Contacts - Colorado River Delta
Francisco Zamora
Director Colorado River Delta Legacy Program
520-290-0828, ext. 1137
Karen Schlatter
Program Associate
520-290-0828, ext. 1115
Edith Santiago
Project Manager
011-52-686-582-5431
Rocio Garcia
Administrative Assistant (Mexico office)
011-52-686-582-5431
Guadalupe Fonseca
Restoration Field Coordinator
Restoration Assistants:
David Alfaro Rodriguez
Alfredo Ramos Tolento
Aurelio Alfaro Rodriguez
Benito Brambila
Barnabe Hurtado
Celedonia Camacho
Estela Esquivel
Colorado River Delta Region
Resources - Colorado River Delta
Delta Plan of Action
Click here to view/download Delta Plan of Action
Delta Fact Sheet
Click here to view/download the Delta Fact Sheet 03.02.12
Conservation Priorities in the Colorado River Delta
Colorado River Delta Water Trust Report
Resources - Colorado River Delta
Ecosystem Changes and Water Policy Choices
Nevada Law Journal - Renewed Hope for the Colorado River
Delta Project Fact Sheets:
Donate
Kathy Borgen champions causes that help protect, care for, and nurture a love of our planet. She is also passionate about the work of the Institute
Where We Work Northwest Mexico Colorado River Delta Legacy Program
Colorado River Delta Legacy Program
The Colorado River Delta is an ecological treasure worth saving. Although the Colorado River Delta is less than 10 percent of its original size, it is an important stopover for more than 300,000 migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway and critical to the survival of several threatened and endangered species. The Delta is also crucial to the cultural survival of indigenous communities on both sides of the border, particularly the Kwapa people (the Cucapá tribe in Mexico and the Cocopah tribe in the U.S.). Furthermore, as the most important freshwater input into the Upper Gulf of California, the Colorado River is vital to the health of juvenile fish nurseries including shrimp, shellfish, and finfish, as well as endangered species such as the vaquita, a marine porpoise, and totoaba, a marine fish. The Delta was declared an International Biosphere Reserve in 1993 and a RAMSAR site in 1996, giving recognition to its global ecological importance.
The overall long-term goal of the Sonoran Institute’s program in the in the Delta, in conjunction with other partners, is to enhance, restore, and maintain the Colorado River Delta ecosystem for people and the environment. Our vision is to have a healthy Delta ecosystem that provides recreation and economic development opportunities for local people, including indigenous populations, and supports healthy populations of freshwater and marine wildlife species. Read about Conservation Priorities in the Delta.
By partnering with local groups and integrating science, economics, policy reform, and on-the-ground restoration projects, our approach has already produced significant accomplishments. Read more about our approach.
If you would like to make a donation to the Delta program, click on the water droplet and under the “I would like my gift to support” heading, select the “Delta Campaign” from the drop-down box. Or, type “Delta” in the comments box.
Learn more about our work in the Colorado River Delta Water Trust:
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“The Sonoran Institute's conservation vision in the Delta includes the human element and is therefore effective in inspiring partnerships and real action.”
-Enrique Villegas, Director of the Mexicali Department of Ecology; former Secretary of Environmental Protection for Baja California.
News & Updates
April 2010—Colorado River Water Rights
“Under a longstanding treaty, the Colorado River irrigates 3 million acres of farmland and supplies water to 30 million people in the United States and Mexico.” Published by Public Radio International’s The World. Read the complete article.
April 2010—Researchers Study Effect of Yuma Desalting Plant on Cienega de Santa Clara
A binational team is studying whether running the Yuma Desalting Plant will affect Mexico's Cienega de Santa Clara, the largest wetland on the Colorado River Delta.” Published by redOrbit. Read the complete article.
March 2010—Just Add Water: Colorado Delta Resurrects
“Once written off, the Delta of the Colorado River has found a hardy band of NGOs and local governments willing to sweat to keep it wet.” Published by Miller-McCune. Read the complete article.
September 2009—Eyes Turn to Mexico as Drought Drags On
“The Southwest drought has reached the point where even drain water is coveted.” Published by The New York Times. Read the complete article.
Stories
Adopting the Colorado River Delta
Ten years ago, during the last major flood in the Delta of the Colorado River in Mexico, three good friends took a life-changing boat trip. They had not expected to get lost overnight and be rescued the following morning by Lorenzo González, a Cucapá Indian. And they had not expected the trip to be the beginning of a long-term commitment to restoring the Delta.
But that is exactly what happened to Francisco Zamora, who leads the Sonoran Institute's work in the Delta, and his two companions, Osvel Hinojosa and Carlos Valdes, who work to restore the Delta with the Mexican conservation organization Pronatura.