The Rio Grande topped the list of America’s 10 most endangered rivers 20 years ago. The river, which flows from southwestern Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico, made frequent appearances on the list, in 1994, 2000 and 2003. We covered the story of the Rio Grande and nine other endangered rivers in our August 1993 issue.
In the two decades since we published this story, river-runners and organizations such as American Rivers have worked to build sustainable management practices for the Rio Grande. It has just come off the endangered rivers list, but other rivers have taken its place. We brought this story out of the vault to show that we have come a long way in protecting America’s rivers, but we still have far to go.
CLICK HERE for more information on America’s endangered rivers.