Breath of the Last Wild River

 The Gila River is one of the last wild rivers of the world. A tributary of the Colorado River, it is the last undammed river in New Mexico. Desert Rivers and the nutrient-rich areas that run alongside them are ribbons of precious habitat which support a wilderness history of diverse ecologies, endangered species and communities that depend on their unspoilt water. The majority of desert waterways are ephemeral and seasonal and water levels across all rivers globally have dropped due to desertification, climate change and increasingly complex human impacts. Rivers running through desert regions are the most endangered. These are also the most unexplored , unresearched places, supporting fragile, irreplaceable biodiversity that is as yet unknown. Wild rivers are the last strongholds of undiscovered species. 

The ‘cascade effect’ of these wild rivers can impact entire ecosystems. When water flow is interrupted or restricted an ecological phenomenon is triggered that involves reciprocal changes in animal and plant populations, resulting in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling. Entire landscapes can be altered irrevocably from a seemingly small loss.

The source of the wild desert rivers is often suspended high in isolated, rocky escarpments, a fissure between stones that springs from natural subterranean wells. As a source of permanent water, indigenous people respect the source and entire rivers as sacred sites. I have climbed up to these ‘mounds springs’ high above the desert  and they are usually littered with ancient relics of cultural material and flora & fauna species. A hidden and magic treasury of desert history slowly being uncovered and released, like secret crystals.

The significance of wild desert rivers is considerably more than the bewitching wonder they inspire when we witness to their mesmerizing natural beauty.