Raise the Colorado River

The Colorado River runs across the United States all the way to Mexico to end its 2333 km journey in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Colorado River Delta was once a lush region covering over 3,000 square miles, teeming with plant, bird and marine life. But a century of dams and diversions to supply water to farms, ranches, urban areas and industries have reduced the Colorado River to a remnant of its former self — it no longer even regularly reaches the Gulf of California and dries up along its way.

In the last decade however, periodic floods and innovative on-the-ground restoration efforts involving local communities have shown that a little bit of water can go a long way toward bringing the Delta ecosystem back to life. Robert Redford and several others are fighting to Raise the Colorado River to eventually reconnect the river to the Gulf.