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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/quechan-tribe-colorado-river-native-plants/>
"A pelican descends through a canopy of green cottonwood leaves. The
frost-plumed bird lands upon an exposed sandbank in a thin ribbon of blue water
flanked by lithe willows. Gorgeous as it is, this lush Sonoran Desert oasis is
but a relic of a time when the water was much more than a sliver. Here, the
once-mighty Colorado River swelled across the Fort Yuma Quechan Reservation,
straddling California and Arizona near the U.S.–Mexico border.
Frank Venegas, the Quechan Tribe’s water technician, looks out on the river and
shakes his head. He grew up fishing here with his uncles and laments not being
able to do the same with his nephews. Now, not only has the water been reduced
to a trickle through the reservation, but in many areas, just beyond this
stretch of shoreline, invasive plants choke out river access.
The Quechan people have relied on the Colorado River and its riparian ecosystem
for spiritual, cultural and material needs since time immemorial.
“If we don’t have a living river, who are we as people?”
According to Venegas, Quechan translates to “those who descended,” down the
Colorado River from Avi Kwa Ame, Spirit Mountain, in Nevada.
“We are the people of the river,” Venegas says.
For the Quechan people, a living river is not just about water — it requires
native plants and wildlife. To help bring the Colorado River back to life, the
tribe is taking matters into its own hands by planting one native seed at a
time. The tribe is successfully restoring 100 acres of the river’s original
riparian assemblage on the reservation, ushering in a return of critical
wildlife and cultural resources for the Quechan people."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
