with the river has given rise to community pride and new forms of economic opportunity for the region’s residents.

While we celebrate these accomplishments, we understand there is much more to be done. Help us complete our vision to restore the Delta to a healthy and functional ecosystem – the goal is within reach.

What has been accomplished in the past year?

  • Restoration of 654 acres of riparian habitat
  • Planting of more than 160,000 native trees

Your ‘Spring in Bloom’ donation will provide:

  • Plant 5 cottonwood & willow tree saplings — $25
  • Sponsor a child to attend an environmental education workshop and outside activities at a restored area — $50
  • Plant 20 native trees — $100
  • Support for scientific data collation — $250
  • Restore approximately 1/12 of an acre — $500
  • Donate here

The planting and growth of native cottonwood and willow trees provides critical food and shelter for many birds migrating along the Pacific flyway. So far this year over 111,000 seedlings have been produced, and a total of 5,624 trees were planted in the region during a single ‘Restoration Week’, coinciding with Earth Day.

Already, there has been a significant increase in the population and diversity of river-dependent birds using the delta. Birds not seen in 50 years, such as the yellow-billed cuckoo, are returning to the area. This enhanced riparian and marsh habitat will support 380 bird species, including more than 200,000 migratory water birds that rely on the Delta. A team of bi-national scientists is in place to continually monitor the impact and benefits of the pulse flow on the region’s natural systems.

Today is a new beginning for the Delta. The Delta can be brought back to life. Your participation in this important project is not only essential for an environment which knows no borders, but also demonstrates what is possible when governments – in partnership with private citizens – work together.

The Raise the River coalition and its Colorado River Delta team needs your help to restore the Colorado River Delta. Individuals, communities, and organizations are able to support our restoration initiative by planting trees, donating and spreading awareness about the Delta.

To join us and add your donation, please visit https://rally.org/raisetheriver, and please also connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to follow our progress.