( intro music ) <i> The last time I came here,</i> <i> I walked 90 miles
across the dry,</i> <i> forgotten river channel.</i> <i> But in the spring of 2014,
something happened.</i> <i> A river of sand became wet
once again,</i> <i> and the first time
the Colorado River</i> <i> kissed the sea
in nearly in two decades.</i> <i> We can bring a river
back to life, if we try.</i> <i> Male voice over:
River Colorado.</i> ( applause ) Pete McBride: Thank you
very much for coming. It's a great honor to be here. About 20 years ago,
I had the... the unusual experience to walk
into the building next door and try to sell them a story, which ended up
being my first story with National Geographic. <i> It was a story of taking
a biplane</i> <i> from London to Cape Town
in South Africa.</i> <i> We re-enacted the first
African air-passage.</i> <i> They did it in 1920,
we did it in 1998.</i> <i> They did it in 43 days
in 1920,</i> <i> we did it in 58 in 1998.</i> ( laughter ) <i> But it gave me
a very unusual perspective,</i> not only on African aviation,
but on rivers. I got to fly up
the length of the Nile River, the longest in the world. So, I came home and... and started talking
to my father actually who got me pointed
in this direction, <i> of looking
at the Colorado River.</i> <i> A river that
I actually grew up on,</i> <i> but I didn't really know it
that well, to be honest.</i> <i> I knew that the Grand Canyon
is there in the middle,</i> <i> but I really didn't know
what happens</i> <i> to the end of the river
below the Grand Canyon</i> <i> and where does the river
actually go,</i> <i> where does it end.</i> <i> And as a native Coloradan,</i> <i> who grew up right there,
in the Roaring Fork Valley,</i> <i> I thought it would be
an interesting story</i> <i> to follow this river.
So, I came back home.</i> <i> I came back to a field
I spent a lot of time in.</i> <i> I'd come every summer
back home</i> <i> and work on the ranch and
move sprinklers like this</i> <i> for flood irrigation systems
and I started wondering</i> <i> about the water
and where this goes.</i> <i> And how long
will it take this water</i> <i> to actually go to the sea,
so I followed it.</i> <i> I first started up in the
mountains where I live.</i> <i> This is Pyramid Peak,
14,000 feet.</i> <i> I have actually
skied this peak,</i> <i> and I skied it in June</i> <i> when there was
nine feet of snow.</i> <i> I took this photo
on Christmas day</i> <i> two years ago,</i> <i> there is three inches of snow.</i> <i> So, we are facing some
climate change issues</i> <i> and we are also seeing
some influence</i> <i> coming in from the west to us.</i> <i> This is Snowmass Peak,</i> <i> not far from where I live,
also 14,000 feet,</i> <i> and you see that brown tint,
that's actually dust</i> <i> that's been blown in
from the west</i> <i> because of more development
basically through</i> <i> road constructions,
some oil and gas.</i> And what happens is it creates
a trans-evaporation process where the particles in the... of the dust actually
retain the sun's heat and melt the snow up faster. So, we are losing a runoff
at a much faster rate, They say
we're losing the river, about 5% of the river due to this trans-evaporation
process. <i> And the Colorado
is not the largest</i> <i> or the longest river
in the US.</i> <i> It is actually seventh.</i> <i> But many would argue</i> <i> that it's the most loved
and litigated.</i> <i> This is near Kremmling,
Colorado</i> <i> and if you look
at the top of the frame</i> <i> that's looking due east,</i> <i> I'm looking
at the Continental Divide,</i> <i> you look what appears to be
a healthy river,</i> <i> but in fact, this river is
actually flowing at about</i> <i> 50% of its
traditional capacity.</i> <i> There are 22 trans-basin
diversion projects,</i> <i> basically tunnels
that you can't see</i> <i> that are going underneath</i> <i> the Continental Divide,
in the top of the frame,</i> <i> and taking water to
Denver, Boulder,</i> <i> Fort Collins,
Colorado Springs...</i> Now what's interesting
about this is that water goes over there,
that's great, they need the water,
but that water never returns to the Colorado River basins.
