Colorado River and American West Mid-Year Updates
A very warm thank you to Planet Women’s community of supporters and partners! Below are some highlights from our impact in the American West in the first half of 2023. Please see the full Mid-Year Report here.
Goosenecks State Park. © Bob Wick.
The monumental lifeline that is the Colorado River has carved canyons and sustained cultures and wildlife for millions of years—yet now it’s drying up. The Colorado River runs from the Rocky Mountains through seven U.S. states and into Mexico where it has historically flowed into the Gulf of California. Today, the river rarely makes it that far. Demand for water exceeds the river’s capacity and the past 20 years of megadrought have further imperiled the system. Researchers estimate that Arizona, California, and Nevada will have to cut their use of Colorado River water by 40% over the next 30 years due to climate-driven drought.
To save this important river and the 40 million people that depend on it, a holistic approach and more diverse voices are needed.
In the American West this year, Planet Women has funded local and regional organizations working on climate resilience, equitable water management, forest and river restoration, and Indigenous leadership and cultural preservation.
NEW grant partner! Meet Washiw Zulshish Goom Than-Nu (WZGT), the Indigenous group caring for the Native people and land of Lake Tahoe
Washoe homelands in Da'oh aga (Lake Tahoe). © WZGT.
We are grateful to have connected with Dr. Lisa Grayshield at WZGT, a 501c3 organization dedicated to healing the Washoe people and the land by creating, promoting, and mentoring leadership and healthy lifestyles for the Washoe people and their families.
The Washoe people are native to the lands around Da'oh aga (Lake Tahoe). And while this area is not in the Colorado River Basin, our team felt moved to support the Washoe after hearing their story. Lake Tahoe is a landscape much beloved by our California-based team members who have benefited from the use of the Washoe’s ancestral lands.
Your support enabled Planet Women to provide funds for the Spring Gathering of the Washoe People. The gathering was a ceremony as well as a community discussion around their vision for cultural survivance and protecting the biodiversity of the Tahoe region.
With fewer than 10 speakers of the Washiw language remaining and 1,500 enrolled Tribal Members, this is a critical time for the Washoe people. Their stewardship of culture and nature reflects their understanding that “People and Land are One.” This first annual Spring Gathering reflects a traditional practice of coming together in Da ow a ga (Lake Tahoe) each spring to hunt, fish, gather plants, pray, and socialize.
Planet Women’s Director of Cultural Transformation Liza Keānuenueokalani Williams attended the spring gathering and said:
I had an AMAZING time with the Washoe community on Saturday. I hadn't been in person at an Indigenous gathering in many years, mostly because of Covid, and I forgot how incredibly nourishing it is to my soul and my work. Also, I cannot begin to explain how extraordinarily grateful the Washoe leaders are for Planet Women's support. They explained that they had prayed on receiving money to support their next meeting and the grant from Planet Women came to them just after their prayers. I know they see this as a powerful connection between our work and theirs. I feel honored and humbled that I was able to represent Planet Women.
Dr. Liza K. Williams, Director of Cultural Transformation at Planet Women
Habitat Restoration and Community Engagement with Forever Our Rivers
Like Planet Women, Forever Our Rivers is a woman-led nonprofit that believes nature conservation must go hand-in-hand with community resilience. That is why we were delighted to be able to offer grant funding to Forever Our Rivers for their work across four culturally and ecologically significant watersheds in Arizona, Utah and Colorado.
With support from Planet Women in 2022, Forever Our Rivers treated and removed invasive weeds across the Dolores River in Colorado, the Escalante River in Utah, and the Gila and Verde Rivers in Arizona, allowing native flora and fauna to thrive and improving water quality. These multi-year restoration projects create landscapes that are more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events. With their commitment to collaborative ongoing care and stewardship, the positive effects of river restoration will ripple out for years to come.
Thanks to Planet Women’s funding, Forever Our Rivers was also able to offer their Community Grants program in 2022, which they could not do in 2021. Funding went to a variety of projects. For example, at the headwaters of Taylor Creek, which feeds the Gunnison River, Forever Our Rivers partnered with state and federal agencies to restore historic wetlands by building beaver dam analogs and speed sod bumps. These restoration tactics serve to reconnect riparian areas that have become hydrologically and ecologically disconnected from incised stream channels.
A Community Grant also funded a new boat ramp and picnic area along the Gunnison River. The boat ramp enables a broader diversity of people to enjoy float trips in an area where previous access points were 15 miles apart. Access to the river in this community, in which 35% of children live in poverty, is no longer limited to expert rafters.
Farther down the river in Grand Junction, educational rivers trips were offered to children who don’t often have access to river recreation or nature education. This program is bolstered by one-on-one mentoring with responsible, caring adults. Longer, overnight trips were offered to Native students at Diné College to complement their Chuska Environmental Youth Camp. On these overnight trips, students have fun and learn about the dynamics of rivers and the issues rivers face. The education is STEM-based and adheres to Colorado State curriculum standards.
Thank you, Planet Women community for supporting Forever Our Rivers and for investing in community and river resilience. These programs are inspiring the next generation of conservationists and river enthusiasts!
Black Canyon of the Gunnison River in Gunnison, CO. © Joshua J. Cotten.