The Colorado River: Flowing Through Conflict

The Colorado River: Flowing Through Conflict is an unprecedented photographic journey from source to sea along the imperilled Colorado River by acclaimed photographer Peter McBride and author Jonathan Waterman.

The Colorado River has been called the Nile of North America. While it may not be the longest or the largest river in the United States, it is certainly one of the country’s most important. It begins as a trickle of snowmelt in the 14,000-foot peaks of the Rocky Mountains, and winds its way through some of the most majestic landscapes in the Southwest, most notably the Grand Canyon.

With review headings such as “Beautiful and Thoughtful”,“Important, beautiful, masterfully crafted”, and “Every picture tells a story”,every reviewer (as of this writing), for this book on Amazon.Com has given the work a five star rating. I have included some quotes from those reviews in this post.

“This book will capture your imagination. Every citizen of the West should have it on his or her coffee table as a public service to the river.” ~ Jim Pokrandt, Amazon.Com

According to this book the Colorado River is also America’s most contested and imperilled river. Hundreds of dams and diversion projects siphon off 16.5 million acre feet of water annually to 30 million people in seven states and the West’s biggest cities, including Denver, Phoenix and Los Angeles. I was shocked to learn that, so great is the thirst for water – the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. Apparently, the last time the river flowed into the Sea of Cortez was 1998. Since then, a decade of drought and increasing demands for water have transformed its once-lush delta into a bleak expanse of cracked mud and toxic cesspools.

In 2008, conservationist and award-winning author Jonathan Waterman and prolific adventure photographer Peter McBride teamed up to document the Colorado River from its headwaters, in Colorado, to its depleted delta in Mexico. Over the course of seven months, Waterman, a veteran of dozens of wilderness expeditions—including a 2,200-mile solo kayak traverse of the Northwest Passage—made what is thought to be the first source-to-sea descent of the river. Travelling by kayak, whitewater raft, and ultimately by foot, he explored the length of the Colorado from its high alpine headwaters, through 1.8 billion year old rock walls in the Grand Canyon, and past irrigation-intensive farmlands of California’s Imperial Valley. Just over the border in Mexico, the Colorado River ran dry, and Waterman was forced to hike his boat and gear 60 miles to the sea.

“Peter McBride's photo opus on the Colorado is the first I've seen that tracks the river from the high mountain headwaters all the way down to the sea. McBride's artistry is stunning, and the collection is well edited.” ~ Jennifer Pitt, Amazon.Com

The Colorado River: Flowing Through Conflict is both an inspiration and an imperative. As drought and climate change intensify in the American West, the Colorado River faces threats from all sides: If water levels continue to decrease, its reservoirs, including Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are at risk of filling with sediment, drying up, and becoming inoperable “dead pools”. Economic, cultural and ecological life along the river corridor will suffer dramatically, too.

Fortunately, as Waterman and McBride reveal in this beautifully produced book, there are solutions: Conservation groups, including the Sonoran Institute, are raising money to buy back water rights to ensure that the Colorado once again reaches the sea; even a 1 percent increase in water would create steady year-round flow. Las Vegas, which receives 90 percent of its water from the Colorado, pays residents to replace lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping. And the International Boundary and Water Commission is facilitating cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico to restore the barren delta.

“Love this quote by author Peter McBride from an NPR segment about the book: "It shows what happens when you ask too much of a limited resource: It disappears." ~ A. Mamone "Tony" (Palo Alto, CA), Amazon.Com

Whether you live within the 243,000 square miles drained by the mighty river or eat the lettuce and carrots irrigated by its water each year, we are all responsible for the future of the Colorado River. The Colorado River: Flowing Through Conflict is an extraordinary, awe-inspiring call to action by two of the river’s most impassioned and knowledgeable advocates.

I’ve embedded a three minute video made by Peter McBride that talks about the book and the trip he embarked on with Jonathan Waterman.

"The Colorado River; Flowing Through Conflict" by Peter McBride from Peter McBride on Vimeo.

"There are very few good photo books of the Colorado River and this one tops the list.” ~ Taylor Hawes, Amazon.Com

Details: 160 pages Publisher: Westcliffe Pub; First edition (November 15, 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 1565796462 ISBN-13: 978-156579646