Lower Colorado River Area Report

Authors: Lesley Fitzpatrick

Year: 2018

Abstract

The Lower Colorado River Area encompasses five states in the United States and two in Mexico. The drainages comprising this Area arise in both countries and are unique yet connected to each other. In the waters of the Area, many native invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptile species live here, competing with human land and water use as well as the introduction of nonnative plants and animals. The science we do is complex, and its release is largely contained within the group of agencies and involved parties. But we do not spend a lot of time and effort to reach out to the public about what we do. So, this poster looks at some of those efforts that are attempting to educate the can to some extent, their interest in the conservation of native aquatic species is a factor. At DFC and other professional meetings, we present the science to each other; we do not often consider the outreach and education efforts that reach the public and can have tremendous impact on how our efforts are supported. Three efforts are shown; two are ongoing and one is the result of the interest of news media to educate the public. These are: Marsh Education’s Sharing Tails; The Lower Colorado River Multi Species Conservation Program Outreach Program; The Arizona Republic 3-day series on the Grand Canyon. If we want to be relevant to the larger world, we need to focus our efforts at educating the public about native aquatic species.