Crisis on the Rio Grande

Words by: Danielle Prokop, Edited by: Marisa Demarco, Images and Video by: Diana Cervantes

From the headwaters to the lost reaches, the Upper Rio Grande is under threat, and so are the people and ecosystems that rely on it. Climate change has already shrunk the snowpacks, dried soils and increased evaporation.

Human decision-making, resource management and policy continue to radically shift the trajectory of this lifeline in the high desert. This aridification has made precious water scarce for more people, exacerbating pressing issues in agriculture, tribal sovereignty and conservation. Reporter Danielle Prokop and Photojournalist Diana Cervantes traveled 700 miles along the river, documenting people adapting to a changed climate from Colorado through New Mexico and into Texas.

From the headwaters to the lost reaches, the Upper Rio Grande is under threat, and so are the people and ecosystems that rely on it. Source New Mexico is rolling out the series in 14 parts, starting Monday, Jan. 30, at the headwaters in Colorado.

All of this content, including the photos, is free to republish with credit to the journalists and Source NM under a Creative Commons license — as is all of the work Source New Mexico produces.

*This project was pitched by Danielle Prokop and Diana Cervantes and was supported by the Water Desk Grant and published in Source NM. The series took first place in Environmental Writing and Best Series at the New Mexico Press Association Awards on Oct. 2023.

part four: A new mentality

part seven: Not an object to be bartered

part eight: Rescuing silvery minnows like ‘slapping bandaid’ on severed limb

part Nine: a procession as the globe warms

part ten: Salted earth

part eleven: ‘Its like a crime scene’

part twelve: A hidden gem

part thirteen: still pools teeming with life at the edge, (Commentary)

Below the crags of Mount Cristo Rey, a string of little pools in the riverbed reflect its steep hills and white cross perched atop the peak. Black-necked stilts pick their way across on shocking pink legs, pushing through vibrant grass. A lone peacock, gone feral, zips through the streambed, interrupting the mountain’s reflection.