So we are taking water that would end up
in the Pacific, and we are taking
and putting it in the Atlantic. So, we are seeing changes
right out at the gates. <i> They did a study
on the Colorado River</i> <i> and just the value it
brings from recreation.</i> <i> They've came back
with a staggering figure,</i> <i> that is $ 26 billion
that this river produces,</i> <i> in revenue through fishing,
rafting, picnicking,</i> <i> any form of recreation
on the length of the river</i> <i> that runs 1500 miles.</i> If you put that
on the Forbes 500 list, it would be ahead of
Progressive Insurance and US Airways. So, a river with water in it
has value. <i> Most of that water goes
towards agriculture.</i> <i> So, I focused a lot
on the aerial perspective,</i> <i> in part, because I think
it gives us</i> <i> a perspective of
where we've been</i> <i> and where we are going
with our landscape,</i> <i> but also because I had this
crazy guy on the right,</i> <i> who I could hire at a rather
affordable price, my father.</i> ( laughter ) <i> So, as we follow this river,</i> <i> we are going to come
into Utah,</i> <i> beautiful landscape
and you can see</i> <i> how this river is
sculpting through it.</i> <i> This Castle Valley. And
if you get on the ground,</i> <i> in Canyonlands National
Park area, Mesa Arch.</i> <i> A remarkable landscape
that's been shaped with</i> <i> the uplift
of the Colorado plateau and</i> <i> the Colorado River of course,
helping carve it out</i> <i> and create this
magnificent architecture.</i> <i> You could do
about a 90 degree turn,</i> <i> go over another ridge and
you would look over on this.</i> <i> It is a potash mine.</i> <i> We actually need potash
for fertilizer.</i> <i> I have nothing
against potash</i> <i> but this image I used
to represent industry,</i> <i> because industry is becoming
a large straw</i> <i> on Colorado River.</i> Potash may not be
that terrible, but oil and gas recently
has been picking up significantly
in this part of the world. There was recently
a water auction for... during drought and all the farmers went
to the water auction to see if they can get more water
through this drought year. And they were outbid
on every single count by oil and gas companies. And one oil and
gas well can use one to five million
gallons of water. <i> Just downstream is one
of my favorite images.</i> <i> I took this with my father.</i> <i> We had to actually break
into the airport</i> <i> because to get here
at sunrise,</i> <i> the airport opened
at sunrise,</i> <i> so I had to crawl over the
fence and let him in.</i> <i> But this is a double oxbow
naturally occurring,</i> <i> and just downstream there,
you come into, what I call</i> <i> the seas of the desert'.</i> <i> This is Lake Powell,
the change is dramatic</i> <i> the ecology of this river.</i> <i> They say that it receives</i> <i> up to 1400
cargo ship containers a day</i> <i> of silt and sediment,
that's basically the memory</i> <i> of the Colorado Rockies
falling down</i> <i> and it gets deposited
in this reservoir</i> <i> which affects the fish
and ecology downstream.</i> And we are quickly finding out
how much sediment is in there and what's happening because
the lake is dropping rapidly. We are in our second decade
of drought <i> and that white line
is the bathtub ring</i> <i> on Lake Powell.
