In mid-December, stakeholders from across the Colorado River basin gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Colorado River Water Users Association (CRUWA) conference to discuss happenings within the Colorado River basin. At this year's conference, the focus was on the Drought Contingency Plans (one for the Upper Basin and one for the Lower Basin) which help to deal with the very real possibility of shortages in the water supply of the Colorado River. At CRUWA, both the Upper and Lower Basin States a...
Jan 03, 2019•22 min
In Episode 2 of Ripple Effects we visit the town of Durango, CO, where like many other communities in Colorado understand the importance of a healthy, flowing river for their community. Tune in today to learn more about the connection Durango has with their local river, the Animas. Ripple Effects is a sub-series of American Rivers’ podcast We Are Rivers, focusing on the connections local communities have with their rivers. Photo Credit: Animas River, Sinjin Eberle
Nov 29, 2018•15 min
Ripple Effects is a sub-series of American Rivers’ podcast We Are Rivers, focusing on the connections local communities have with their rivers. In Episode 1 of Ripple Effects we visit the town of Montrose, CO, where like many other communities in Colorado understand the importance of a healthy, flowing river for their community. Tune in today to learn more about the connection the City of Montrose has with the Uncompahgre River and the collaborative nature of the river recreation and restoration...
Nov 09, 2018•14 min
Over 110 wildfires have burned more than 1.8 million acres this year alone, mostly in the west, and despite the natural reaction to condemn wildfires, many forest types actually need wildfire to regenerate growth and support a healthy density of trees. The problem with today’s massive, newsworthy wildfires is that they are usually unhealthy fires, burning too hot and too fast, destroying everything in their path. From the last 100 years of human enforced fire suppression, the delicate balance of...
Sep 26, 2018•44 min
Water in the west is inherently complicated. A complex web of laws, compacts, and a little thing called “prior appropriation” dictates how and when people and entities are allowed to use water in the west, such as cities and towns, farms and ranches, and industry. If the words “water rights” leaves you scratching your head, and you call a western state your home, you are impacted by them. There’s a fairly high chance that you use water connected to a water right, (unless you have your own well o...
Aug 15, 2018•26 min
In this episode of We Are Rivers, we explore the ideas and efforts behind expanded demand management and increased conservation across the Upper Basin with Scott Yates of Trout Unlimited and Taylor Hawes of The Nature Conservancy, both of whom are deeply integrated into the nuance and detail of developing a system that works for everyone who relies on the Colorado River, as well as the long-term, sustainable health of the Colorado River itself. Photo Credit: Russ Schnitzer
Jun 07, 2018•23 min
Arizona is a renowned leader in water management, thanks to more than a century of careful planning and effective leadership. But, with drought and declining water levels in the state’s key water supplies, Arizona must do more. Tune in to “Episode 10: Securing Arizona’s Water Supply is a Team Effort,” to hear how Arizona and other Lower Basin states are working together to reduce demand of the Colorado River through the Drought Contingency Plan. Photo Credit: Sinjin Eberle
Apr 03, 2018•21 min
In this week’s episode of We Are Rivers, we describe the impact we will make through the 5,000 Miles of Wild® campaign – including the protection of an additional 5,000 river miles and collecting 5,000 of your river stories. Stories cultivate and spread passion: your stories will illustrate the personal and cultural values of rivers to policy makers, and you can help the campaign by posting your own story at www.5000miles.org!
Feb 07, 2018•13 min
Amidst the largest dam building era in the United States, Congress realized urgency around preserving certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act into law, giving rivers a special designation to protect the remarkable values that free-flowing rivers have across the country. The Act is notable for safeguarding the s...
Jan 09, 2018•12 min
As the end of 2017 inches closer, staff at American Rivers reflect on how the past year has been for rivers. The Trump Administration was not kind to rivers or clean water. However, despite the many challenges working against us, staff at American Rivers’, along with our members, supporters, and listener’s just like you have worked diligently over the last 12 months to make our voices heard and ensure rivers across the country are protected. Despite the many challenges rivers and clean water fac...
Dec 19, 2017•25 min
In 2015, Colorado took a big first step towards protecting our rivers, heritage, and way of life with the completion of Colorado’s Water Plan. While there is still much to do, the plan creates a framework to help us understand the actions needed to achieve a balance between the water we have and the water we need. Colorado’s Water Plan set a new path towards a secure water future to protect our state’s rivers, secure clean, safe reliable drinking water for our communities, and preserve our agric...
Nov 20, 2017•21 min
Glen Canyon Dam, and by extension the reservoir it creates with Lake Powell, has elicited plenty of opinion and controversy over its 50 years of existence about whether it should be removed, bypassed, or even supported as an integral part of public policy across the Colorado Basin. It’s history and future are central to Colorado River management, as well as healing the scars of environmental tragedy in Glen Canyon. In Episode Five, we explore this issue from a trio of voices, including New York ...
Nov 07, 2017•46 min
The Grand Canyon is one of our greatest symbols of the values of wild nature. The canyon represents more than 1.7 billion years of geologic time and is home to wildlife from the bighorn sheep to the endangered humpback chub. Dozens of creeks, springs, and tributaries connect with the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, including the Little Colorado, Kanab Creek, Havasu Creek, and Bright Angel Creek. However, the Grand Canyon is at risk. Threats to the canyon’s seeps, springs, and wildlife includ...
Sep 06, 2017•40 min
"Turning Towards Solutions" builds upon our previous episode, "Law of the River." Across the Colorado River Basin, collaboration, cooperation, and compromise between towns, districts, states, and basins is a common theme. "Turning Towards Solutions" explores how collaborative actions like the Drought Contingency Plan and Minute 319 (the pulse flow) are creating promise and opportunity for sustaining the Colorado River and the people and communities that depend on it. Tune in to hear about effort...
Aug 16, 2017•16 min
More than a century ago, populations across the west were booming. The seven states dependent on the Colorado River recognized the need to formally divide it, ensuring everyone received an appropriate amount of water. Ratified in 1922, the Colorado River Compact marked the beginning of how and why the Colorado River is managed as it is today. But the Compact is only one thread in a much larger story. Because the whole basin’s demand for water is higher than what it can supply, the Colorado River...
Aug 01, 2017•23 min
“The Value of Rivers” explores the value rivers have on our environment, economy, and way of life. Rivers contribute so much more than just a beautiful backdrop, they are magnets for biodiversity and life. In the Southwest, 90% of the nation’s winter fruits and vegetables are grown with water diverted from the Colorado River. Additionally, the Colorado River is economically significant with it and its tributaries contributing $1.4 trillion dollar to our economy. This includes $26 billion dollars...
Jul 24, 2017•12 min
“We Are Rivers” explores how our rivers are managed, but, more importantly, describes the incredible hope and immense capacity of human innovation to protect and restore rivers. Through “We Are Rivers,” American Rivers, a national river conservation organization, explores stories of rivers, people, and policies so that we may all connect, empathize, understand, and work to save our nation's rivers.
Jul 24, 2017•6 min
