@natgeo

Photos by Pete McBride @pedromcbride | I've spent more than a decade documenting my “backyard” river—the Colorado—trying to make more people aware of how much we collectively ask of this lifeline of the American Southwest. It is one of the most loved and litigated bodies of water in the world, and yet it continues to struggle. Photos: (1) Author Jon Waterman walks the dry Colorado River Delta; (2) a defunct boat ramp at Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona; (3) the Central Arizona Project carries water 336 miles (541 km) to Phoenix and Tucson; (4) dried tendrils in the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, where the river no longer reaches the sea. American Rivers named the Colorado River the number one most endangered river in the United States, highlighting the threat climate change and outdated water management pose to 30 federally recognized tribal nations, seven states, and Mexico, and to the drinking water for 40 million people. Also threatened is vital habitat for wildlife, as the Colorado River Basin is home to 30 native fish species—two-thirds of which are threatened or endangered—and more than 400 bird species. To learn more, follow @pedromcbride and go to @americanrivers. #mostendangeredriver #water #drought #conservation #awareness #SeeingSilence #ColoradoRiver #petemcbride