PHOENIX, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Babbitt
Center for Land and Water Policy, a center of the Lincoln Institute
of Land Policy, has released a comprehensive, peer-reviewed
map of the Colorado River Basin that showcases the area's
geography and hydrography while addressing inconsistencies found
among current maps of the region. The map also includes a narrative
history of the basin, and it highlights crucial concerns facing the
region. It will provide an updated resource to stakeholders in the
Colorado River Basin as they chart a sustainable path forward for
the Colorado River, which supports over 40 million
people across the United
States and Mexico and
irrigates 4.5 million acres of agriculture.
"This remarkable map reads like a three-act play," said
Bruce Babbitt, former Arizona governor, former secretary of the U.S.
Department of Interior, and namesake of the Babbitt Center.
"Climate sets the stage. The Colorado River flows through time,
shaping the land and our lives. We are now entering the third act,
using historical information to move toward a sustainable
future."
One of the most significant changes reflected on the map is the
inclusion of the full extent of the Basin in Mexico. Many conventional maps end at the
U.S.-Mexico border, a legacy of
administrative and engineering decisions made by the U.S.
government in the 20th century. The map corrects two other common
misunderstandings: that the River always flows to the sea, and that
certain parts of Mexico and
Southern California were never
part of the Basin.
"For too long, many people thought the Colorado River ended at
the border," said Paula Randolph,
associate director of the Babbitt Center.
In the course of collaborating with partners throughout the
Colorado River Basin, Randolph notes, the Babbitt Center observed
that "experts on Colorado River Basin issues were bemoaning the
arbitrary nature and perspective of existing maps. The Babbitt
Center team reviewed the maps currently in circulation and chose to
tackle those concerns."
The Babbitt Center produced the map in partnership with the
Lincoln Institute's newly launched Center for Geospatial Solutions,
which harnesses data to inform decision making related to land and
water management.
The full-color, double-sided map highlights specific regions and
issues of note in one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States. Features include:
- A physical and
political map of the entire Colorado River Basin, including the
location of the 30 federally recognized tribal nations in the
basin; structures such as dams, reservoirs, transbasin diversions,
and canals; protected areas; and indications of whether streams are
perennial or intermittent.
- Inset
maps spotlighting wildfire risk, the Colorado River Delta
in Mexico, the shrinking
Salton Sea, and the relationship
between urban development, irrigated agriculture, and water
management in major cities.
- Stunning
photographs of the Colorado River headwaters and Delta, Lake
Powell, the Imperial Valley, and other significant landmarks of the
region.
- Narrative
explorations of key issues in the Colorado River Basin,
including climate change, tribal water rights, wildfire,
development, agriculture, and biodiversity.
- Historical
information on the division of water among the U.S. states and
Mexico and the drought contingency
negotiations that have occurred during the first two decades of the
21st century as climate change threatens significant streamflow
losses.
"Maps are powerful and often unacknowledged tools shaping our
perceptions of the landscape," said Michael
Cohen, senior researcher at the Pacific Institute. "The
Babbitt Center's new Colorado River Basin map greatly improves our
understanding of the iconic river that sustains the West and of the
many dynamic elements at play."
The Babbitt Center's goal was to create a comprehensive map that
honored the natural history of the Colorado River Basin while
reflecting the human-altered systems that power it today.
"The question 'Where is the Colorado River Basin?' is a
seemingly simple one without an easy answer," Babbitt Center Senior
Program Manager Zach Sugg said.
"Because humans altered the course of the River so profoundly and
quickly, many people might answer differently today than they would
have a century ago. Even though there are places the river rarely,
if ever flows today, to us they are still part of the
Basin."
The Babbitt Center will provide this freely available resource
to support the ongoing discourse about the region's future, Sugg
said.
"We would love for this to become a widely used, gold standard
map within the world of Colorado River Basin water management and
the larger water management world as well."
The map is available at no cost as a downloadable pdf, and as a
hard copy.
About the Babbitt Center for Land and Water
Policy
The Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy seeks
to advance the integration of land and water management to meet the
current and future water needs of Colorado River Basin communities,
economies, and the environment. The Babbitt Center, a center of the
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, promotes innovative land and
water conservation practices and policies, catalyzes these
solutions at the local level, and nurtures research into integrated
land and water management.
About the Center for Geospatial Solutions
The
Center for Geospatial Solutions provides people and organizations
with tools to advance equitable solutions to social, economic, and
environmental challenges. The center delivers geospatial data,
conducts analysis, and performs specialized consulting services for
organizations of all sizes in the nonprofit, public, and private
sectors.
About the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
The
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life
through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A
nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946,
the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches
to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental
challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events,
we integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions
worldwide.
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SOURCE Lincoln Institute of Land Policy