The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, visited the Colorado River Delta area, specifically the Laguna Grande restoration site, one of the natural areas that Raise the River is restoring throughout the region, of which Pronatura Noroeste is a partner.
During the visit, a tour was conducted at the Laguna Grande Park Interpretive Center, a previously degraded land due to drought where organizations have removed invasive plants and planted native trees restoring habitat for wildlife.
Ambassador Salazar planted a new tree as a symbol of the hope for the recovery of nature that both countries have, and, aboard a kayak, noted the recovery of the Colorado River channel at that point, where water and riparian vegetation is abundant and previously nonexistent.
Restored areas in the Colorado River Delta total 570 hectares including sites such as Laguna Grande, El Chausse, Janitzio, Miguel Aleman, Vado Cebollero and Don Parna, where nearly 300,000 native trees have been planted.
Although the Colorado River Delta used to extend over some 800,000 hectares, more than 20 years of drought have caused much of the delta’s vast riverbank and wetlands to disappear. This problem has spread to such an extent that in recent years, the river no longer regularly reaches the Gulf of California. Thanks to the binational collaboration between Mexico and the United States, established in Minute 319 and currently in Minute 323, in force until 2026, federal and civil society resources have been allocated to provide water to this natural territory to increase the region’s resilience to the effects and challenges of climate change and drought.
During the official visit, Monica Vega, Baja California’s Secretary of the Environment, acknowledged the civil society, saying that “projects in their hands flourish”, and reaffirmed her commitment to promote and achieve the declaration of a State Natural Protected Area (NPA) for the Colorado River, an idea that was supported by Ambassador Salazar.
If this NPA becomes a reality, it would be the second natural reserve in the state of Baja California and the largest with 1,000 hectares. The first state NPA was declared in 2021 and is the Arroyo San Miguel State Park in Ensenada with 56 hectares.
Pronatura Noroeste is part of Raise the River Alliance, a unique partnership of six non-governmental organizations from Mexico and the United States working to revive the Colorado River Delta through activities that support environmental restoration for the benefit of the people and enhancement of wildlife in the Delta.
Follow and support our restoration work in the Colorado River Delta.
