Audubon Comments as Colorado River named Nation’s Most Endangered

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2013 

CONTACT:

Staci Stevens, Communications and Policy Manager, sstevens@audubon.org , c: 202-294-3101 

Amidst dire news of continued severe drought throughout the West, American Rivers today announced its annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. Topping the list for 2013 was the Colorado River. The news came as no surprise to people in the Colorado River Basin who have witnessed first-hand the consequences of outdated water management systems throughout Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

The #1 ranked Colorado River is a textbook example of what happens when water is over-allocated; in fact, it no longer reaches the sea. Historically, the Colorado River Basin supported 30 fish species found nowhere else. Today, four of these 30 are extinct and 16 are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. According to the Bureau of Reclamation’s Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study (December 2012), there is not enough water in the Colorado River to meet the basin’s current water demands, let alone support future demand increases. Scientists predict climate change will reduce the Colorado River’s flow by 10 to 30 percent by 2050.

“The stakes are high for the Colorado River,” said Karyn Stockdale, executive director for Audubon New Mexico. “At risk is the drinking water for thirty-six million people, irrigation for four million acres of crop land, habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife, and a $26 billion per year outdoor recreation economy.”

This winter, the National Audubon Society launched the Western Rivers Action Network to advocate for conservation actions that will increase river flow, enhance the health of the environment and restore valuable wetlands and forests throughout the Colorado River Basin.

“In New Mexico, the Rio Grande is suffering under the same stress as the Colorado River with a combination of drought, invasive species, over-allocation and unsustainable management literally running the river dry,” explained Stockdale.  “It is our hope that this new report will help bring attention to the perilous state of our rivers and ignite public support to begin restoring river health before it’s too late.”

In New Mexico both the Gila River and the San Juan River are tributaries of the Colorado River.  The Gila River is New Mexico’s last major free-flowing river, and it is under threat from a large-scale diversion and pipeline over the Continental Divide to Deming or Las Cruces. What’s at stake is the largest contiguous stretch of multi-aged cottonwood-willow riparian forest remaining in New Mexico; one of the highest concentrations of breeding birds in North America; an important flyway and breeding grounds for priority bird species like Bell’s Vireo, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, and Common Black-Hawk; and a living river that supports outdoor recreation and tourism, the state’s second largest industry.

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Audubon New Mexico: As the state office of the National Audubon Society, Audubon New Mexico’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.

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