Colorado River is America's most endangered; ranchers work to combat climate change
ABC News
The Colorado River is at the top of the endangered rivers list, and ranchers who have depended on its freshwater are scrambling to adapt.
The Colorado River, a major freshwater source for over 40 million people in seven southwestern U.S. states and parts of northern Mexico, has lost 20% of its water levels over the past 22 years and environmentalists forecast it's going to get worse.
Farmers and other agriculture workers have been especially hit by the water loss as the fields have dried up, making it harder to cultivate crops and cattle.
"We've really been working on some of this for two decades. You know, we've kind of seen this coming," Paul Bruchez, a fifth-generation Colorado rancher, told ABC News.
Now Bruchez, his family, other ranchers and farmers are teaming up with conservationists to adapt to the changing environment and try to repair some of the damage, and they hope that they can encourage others to step up before it's too late.
