Time for Bold Action in the Delta  

Patagonia Joins Our Effort to Save the Colorado River Delta

Friends,

We have exciting news.

Our efforts to restore the Colorado River Delta have caught the attention of Patagonia, a leading retailer of outdoor clothing and equipment of exceptional quality. Patagonia is also well known for its commitment to the environment. They actively use their brand and customer base to take on environmental causes and make things happen.

Patagonia has decided to feature the Sonoran Institute's work in the Colorado River Delta region this fall using their publications, web sites and devoted customer base.

Together, Patagonia and the Sonoran Institute will be urging our friends, partners and customers to join the Delta restoration effort by (1) pushing political leaders in both the U.S. and Mexico to formally dedicate more water to the Delta, and (2) buying water through contributions to the Sonoran Institute and the Colorado River Delta Water Trust, a partnership between the Institute and Mexico-based Pronatura Noroeste. 

 

Our challenge is to connect the river to the sea once again.

The greatest desert river in the Western Hemisphere once delivered its entire annual discharge of approximately 14 million acre-feet of fresh water to the upper Gulf of California, creating one of the largest and most diverse estuaries in the world. At that time, the Delta was an immense patchwork of roughly two million acres of riparian, freshwater, and tidal wetlands. Today, as a result of upstream diversions, the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. The Delta region has been reduced to about 10 percent of its original size.  

 

Yet the Colorado River Delta has proved to be remarkably resilient.  

 

Despite the lack of fresh water, the Delta provides critical habitat for more than 380 bird species migrating along the Pacific Flyway, many of which are endangered or threatened. It supports a productive fishing industry and remains crucial to the cultural survival of the Cocopah in the U.S. and the Cucapá in Mexico tribes on both sides of the border. The benefits this region offers to people, economies, and wildlife are immense. 

 

But the future of the Delta remains tenuous.  

 

What little water still flows to this region will become more and more coveted as the demand for water on both sides of the U.S. -Mexico border continues to escalate. Rapid population growth, prolonged drought, growth in demand for farm products, and the historic over-allocation of the river will continue to strain this precious resource. This is why we need your help to save the Colorado River Delta today.

With the support of our new partner Patagonia, it is time for bold action. 

It is time to recognize the Colorado River Delta as an integral component of the Colorado River System and take bolder strides towards its protection and restoration. With almost 15 years of on the ground experience in the region, the Sonoran Institute's research and restoration efforts have demonstrated that the Colorado River Delta is remarkably resilient. With modest amounts of water and meaningful community involvement, the riparian, wetland, and estuarine ecosystems of the Delta can be revived.

Here are some action steps you can take to help save the Delta.

We urge you to take the time today to get involved and take action. Your voice matters. 

 

Here is what you can do:

1.  Email the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Ken Salazar. 

 

It is important that the leadership of the U.S. Government recognize the urgency of this vital resource issue.  As the "watermaster" of the lower Colorado River, Secretary of the Department of the Interior Ken Salazar is the best person to contact in the U.S. Government to express your concerns. Click here to email a letter to Secretary Salazar.

 

2. Email the Commissioners of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC).

The IBWC, particularly the Mexican Sector, has been making great efforts towards restoration of priority conservation sites in the Delta. To commend their efforts and encourage their continued support, you can contact Commissioner Ed Drusina (U.S. Sector) and Commissioner Roberto Salmon (Mexican Sector). Click here to email a letter to the IBWC Commissioners.

 3. Support the Sonoran Institute's Delta Restoration efforts with a donation today. 

 

We know from experience that it doesn't take much to bring life back to the Delta. Your donation can help restore native vegetation in the region, sponsor local students so they can visit our project sites to participate in restoration, and secure water rights for the environment. Every bit counts. Please consider making a donation today by clicking on the Donate to the Delta icon! 

 

 

 

Your involvement and help to secure this water is  

vital to:

·    Supporting healthy populations of freshwater and marine wildlife species in the Delta region.
·    Ensuring the viability of the Pacific Flyway - an important stopover for more than 300,000 migratory birds and critical to the survival of several threatened and endangered species.
·    Providing a lifeline for local cultures - the Cocopah in the U.S. and the Cucapá in Mexico continue to be inextricably linked to the health of the Colorado River and its Delta.
·    Achieving a vision for a healthy Delta ecosystem that provides recreation and economic development opportunities for people and communities on both sides of the border. 

 

I am deeply grateful to the folks at Patagonia for their support of this project.  

 

I also am eager to recognize and thank Tom McMurray, Andy Quinn, and Brandon White from Blue Cloud Spatial for writing and producing an outstanding video on the Delta, called "Hope for the Colorado River Delta." This short film captures the opportunity we have for restoring this region better than any I have seen. You can view it by clicking on the link below, or visiting our website.  

 

Thank you for joining our Colorado River Delta restoration efforts today.  

 

Sincerely,   

 

Luther Propst

Executive Director