It's about 75 feet.</i> <i> Lake Powell is now
at 51% capacity.</i> <i> If you go there right now,</i> <i> it's dropping
one to six inches a day.</i> <i> And that's the dam,
Glen Canyon dam.</i> <i> It produces
a 120 million dollars in revenue</i> <i> through its
hydroelectric program.</i> <i> It goes back to
Federal programs</i> <i> for transmission lines
and actually</i> <i> native fish species programs
downstream.</i> <i> We are getting to
such a point of</i> <i> drought and
water shortage that</i> <i> we are approaching
what is called 'Dead Pool'</i> <i> when there isn't enough water
to go over through</i> <i> the turbines
and spin those turbines.</i> <i> Now just below that dam,
starts the Grand Canyon.</i> <i> It is 277 miles of one of
the most enchanted places</i> <i> on the planet
that I've seen.</i> <i> It's like going to
another world of</i> <i> geology and magic.</i> <i> Of course,
it is not real anymore</i> <i> to some degree because
this river fluctuates</i> <i> through the habits
and needs of man</i> <i> as we have
hydroelectric demands with</i> <i> air conditioning
and what not.</i> It's called... as a whole the Grand Canyon
is called as 'America's Roofless
Cathedral'. <i> There is a proposal out there
right now</i> <i> to build a 1.4 mile long
tramway,</i> <i> it will descend 1300 feet
and carry 4000 people a day</i> <i> into the Grand Canyon.</i> Now, those of the people that
don't like to hike or boat, may think that's great. However, it is also a sacred
confluence right there. Believed to be sacred
by the Hopi and the Zuni and some of the Navajo, so it is creating
a big controversy and we are going to see
that play out in the next few years. <i> This is the
humpback chub.</i> <i> They've basically been
swimming in this river</i> <i> for 6000 years.</i> <i> And now there is only
about 6000 of them left,</i> <i> because they like warm water
and once we put that dam</i> <i> and of course
it is the cold water</i> <i> coming up through the dam,
so they've retreated</i> <i> to this little confluence,
it's milky color</i> <i> because of its
high calcium content.</i> <i> There's four species of
endangered fish left,</i> <i> two have already
gone extinct.</i> <i> This is Nankoweap Point.</i> <i> And those are the granaries
of the Puebloans</i> <i> that have been there
since 1100 A.D.</i> <i> And so many
of the Native Americans</i> <i> who live around
the Grand Canyon,</i> <i> there are actually 11 tribes
that surround</i> <i> the Grand Canyon
National Park,</i> <i> and they believe
that this is</i> <i> where they came from
and where they go.</i> <i> This is their spirit world.</i> And just to give you
a little idea behind capturing
some of these images, I conceived this image
about five years ago, when I went down there on
another trip, but you have to...
first you have to get a permit to get down there.
You get that, then you go down
on the river trip, then you have to secure
a camp site near the spot because
you can't reserve those, it's 'first come first serve'. Then you have to hopefully
time your permit lines up with the full moon,
then you have to go up with some,
some high powered spotlights because you can't go up
to the Granary, so you've got to shine them
on a very specific tripod. And hope it all lines up
and boom! That's what sometimes
one image can take. Now, we may go through
whooping and hollering as tourists
in the Grand Canyon, but there are many people
who take it very seriously. <i> This is a Havasupai elder
who has come down.</i> <i> I happened to go down there
this last spring</i> <i> and it just
coincided with</i> <i> the Hopi, Zuni, Navajo and
Hualapai spiritual trips.</i> <i> That's partially funded by
that money coming upstream</i> <i> from the Glen Canyon dam.</i> <i> So, this is a big deal
and of course, I asked him,</i> <i> 'What do you think about
all these people hooting and</i> <i> hollering and having parties
in the Grand Canyon?'</i> <i> He says, 'Well, there's
nothing I can do about it,</i> <i> but I just hope
you respect it.'</i> <i> In 1903, President Roosevelt</i> <i> came to the South Rim
of this Canyon.</i> <i> It's on the right side,
you can see the South Rim</i> <i> and in the very right corner
up there</i> <i> and he says,
'Leave it as it is.</i> <i> The ages have been
at work on this</i> <i> and man can only mar it.'</i> <i> And I think we've done
a pretty good job,</i> <i> but the threats are
definitely looming</i> <i> in the distance to mar it.</i> There's new development
that wants to be built up all around the Grand Canyon,
there's water challenges, there's this tramway. Uranium mines have been trying
to get in there for a while, they've been fended off
for about 20 years. But it's something
that's not going to go away anytime soon if we don't keep
a close eye on it. <i> The river on the other hand,</i> <i> we may have not done
the best job</i> <i> of maintaining it
through the Canyon.</i> <i> Now the water color here
is emerald green,</i> <i> it looks beautiful,
but it is not very natural,</i> <i> and it just represents
how we have changed</i> <i> the dynamic of this river
and of course that</i> <i> clear waters eroding a lot
of natural sand and sediment.</i> <i> Now, this is one of
the most storied rapids,</i> <i> this is called the V-wave,
if you can get through here</i> <i> and not lose your oars,
you're in great shape.</i> <i> I went through it with my
brother in these boats</i> <i> that some boatmen described
as being built of</i> <i> papier-mâché and
baby bird bones.</i> ( laughter ) <i> This is the 'oh crap' face
of here we go</i> <i> into the V-wave,
I'm on the left,</i> <i> my brother on the right,</i> <i> he's got more of
an 'oh crap' face.</i> <i> This is 'Oh God, we've just...
