Let's restore the Colorado River Delta

This winter, the community engagement team, composed of I.A. Elizabet and Lic. Yuliana from Pronatura Noroeste, established a partnership with the State University of Sonora (UES) in San Luis Río Colorado to collaborate with the Environmental Education Program led by Lic. Marisol.

The collaboration focused on an educational tour to inform about water use and management in the Colorado River Basin, raise awareness about the Colorado River Restoration Initiative, and strengthen the local community's sense of identity with the Colorado River Delta.

As part of this initiative, on February 7, a field trip was organized with I.A. Francisco, Pronatura Noroeste’s restoration coordinator, along with the restoration brigade composed of Moises, Simón, and Ruben. A group of criminology students was invited to the Janitzio Restoration Site to support restoration efforts along the border area of the Colorado River in the Mexicali Valley. The students had the opportunity to plant 150 native Sonoran Desert trees, including Mexican palo verde (Parkinsonia aculeata), blue palo verde (Parkinsonia florida), and honey mesquite (Neltuma glandulosa), contributing to the restoration of the mesquite forest ecosystem.

Additionally, three water pools were constructed in a designated area to benefit local wildlife and mitigate damage to the irrigation system caused by coyotes (Canis latrans) that inhabit the restoration site. The students enjoyed their activities in Janitzio, and at the end of the day, an integration session was held with Pronatura Noroeste staff. This session provided context on restoration efforts and highlighted the importance of key restoration sites, including Miguel Alemán, Janitzio, Chaussé, and Laguna Grande. These sites are located within the Colorado River floodplain and host an ecosystem of over 500,000 restored native trees across more than 540 hectares.

Following this, a field visit was conducted to the Morelos Diversion Dam with the collaboration of the International Boundary and Water Commission and the guidance of Engineer Ríosmoreno. He provided insights into the use, management, and administration of water in the Colorado River Basin, and discussed environmental efforts to allocate water for ecosystem restoration, helping to recover the region’s forests and wetland systems.

This collaboration connects communities previously unaware of the river’s significance to the region and enables them to contribute to restoration efforts to establish a future forest that benefits local communities, wildlife, and the recovery of vital ecological functions.