From our friend and supporter at the Walton Family Foundation, Ted Kowalski offers his thoughts on finding long-term solutions to the usage of water from the Colorado River: “While the challenges facing the Colorado River are significant, this does not mean that there aren’t solutions — there are. But we must improve how we use and manage the water resources of the Colorado River Basin.” From Tucson.com; please read and share:
Karen Schlatter of Sonoran Institute‘s Delta Program honors International Migratory Bird Day (May 12) by explaining the benefits to habitat and wildlife that the pulse flow and our restoration actions have had in the Colorado River Delta.
“At the Las Arenitas wastewater treatment wetland — a project Sonoran Institute has been working on since 2008 — the number of bird species went from eight to more than 160 in just over five years, with a maximum bird count of 18,000 birds!”
Read the full story here, on Mother Nature Network.
We were thrilled to see this beautiful profile of Raise the River’s Osvel Hinojosa Huerta, coalition partner Pronatura Noroeste, and their work in restoring the Colorado River Delta.
“For me, the Colorado River, it’s a symbol of hope,” he says. “It is the lifeline of the western North America. It is a very resilient ecosystem.”
Water in the West is a series of stories featured on the Walton Family Foundation Blog about the people working to address threats to water supply in the Colorado River basin and find conservation solutions that make economic sense for people and communities.
Please read, watch the video, and share!
Last week, we held the official inauguration of the new Visitors’ Center at Laguna Grande, a resource for sharing with the public the progress and benefits of our conservation work in the Colorado River Delta, and specifically at our restoration site, Laguna Grande.
Our coalition partner Sonoran Institute shares the story of the comeback of this restored habitat, where they have planted more than 200,000 trees and restored 700 acres, helping make Laguna Grande the largest and most dense stand of native riparian habitat along the Colorado River in Mexico. Read more, here:
https://sonoraninstitute.org/card/laguna-grande-comeback/
Nearly 150 people helped plant 1200 trees in the Colorado River Delta during our annual spring planting “Reforestation Weekend”, held on April 7th.
Members of the local community, students from UABC, partners, and people from both the US and Mexico came together to help continue the amazing transformation through the restoration of our Laguna Grande Site.
Raise the River coalition partner Sonoran Institute began preparations at 5:00 in the morning for the restoration site, then oversaw the planting of seedling trees — including the native species of poplar, mesquite, and willow trees.
This important volunteer effort not only contributes to the restoration of this essential riparian forest ecosystem, but fosters a stronger bond between this local community and their local land.
Thank you to all who participated in our work to bring water and life back to the Colorado River Delta!