plan A has just gone sideways,</i> <i> because
we've just lost an oar,</i> <i> we're going to plan B'.</i> <i> This is
'Oh we are going to die'</i> <i> because we are going into
the big kahuna wave now</i> <i> with no oars.</i> <i> We're taking this little tiny
flimsy wooden boat,</i> <i> through the middle
of this giant rapid</i> <i> and we realize
we're about to flip.</i> So... we thought we were dead. But we made it somehow.
( laughter ) <i> Of course
we smiled at the end.</i> <i> It was the first time
I got to show my brother</i> <i> the Grand Canyon,</i> <i> it was a highlight for me
because</i> <i> this river on some levels,</i> <i> there's an expression
called, 'river capture'.</i> where one watershed
will basically out-erode another one
and capture its water and take it with you. And essentially
what has happened to me is I feel like the Colorado River
on some level has captured my curiosity
and part of my soul, so I keep going back,
so it was a real treat to share with my brother. <i> When you leave
the Grand Canyon you come</i> <i> to Lake Mead, Hoover dam.
You've all heard of this</i> <i> remarkable piece of
engineering</i> <i> that they built in 1935,</i> <i> it used to be the largest dam
in the world.</i> <i> And just like upstream, but
even worse at this point,</i> <i> Lake Mead is now at its
all-time record low, 39%.</i> <i> Las Vegas,</i>
which sits next to Lake Mead and myself included
when I started this project, many of us point to Las Vegas, the oasis dream,
the big problem. Their water intake is so close
to the water level now, Lake Mead, that they are
actually spending a billion dollars to construct
the third straw. They are basically building
a bathtub drain, from under here, all the way
back over to Vegas. Because if the water level
gets any closer to their intake valve, by law they might not be able to
use it. So, we are fearing some very significant changes
in infrastructure. Vegas at the same time, which is very interesting
to me when I learned this, they wrote a law of the river
in 1922 which basically divvied up
the Colorado River into seven states, they cut it up
into different pies, and nobody... Vegas didn't
really exist in 1922, so nobody expected there to be
this booming oasis dream. So, they didn't give them
very much water. <i> So, Vegas is now forced to
use their water very wisely.</i> <i> They recycle a lot of their
fountains and pools,</i> <i> they do mandatory
pool coverings,</i> <i> a lot of fountains are
grey water,</i> <i> they've been taking</i> the smart-scaping,
zero-scaping to another level. They realized 70%
of their water <i> from the Colorado river is
going to people's front lawns,</i> <i> so they started a program</i> <i> where they actually pay people</i> <i> $ 2 a square foot,
and it is now a $ 1.50,</i> <i> to tear out their
front lawn.</i> <i> I took that first picture
at 8 in the morning.</i> <i> I took that picture same day
at 11.</i> <i> Crew came in,
ripped out the lawn,</i> <i> gave the guy a check,
and adios!</i> ( laughter ) <i> And the hope of course,
is that the oasis dream</i> <i> that many of us may love
and enjoy</i> <i> will be able to continue
on some level but also</i> <i> the oasis dream for
critters like this,</i> <i> the Rocky Mountain toad,</i> <i> that had a love affair
with my camera</i> <i> when I was looking for
humpback chub,</i> <i> wouldn't leave me alone,
they'll have water too.</i> <i> The Gila River downstream,
this was taken in 1936.</i> <i> One of the last tributaries
of the Colorado.</i> <i> That's today.</i> <i> That was taken
by my friend Jon Waterman,</i> <i> who paddled the length
of the Colorado River.</i> <i> And then we come back down
into Yuma, Arizona,</i> <i> right before
the Colorado River crosses</i> <i> over the
US-Mexican border.</i> <i> A massive amount of
lettuce production here,</i> <i> agriculture throughout
the region, and so</i> <i> if you are sitting there
saying,</i> 'This is interesting, Pete,
Colorado river is beautiful maybe I'll go raft it one day. But I mean, come on,
I've got plenty of water here in Washington D.C.,
why does this concern me?' It actually concerns all of us
on some level because every piece of lettuce that you buy
