Protect, Transform, Inspire:  Touching seven US states and two countries, the Colorado River is a poster child for the need for cooperation in natural resource usage and conservation.  From its source high in the Rockies, the Colorado River journeys some 1,450 miles to its terminus in the Gulf of California, draining a total of 243,000 square miles.  Though we often think of the Colorado River as a key player in the so-called western water wars, in fact, the 1922 Compact has worked remarkably well to mediate conflicts over water rights.  Unfortunately, today the River faces an uncertain future, basically because demand for the water is already exceeding its supply.  Together with other stakeholders, TNC and partners like the Sonoran Institute are actively working to protect healthy flow regimes where they are currently found, and to restore river flows where they are degraded.  The hundred miles of the Colorado River Delta is one example where water has rarely flowed in the past fifty years.  To address this issue, hydrologists came up with the concept of a “pulse flow,” or a temporary surge of water that mimics what happens naturally in a free-flowing river.  An historic agreement between the United States and Mexico, called Minute 319, allowed water to be released from the Morelos Dam, which over the course of eight weeks in early 2014 slowly made its way to the sea.  It’s a wonderful story, but the ending has not been written yet.

Weather:  High 87, Low 54.  Sunny

Creatures:  Nuttal’s Cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttali), Prairie Dog (Cynomys gunnisoni)

Itinerary: FR 151 to FR 418 to FR 562, return by US 89 to US 180

Excursions: Lockett Meadow, Water Line Road

Speakers: Dale Turner, TNC, Restoring the Colorado River Delta (evening)

Reflections:  Lockett Meadow Campground is at 8,600 feet; we gained 600 feet when we climbed to the Water Line Road, which is at 9,200 feet.  I can believe that aspens (Populus tremuloides) are among the most widely distributed trees in the United States; they reproduce by root-system cloning.  They say that in the fall, when the colors change, aspens turn the landscape to gold.

Images:

Sweeping view from narrow, steep, rough road

San Francisco Peaks rise behind Lockett Meadow

Young aspens are a primary successional species

Dense stand of quaking aspen at high elevation