Let It Flow!

Hello Friends of the Colorado River!

It ain’t perfect, but it’s pretty cool anyway!  This week, the Bureau of Reclamation did another artificial flood in the Grand Canyon to increase sediment movement, increase sand bars, and enhance fish habitat.  This year’s flood was one of the larger test cases in their ongoing attempt to mimic a more natural flow regime through the Grand Canyon.  While the science and politics are unsettled and continue to swirl around this issue, the actual flow of water is pretty cool all by itself.  Seeing the giant tubes of water blasting out of Glen Canyon Dam reminds us of how powerful the river really is and how much water is actually stored behind the dam.  Whether you love or hate the dam, please take a look at this cool news video of the release of water.  The ground rumbles as the water hammers into the river.  Let It Flow!

It’s Friday afternoon — grab a beer and Save The Colorado River!  We are delighted to see our two main sponsors — New Belgium Brewing and Patagonia — team up in a new effort.  This year is the 40th anniversary of Patagonia, and to celebrate it, New Belgium Brewing has made a special draft beer for sale called “California Route.”  Read the story on Forbes.com here about the beer and the 40th anniversary.  For four years now, New Belgium and Patagonia have teamed up to provide support for the Save The Colorado River campaign, donating over $500,000 to non-profit environmental organizations up and down the Colorado River basin that are working to protect and restore the river.  It all started four years ago, which you can hear more about in this audio-essay by the CEOs of both companies — Kim Jordan of New Belgium and Casey Sheahan of Patagonia.  If you get a chance over the next few months, enjoy a can of California Route while listening to the two CEOs talk about why they’ve teamed up to protect and restore the river.  We’ve made a lot of progress in four years and hope to make more progress in the future!

Cheers!

Have a great weekend!