in the grocery store in the months of
December and January come from the Colorado River. That's the only place
that supplies the nation. It's basically
the nation's salad bowl comes from
this part of the world. So, we all eat
the Colorado River whether you are
aware of it or not. I grew up on a cattle ranch, <i> I'm not opposed
to the production of beef,</i> <i> if it is done wisely.</i> <i> I don't know if this is
the wisest method...</i> <i> having feedlots
in the Imperial Valley</i> <i> where it's 128 degrees.</i> <i> So I think
we need to start moving</i> <i> towards smart agriculture.</i> There are also some
antiquated laws where if you don't use
your water, you will lose it. So, there are farmers
in this area that are growing five-six cuttings of alfalfa and actually shipping it
to Asia, because they don't want to
lose their water even though
they don't need the money. So, in some ways
we are actually <i> exporting some of our water</i> in the form of
alfalfa to Asia. And then you come after... <i> to the last major dam
of the river.</i> <i> There are 12 major dams
on the river.</i> <i> This is the Morelos dam.</i> <i> This is U.S-Mexican border,
for 22 miles</i> <i> the river becomes the border
and runs due south.</i> <i> And if you go below the dam,</i> <i> which I did with Jon
when he was paddling,</i> <i> just two miles into Mexico,</i> <i> you come to the end
of the river.</i> <i> Ben Franklin said,</i> <i> 'We learn the value of water
when the well runs dry'.</i> <i> This is the well running dry.</i> <i> This is what it looked like
when I was paddling through.</i> Jon Waterman:
What is this stuff? Pete McBride: All I know is
I'm not that excited to get into this water. Jon Waterman:
So this is what's become of the mighty Colorado? Pete McBride: Yeah. <i> So, we packed
up our boats..</i> <i> 90 miles shy of the sea
and started walking.</i> <i> There were many times
where I wondered</i> <i> why the hell I was carrying
a boat on my back.</i> ( laughter ) Pete McBride: The Colorado
River has run to the Sea of Cortez for 6 million years,
not a single drop of it has run naturally
to the sea since 1998. It was one of the largest desert estuaries
in North America. This is the western
flank of it <i> over on the Baja side.</i> <i> 3000 square miles, jaguars,
Cottonwood forests,</i> <i> it took me two days
to find this image.</i> <i> That's what
we've changed it to.</i> Some people say, 'Well,
who cares about the delta, you know, who... why should we
put water down there?' But I... can pretty much
guarantee this guy cares. <i> 20,000 Cocopah Indians
used to live in the delta.</i> <i> This was their
traditional fishing grounds.</i> <i> This guy learned to fish here.</i> <i> It's dried up in his lifetime.</i> <i> And I'm pretty sure
if this happened to my river</i> <i> in my backyard, I'd probably
feel similar, feel frustrated.</i> <i> Just to give you an idea
where that is exactly,</i> <i> this little red circle,</i> <i> it's in the center,
that's the delta.</i> <i> That little frappuccino pit
I was paddling,</i> <i> it is on the middle
bottom-third of that circle.</i> <i> So, I think if these rivers
often as arteries,</i> <i> they help connect communities,</i> <i> they actually help
connect wildlife.</i> <i> They support our agriculture.</i> <i> They keep salinity
in our water table at bay.</i> <i> Potentially you know,</i> <i> they connect our human spirit
on some level.</i> <i> So, I think the Colorado
today is</i> <i> a very powerful metaphor
on so many levels</i> <i> because it shows us</i> <i> what happens
when we ask too much</i> <i> of a limited resource,
it disappears.</i> <i> I ended here in the delta.</i> <i> This last spring there was
an experimental pulse flow,</i> <i> thanks to the hard work of
very, very many</i> <i> from a vast
group of people</i> <i> and this is what
became of the river.</i> <i> This was actually less than
1% of the river's annual flow.</i> <i> It was Mexico's water,</i> <i> it was part of a new
agreement called 'Minute 319'.</i> Very interesting because, uh, Mexico basically had
an earthquake that fractured
its irrigation system. They said, 'We need some help.
