Jennifer Pitt

Colorado River Program Director

Jennifer Pitt joined Audubon in December 2015 to advise the organization’s strategies to protect and restore rivers throughout the Colorado River Basin. At Audubon she continues to lead the United States–Mexico collaboration to restore the long-desiccated Colorado River Delta. She serves as the U.S. co-chair of the bi-national work group whose partners will, through 2026, implement existing treaty commitments providing environmental flows and habitat creation.

Prior to joining Audubon, Jennifer spent 17 years working to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems in the Colorado River Basin at the Environmental Defense Fund. With partners, she led the conservation community’s efforts to prioritize and implement restoration of the Colorado River Delta, and she worked with Colorado River stakeholders to produce the unprecedented Colorado River Basin Supply and Demand Study, the first federal assessment of climate change impacts in the basin and the first basin-wide evaluation of the impacts of river system operation on water supply reliability and river health. Jennifer has also worked at the National Park Service headquarters and in Mesa Verde and Sequoia National Parks, as a legislative assistant to U.S. Congressman Mike Kopetski, and in the headquarters office of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.

Jennifer graduated from Harvard University and received a master’s in Environmental Science and Policy from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Articles by Jennifer Pitt

The Colorado River Compact at 100
November 22, 2022 — Can it survive another century?
How to Negotiate for Peace, Resilience, and Environment on the Colorado River
September 20, 2022 — Audubon’s letter to address historically low water supplies.
Feds Predictably Declare Record Shortage on the Colorado River
August 16, 2022 — Water scarcity on the River means deeper cuts are coming.
Grand Canyon’s Ecosystem at Risk with Colorado River Crisis
July 27, 2022 — We must address climate change to protect everything that depends on the River, including an iconic national park and its many fish and birds.
Water flows in the Colorado River Delta.
Water for the Colorado River Delta in a Dry Year
May 18, 2022 — Binational agreement a model for river management in a climate change world.
Stumbling Toward “Day Zero” on the Colorado River
April 22, 2022 — Urgent action needed from seven states and feds to avoid water crisis.
The State of the Colorado River Going into 2022
December 14, 2021 — The rules of the Colorado River need to match modern values and our climate realities.
Audubon's Jennifer Pitt Testifies before U.S. Senate on Drought and Climate Change
October 06, 2021 — Audubon is calling for federal leadership and funds to mitigate current disasters and enhance climate resilience in the West.
U.S. Declares Water Delivery Reductions to Southwestern States as Climate Change Devastates Colorado River
August 16, 2021 — Plans are in place for 2022, but 2023 and future years could be even more challenging.
The Age of Aridification on the Mighty Colorado River
July 20, 2021 — Ten strategies to mitigate the dryness of the West’s most critical water source.