This year’s ‘America’s Most Endangered Rivers’ List and Report is now out, and I was extremely saddened to learn that the magnificent Colorado River is ranked as the Most Endangered River in our nation this year.
“The Colorado River is a lifeline in the desert— its water sustaining tens of millions of people and endangered fish and wildlife in seven states. However, demand on the river’s water now exceeds its supply, leaving the river so over-tapped that it dries up to a trickle before reaching the sea. A century of water management policies and practices that have promoted wasteful water use have put the river at a critical crossroads.”
I was also extremely saddened to find one of my favorite places to camp, and fish, and roam was also on this year’s Endangered River List, and ranked Number Six – the 1.1. million acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota.
“The Boundary Waters is now endangered by a proposal to create a massive copper-nickel mine adjacent to the South Kawishiwi River and within two miles of the Boundary Waters.  The Boundary Waters watershed is also negatively impacted by extensive exploration for additional mine sites.  If copper-nickel mines are developed, polluted waters from the South Kawishiwi will flow through some of the most popular Boundary Waters lakes, including the iconic Basswood.”
This 2013 report highlights a number of key river threats, and shines the spotlight on rivers running dry because of outdated water management, wasteful water usage, and persistent drought. As you will see with the Colorado River and other rivers on the list, when we withdraw too much water from our rivers, and we continue to drain and pollute them, both American communities and American wildlife suffer.
To read the entire report, and to find out what you can do to help safeguard and protect America’s life-sustaining river systems before we lose them forever, please click on the link below.