We can't store water anywhere. It is time to work together
for a change'. So, they went to the U.S. And this is two miles in <i> This about where that
frappuccino pit was.</i> <i> Beautiful scene of people
coming out</i> <i> from all over Mexico.</i> <i> Not only restoring
the vegetation,</i> <i> but the spirit of the river.</i> Anyway, Mexico said 'We need help'
and U.S said 'Alright'. So, they came back
to the table and said 'Alright, We are going
to renegotiate Mexico's water, they do get an allocation,
but now they are gonna make sure that
Mexico's allocation is shares in surplus
and shortage and that they will dedicate
some water to the delta. So, this was that water
dedicated. It was released for
eight weeks to see how it did to try to spawn
some of the seedlings, cottonwoods, and willows,
and it was pretty remarkable. We took paddle boards
and canoes <i> all the way across it.</i> <i> In 1922, Aldo Leopold</i> <i> took a canoe across the delta
and he wrote,</i> 'The river was nowhere
and everywhere', for he could not--
for he could not decide which of a hundred green
lagoons to take to the sea. Beautiful line that I've used over and over at water talks
about the Colorado River, and I never ever thought that I would actually see this
and paddle across a green lagoon
in the delta. So, it is very encouraging
to see that we can make a change. ( music ) Male 1: We gonna have to go
over that. Pete McBride: Not good. <i> This is an improvement.
I swear.</i> You're moving. ( speaking in Spanish ) This is called moving an inch...
an hour. <i> Bushwhacking this terrain</i> <i> in a trickle of water
with the paddleboard</i> <i> is an upgrade. Trust me.</i> What are we doing here? <i> The last time
I came here,</i> <i> I walked 90 miles
across the dry,</i> <i> forgotten river channel.</i> <i> My backyard river,
the Colorado...</i> <i> I have been chasing its flow
for years.</i> <i> Most people think of it
as that loved</i> <i> architect of the
Grand Canyon,</i> <i> carrying the memory
of the Rocky Mountains</i> <i> near my home in Colorado.</i> <i> But it is different down here
at the end,</i> <i> where severe plumbing
on this southwest lifeline</i> <i> have sucked it dry,</i> <i> so we can eat baby spinach
in January.</i> <i> But in the spring of 2014,
something happened.</i> <i> Two countries decided
to work together</i> <i> to restore a delta.</i> <i> The hands of many
lifted the gates</i> <i> on the Morelos Dam</i> <i> and released a temporary
pulse of water.</i> <i> Less than 1%
of the river's flow.</i> <i> Mexico's allocated agua</i> <i> into the delta
to see what happened.</i> <i> A river of sand became wet
once again.</i> <i> And a fiesta ignited
down downstream.</i> ( music ) <i> Locals celebrated
the return of their Rio.</i> ( music ) <i> The native species
exploded with seeds.</i> <i> The river party only lasted
a few weeks though.</i> ( music ) <i> Partake? We did what
any river lover would do.</i> <i> We floated it,
by canoe, paddleboard,</i> <i> and eventually slogged it
by foot,</i> <i> crossing the shallows.</i> I believe
this is the Colorado, it is hard to tell
because generally the Rio Colorado had no water. But as you can see, it is a pretty frigging
nice river right now. Male 2: It looks amazing. Usually,
this part of the river is completely dry,
it's sand always, and it has been many years
like that. <i> Now on May 7th,</i> <i> after nine 13-hour long
paddling days...</i> Male 3: I'm so tired,
I can barely stand. <i> We crossed 90 miles
of the delta</i> <i> and reached the sea.</i> <i> It was the first and
only paddleboard crossing</i> <i> of the new delta.</i> <i> And the first time
the Colorado River</i> <i> kissed the sea
in nearly two decades.</i> <i> On many levels it was
a preposterous journey,</i> <i> foolish, or even
wrong headed...</i> I don't feel like
I'm getting anywhere. <i> It was also beautiful
and symbolic.</i> <i> That with a relative trickle,</i> <i> we can bring a river
back to life...</i> <i> if we try.</i> <i> ( applause )</i> <i> ( outro music )</i>