"The Rio Grande is Running Dry" Reaction Blog

 Khadijah Ahmed

Mr. Roddy

IHSS

17 April 2022

The Rio Grande goes dry in Big Bend, revealing a river system in crisis

For hundreds of years, the Rio Grande has been a marvelous ecological development, sustaining life for plants and animals in the dry Texan desert. Its swooping canyons and enriched banks provide for wildlife in one of the most remote places in the region. But recently, the river has began to prove itself humble. Since early April, the Rio Grande has gone dry in patches around the Big Bend National Park. While this occurrence is not unfamiliar in the hot area, the reasons of cause this time are not likely to cease. What is happening now may continue happening until the entirety of the river is run dry. Retired wildlife biologist at Big Bend National Park Raymond Skiles explains that this is a strange situation for the park. "It’s a bizarre scene to witness,” he says, “especially for someone that knows the river quite well over many years. It’s astonishing. It’s sad. It’s not a river.” He explains that this drying has most likely been caused by human driven climate changes. With average temperatures going up and yearly rain levels going down, the river might not return back to its original glory. “This is happening in a national park,” Skiles said. “This is happening in a component of the United States’ Wild and Scenic River system. I have to think — what world is this okay in, for the river just to stop because of human extraction and depletion of the river?”

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