BIRDS: 36 species are endangered
FISH: 2/3 of species are extinct in the region
MAMMALS: 9 species are extinct in the region and 18 are endangered
BIVALVES: 43 invertebrate species are endangered
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS: 35 species are endangered
The territory of the Rio Grande River falls within the ancestral homelands of the Carizzo/Comecrudo, Cheyenne, Chiricahua Apache, Chiso, Coahuiltecan, Comanche, Concho, Jicarilla Apache, Jumanos, Kickapoo, Lipan Apache, Mansos, Mascogo, Mescalero Apache, Piro, Pueblo, Sumas, Tigua, and Ute peoples.
Territorial recognition: https://native-land.ca/
Water from the river has been used for irrigation for thousands of years. Today several large dams divert the river for the Southwest region’s agricultural needs, providing hydroelectric power and flood control. Damming negatively alters flow, affecting native fish and wildlife, and decreases the available water for downstream habitats.
Increasing global temperatures affect precipitation levels throughout the year, ultimately causing more precipitation falling as rain rather than snow in the mountains that feed the Rio Grande. Changing climatic conditions put further stress of native species and the water needs of local farmers. As the region becomes dryer, droughts become more frequent and dangerous.
Agricultural and industrial runoff negatively affects native species and their habitats along the Rio Grande. As water levels decrease, concentrations of pollutants increase putting wildlife at risk. Chemical imbalances can lead to algal blooms that kill fish and amphibians.
As the region becomes drier with climate change, forest fires have increased in frequency and size. Large fires cause flooding and debris flow, increase sediment and turbidity, and change water chemistry and biota. Macroinvertebrates and fish get wiped affecting the entire food chain.
The San Juan Mountains have seen a decrease in yearly snowfall, directly decreasing the amount of water that makes it into the Rio Grande through snowmelt. Increasing global temperatures causes more water to escape the river through sublimation, further decreasing the flow. Demands from local populations divert water for irrigation, disconnecting the mainstem from its side channels, eliminating the meandering sloughs that provide habitats for the endangered silvery minnow.
Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Solutions works to promote more efficient irrigation practices and the restoration of environmental flows.
Learn More about WWFWildlife For All works to protect & restore native wildlife & their habitats through grassroots advocacy, education & on-the-ground restoration projects.
Learn More about Wildlife For AllThe Rio Grande Water Fund is investing in the restoration of forested lands upstream to secure clean water for communities downstream.
Learn More about The Nature ConservancyThe U.S.-Mexico Border 20-20 Program works to address the lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate treatment of wastewater & storm water pollution, & the impacts of climate change on the river.
Learn More about U.S.-Mexico Border 20-20 ProgramWildEarth Guardians’ efforts rely upon a delicate balance of strategic Endangered Species Act litigation, collaboration and public education to assure that the Rio Grande secures sufficient flows to sustain endangered fish and wildlife.
Learn More about WildEarth Guardians