Red Delta: Fighting for Life at the End of the Colorado River

The region was sparsely populated by farmers and indigenous people. Its wildlife was little known. And it was in Mexico, invisible to North Americans. Thus, after the Water Treaty of 1944 was signed by the United States and Mexico, the flow of the Colorado River diminished to a trickle in the Mexican delta, transforming a fertile land of green lagoons into a dry wasteland. And nobody seemed to care.

The Mexican delta of the Colorado River is becoming one of the most remarkable environmental stories on the continent. Red Delta combines the powerful story of the delta’s restored natural diversity with clear information on the river of law that governs water allotments to it (U.S. – 90%, Mexico – 10%), presenting a story of hope and recovery. Whether in search of a rare and endangered bird, sifting through the sands of the delta’s badlands for fossils, or visiting a village of the deltas impoverished Cucapa people, Bergman helps us see the variety and abundance of life in this once-forgotten place.