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Explore America’s most endangered river on Street View
March 13, 2014
This guest post is by Chris Williams, Senior Vice President of Conservation at
American Rivers
. We’ve partnered with American Rivers to share the adventure of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in Google Maps. -Ed.
For 6 million years,
the Colorado River
has flowed through the heart of the desert southwest, its waters slowly carving out a canyon so vast it can be seen from space—yet so remote it didn’t appear on early maps of the region. It wasn’t until 1869, when
John Wesley Powell
led a small exploration party on a rafting trip, that the natural wonders of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon came fully into view.
Now with
Google Street View
, you can ride the whitewater rapids, cruise the sleepy river bends, and discover the side canyons that make the Colorado River a treasured resource.
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, U.S.
Start at an iconic spot like
Deer Creek Falls
or
North Canyon
, or climb up to the
Nankoweap Granaries
. Geology fans will enjoy formations like
Hermit Shale
and
Tapeats Sandstone
. On your journey, look out for wildlife like
big horn sheep
and signs of a
volcanic dam
that naturally occurred centuries ago.
While you admire its grandeur, remember that the river is also at risk. One of the United States’ most important resources, the Colorado River provides drinking water for 36 million people from Denver to Los Angeles, supports a $26 billion recreation industry, and irrigates nearly 4 million acres of land that grow 15 percent of our nation’s crops. But it’s also one of the most
endangered
, dammed, diverted and plumbed rivers in the world, thanks to a century of management policies and practices that have promoted the use of Colorado River water at an unsustainable rate. By the time it reaches the Gulf of California in Mexico, the river is barely a trickle—a ghost of its once magnificent self. You can see evidence of the river’s decline In Street View, like the
high water mark
(showing 1950s driftwood on top of the rock), or
sedimentation along the river’s edge
down by Lake Mead.
Colorado River, U.S.
We’re proud to partner with Google and Street View to raise awareness of the need to protect and restore the river. It’s time to speak up and protect the wonder of the Grand Canyon and the riches of a healthy Colorado River.
Join American Rivers
and help us protect and restore this iconic river of the west—for today and for future generations.
Posted by Chris Williams, Senior Vice President of Conservation, American Rivers
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