Colorado River Stories Shown and Told at WRRC Event
Dave Showalter
On October 31, the WRRC hosted a presentation and book signing by the author of Living River: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado. During his presentation, Dave Showalter accompanied a series of stunning photographs featured in the book with personal stories of his travels through the Colorado River basin.
Showalter told his audience that the primary reason he started this book project was to counter the idea that the river was dying by presenting evidence of rebirth and life on the Colorado River through the many species, including humans, that depend on it. Acknowledging climate change and other human-caused damage, he focused on individuals and communities working to preserve and restore river flows and ecosystems across the watershed. His search included stops to record stories along tributaries, such as the Upper Gila and San Pedro Rivers, and to document the contributions and unique challenges of Indigenous communities. Showalter ended his presentation with a message of hope and a call for more engagement: “Go to the river and be present with her … become the river, speak for her; we are the river.”