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Guardians Calls on Congress for Living Rio Grande

Date
March 20, 2020
Contact
Galen Hecht, (505) 660-4563, ghecht@wildearthguardians.org
In This Release
Rivers  
#ForceForNature, #LivingRio, #LivingRivers, #ProtectWhatYouLove, #RethinkRivers, #RioGrande, #StopExtinction
WASHINGTON––WildEarth Guardians, Rio Grande Waterkeeper, and 54 community groups, along with hundreds of New Mexicans, sent a letter to Senator Tom Udall, the entire New Mexico congressional delegation, and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham asking Congress to fund and direct a study of dams and reservoirs in the upper Rio Grande basin.

“We’re in the midst of a public health crisis,” said Galen Hecht, Rio Grande Campaigner with WildEarth Guardians.  “As our national focus turns to protecting the health of communities, we cannot overlook the need to protect and restore healthy ecosystems..”

Living rivers are necessary for healthy communities. The letter requests that Congress fund a National Academies of Sciences study to identify opportunities that better conserve water and support the ecological health of the Rio Grande. Highlighting significant climate impacts including  dramatic declines in surface water with  severe water shortages, the letter calls on Senator Udall for his continued leadership and urgent action to safeguard America’s Great River before it’s too late.

“Rethinking river management is imperative for healthy rivers and all communities that rely on clean water,” added Hecht. “In a time of compounding crises, we must look forward and create smarter water policies that support ecosystem health and resiliency.”

Oblique aerial view of Elephant Butte in Elephant Butte Lake on the Rio Grande at Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. View is to the west-southwest after sunset. Photo by Adriel Heisey.