THE WEST'S WATER

JARED DIAMOND, THE AUTHOR OF COLLAPSE, ARGUES THAT THE ANASAZI CIVILIZATION, WHICH, “FLOURISHEDFROMABOUTA.D.600 FOR MORE THAN FIVE CENTURIES,” WAS ABANDONED DUE TO HUMAN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, DROUGHT, OVER-POPULATION AND THE FACT THAT, “PEOPLE CAME TO BE LIVING INCREASINGLY CLOSE TO THE MARGIN OF WHAT THE ENVIRONMENT COULD SUPPORT”

(DIAMOND, 2005, P. 143, 156). THE CAUSEOFTHEANASAZICIVILIZATION COLLAPSE, WHICH WAS A MYSTERY FORYEARS,CANBEATTRIBUTEDTO, “THEMESOFHUMANIMPACTSONTHE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE, “WHERE THE SOCIETIES SLIPPED FASTER THAN EVER DUE TO DEFORESTATION AND AN UNSUSTAINABLE POPULATION THAT EXCEEDED WHAT THE LAND COULD PROVIDEFOR(DIAMOND,2005,P.137).

“WHATDOWEWANTOURFUTURETO LOOK LIKE?” HEATHER HANSMAN, THE AUTHOR OF DOWNRIVER, ASKS AT THE END OF HER BOOK (2019,P.204).THISQUESTIONLIESAT THEHEARTOFMANYMOMENTSTHAT WE EXPERIENCED ON THIS TRIP. DURINGMYSECONDTRIPDOWNTHE RIVER,THERIVERWASFULLANDTHE FLOWERS WERE IN BLOOM, WHICH GAVE ME A GLIMPSE INTO WHAT A HEALTHYWATERBASINCOULDLOOK LIKEIFWATERWASMANAGEDWELL. YET,WEARECAUSINGTHESEISSUES BYMISMANAGINGTHERIVERS.DOWE WANTTOBEPARTOFTHEISSUEOR PART OF THE SOLUTION, WORKING TO FIX WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY BROKEN.

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THIS JOURNEY STARTED WHEN I WAS IN SEVENTH GRADE ON A RAFTING MAY TERM TRIP, WHERE THE SCENERY AROUND ME APPEARED TO BE DRY AND DEAD. THIS JOURNEY CONTINUED THREE YEARS LATER, AND I WAS ABLE TO RELOOK AT THE SAME SURROUNDINGS, THINKING TO MYSELF ABOUT HOW MUCH A PLACE CAN CHANGE IN SO LITTLE TIME. THE CHANGE CAME FROM THE DIFFERENCE IN THE HEIGHT OF THE WATER, THE COLOR ON THE CLIFFS, THE ABUNDANCE OF FLOWERS, ETC. THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN IS A VOLATILE PLACE WHERE IT’S HARD TO PREDICT HOW MUCHWATERWILLBEINTHESYSTEMINANY GIVEN YEAR. WHAT WE DO KNOW; HOWEVER, IS THAT REGARDLESS OF HOW ONE YEAR LOOKS, WE ARE STILL IN A TWENTYYEARDROUGHT.

WECAN'TCHANGE NATURE,BUTWECAN CHANGEOURSELVES,OUR CHOICES,ANDOUR DECISIONS.

WHENWELOOKBACKATTHEDISAPPEARANCE OF THE ANCESTRAL PUEBLOANS, WE CAN SEE THAT A MAJOR PART OF THEIR COLLAPSE WAS DROUGHT. SCIENTISTS STUDIED TREES TO MAKE ACCURATE DATA. THIS DATA SHOWS THAT “WIDE RINGS MEAN A WET PERIOD AND NARROW RINGS MEAN A DRY PERIOD”(DIAMOND,2005,P.139).

DENDROCHRONOLOGY WAS USED TO FIND OUT HOW OLD THESE DESTRUCTIVE DROUGHTSANDFLOODSWEREANDHOWTHE BIGDROUGHTCAUSEDDEFORESTATION.

TO CREATE A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE RELATIONSHIP WITH WATER, I BELIEVETHATWECANCREATEABETTER,MORE THOUGHTFUL, RELATIONSHIP WITH WATER. WE CAN DO THIS BY LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE RIVER’SPASTANDITSPOSSIBLEFUTURE. WE CAN'T CHANGE NATURE, BUT WE CAN CHANGEOURSELVES,OURCHOICES,ANDOUR DECISIONS.WEARENOTTREATINGTHERIVERS HOWWESHOULD,ANDWENEEDTOFINDWAYS TOHELP.

DURING OUR 8 DAY RIVER TRIP WE VISITED THE STRUCTURES THAT THE ANCESTRALPUEBLOANSBUILTASWE LEARNED ABOUT THEIR LIFE WHEN THEY WERE HERE MANY YEARS AGO. THROUGH BUSHES AND BROKEN TREES WE MADE IT TO THESE STRUCTURESONTOPOFTHISCLIFF. THESE STRUCTURES MADE OUT OF ROCKS FORMED LITTLE CAVE HOUSES. THE FORMATIONS WERE PERFECTLYINTACTANDDIDN'TLOOK LIKE THEY WERE MADE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. THEY RELIED ON WATERFROMRIVERSJUSTLIKEUS.

THE BEST WAY TO DO YOUR PART IS TO LEARN ABOUT THE RIVER AND HOW TO SAVE IT. BEING EDUCATED ABOUT IT WILL HELP YOU WANT TO SAVEIT.ILEARNEDTHATWEDEPEND ONWATER.IT’SEASYTOTAKEWATER FOR GRANTED, BUT NONE OF US WOULDBEHEREWITHOUTIT.

Swimming on a hot day, taken by Chris

FOR EXAMPLE IN HEATHER

HANSMAN’S BOOK, DOWN RIVER, SHE STATED THAT “AGRICULTURE USES ALMOST 90% OF THE WATER IN WYOMING…IF YOU WERE TO JUST CRUNCH THE NUMBERS, IT WOULDN’T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE TO ALLOCATE THAT MUCH TO RANCHERS AND FARMERS, BUT THOSE USERS HAVE THE OLDEST, MOST SENIOR WATER RIGHTS” (HANSMAN, 2019, PG.19).