Photo Credit: Adriel Heisey

River conservation – restoring the vital arteries of the West

Rivers

Living rivers are vital to the diversity of life on earth, from the tens of thousands of sandhill cranes that migrate from Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge along the Rio Grande to as far north as southwestern Alberta, Canada, to the human communities whose history is inextricably linked to the ebb and flow of their local waterways. When rivers dry up and vanish, that life vanishes too.

To ensure the future health of Western rivers and all the species that depend on them, WildEarth Guardians revives the pulse of great waterways, exposes the historic injustice to rivers, and aims to untie the tangled knot of archaic water law. Instead of controlling and diverting rivers with levees, ditches, and dams, and pumping them into the hands of the highest bidder, we seek to restore their natural course from source to sea.

The Rio Grande is in Crisis

By 2100, the Rio Grande will lose up to 50% of its current flow because of one-hundred years of water mismanagement policies compounded by climate change. That’s why we launched our #LivingRio campaign to give a voice to the once mighty Rio Grande.

We invite you to join us! With your support the #LivingRio campaign will finally give the Rio Grande a right to its own water and the freedom to flow. A Living Rio is necessary for clean water and all downstream communities.

SPEAK OUT

Wild Rivers Program Work

WildEarth Guardians is a voice for Western rivers. From the iconic Rio Grande to the Colorado River, we believe in living, dynamic rivers from source to sea. Learn about our vision for the Rio Grande: America’s Great River, the challenges it faces, and how you can help.

Our Vision

Like any living thing, the Rio has a pulse. We strive to restore that pulse—and return life to the river.

The Landscape

The Rio Grande’s flows carve unique geologic features, create a haven for wildlife, and support many human communities.

A Challenged Rio

The Rio faces formidable challenges, from archaic water law to dams, pollution, and climate change.

Report Pollution

Do your part to protect the Rio Grande. If you spot pollution, contact us here.

A Voice for the River

Guardians’ Wild Rivers Program Director, Jen Pelz, is fighting for every last drop in the Rio Grande.

READ THE STORY

Photo: Seth Hughes

How You Can Help

Help revive and restore rivers and all the species that depend on them! Be a guardian for rivers by joining the conversation, learning about current issues, and making your voice heard. Together, we’re a powerful force for nature.

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Connect

Rivers Press

Collision of crises threatens Rio Grande and its communities

Jun 9, 2021

ALBUQUERQUE, NM—To main…

Unleash a desert river and its wisdom

Santa Fe New Mexican | Nov 21, 2020

As the global pandemic rages, I am set adrift without connection to my home anchor. This charmed place with the monochromatic desert landscapes and auburn central river are but a distant memory.

Appeal Filed to Sustain Colorado River Flows and Stop Gross Dam Expansion

North Forty News | May 5, 2021

A coalition of conservation groups filed a notice of appeal recently in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to halt Denver Water’s proposed expansion of Gross Dam in Boulder County and to protect sustainable flows in the Colorado River.

Contact

978-701-4343

Tessa Archibald

WIldlife Program Intern

Tessa Archibald is a passionate animal lover with a desire to preserve our natural world and increase respect for all species. She obtained a BS in Biopsychology from Tufts University and is currently working towards a Masters in Animals and Public Policy at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. She hopes that an understanding of complex human animal interactions and policy will promote more empathetic management of wildlife across all lands!

Contact

[email protected]
505-660-0284

Joe Bushyhead

Endangered Species Policy Advocate

Joe Bushyhead joined Guardians in May 2021 as our Endangered Species Policy Advocate. Based in Denver, he works to protect imperiled Western species as well as the integrity of the Endangered Species Act itself.

Prior to Guardians, Joe spent seven years as a staff attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and clerked for the Honorable Tena Campbell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. He holds a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. Before law school, he worked for the Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resource Management on, among other projects, a study of Chinook salmon in Idaho’s South Fork of the Salmon River watershed.

Contact

[email protected]

Hailey Zimber

Research Intern

My name is Hailey Zimber and I am a rising senior majoring in Politics at Whitman College. I am thrilled to be joining WildEarth Guardians as a research and community organizing intern for the Greater Gila Campaign. As a born and raised New Mexican, the Greater Gila is one of the silos of wilderness that have shaped who I know myself to be. Protecting the Gila means protecting myself, my state, and my community, and for this reason, this position is especially meaningful to me.

Dustin Martin

Member, Board of Directors

Dustin grew up hiking, camping, riding, skiing and running the vast outdoor sanctuaries surrounding Gallup, NM. Distance running led him to New York City, where he earned an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Columbia University. In 2011, Dustin returned to the southwest to serve as program director for Wings of America- a not for profit that empowers Tribal youth and their families by introducing them to the cultural, spiritual and competitive legacy of Native runners. Under his leadership, the organization has continued to provide elite-level opportunities for talented Native runners while making a concerted effort to create new programs for fledgling harriers of all abilities. Moving forward, Dustin hopes to continue promoting the positive achievements of Native runners while helping foster and test new models for acquainting Native youth with their ancestral homelands.

Francine D. Spang-Willis

Member, Board of Directors

Francine D. Spang-Willis is of Cheyenne, Pawnee, and settler descent. She is a descendant of Chief Dull Knife, also known as Morning Star, and Pawnee Woman. She is also a descendant of a pioneer family who settled in Montana during the late 1800s. Francine received a Master of Arts in Native American Studies from Montana State University and is an Oral History Master of Arts candidate at Columbia University. Her graduate studies have focused on settler colonialism processes and bison and land restoration. Her work has primarily focused on helping others learn about these processes and to evolve them for the benefit of the greater whole. She enjoys hiking, skiing, ice climbing, and spending time with her husband and beagle near Bozeman and their off-grid cabin near the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

Contact

[email protected]
505-396-1752

Tricia Snyder

Rio Grande Campaigner

Tricia, as a child of military parents, spent much of her childhood moving frequently in the U.S. and abroad, but calls El Paso, TX home. Growing up on the banks of the (often dry) Rio Grande and the water scarcity of the Southwest sparked a life-long interest in finding solutions for water conflicts in the arid and semi-arid American West. Tricia received a B.S. in Geography with a focus on human-environment connection from New Mexico State University. Her research while there centered on water management across borders. She spent 5 years working with the Southwest Environmental Center working to protect and restore the wildlife and wild places of the Southwest borderlands, particularly focused on the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf. In 2015, Tricia moved to Washington state to pursue a graduate degree, receiving an M.S. in Cultural and Environmental Resource Management from Central Washington University. Her thesis, which conducted an adaptive capacity assessment of the Upper Klamath Basin, utilized both quantitative and qualitative research methods. She worked for nearly four years on salmon recovery as the Lead Entity Coordinator for the Yakima Basin in central Washington, bringing together a diverse group of interests and perspectives. Tricia joined WildEarth Guardians as the Rio Grande Campaigner in 2021.

River conservation – restoring the vital arteries of the West

Rivers

The Rio Grande is in Crisis

Wild Rivers Program Work

Our Vision

The Landscape

A Challenged Rio

Report Pollution

A Voice for the River

How You Can Help

Tweet At Us

Raise Your Voice

See The Rio

Connect

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Appeal Filed to Sustain Colorado River Flows and Stop Gross Dam Expansion

WildEarth Guardians protects and restores the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.

Contact

Tessa Archibald

WIldlife Program Intern

Contact

Joe Bushyhead

Endangered Species Policy Advocate

Contact

Hailey Zimber

Research Intern

Dustin Martin

Member, Board of Directors

Francine D. Spang-Willis

Member, Board of Directors

Contact

Tricia Snyder

Rio Grande Campaigner