Low Colorado River Valley

The Colorado River Valley is located where the Colorado River meets the Gulf of California in Northern Mexico. The region includes many different biomes: desert, freshwater river, wetlands, and a riparian corridor. Key plants in the region are cottonwood, mesquite, and willow trees. However, the majority of vegetation is salt cedar, an invasive species which kills native plants and changes the salinity of the soil. Key indigenous animals in the region include Desert Pupfish, Yuma Clapper Rails, Vaquitas, Totabas, Colorado Delta Clams, Delta Mudsuckers, and Grunions. The area is also home to bobcats, 358 species of migratory birds, sea turtles, and pelicans.

The Lower Colorado River Valley is the site of many pressing conservation areas. Prior to extensive human involvement in the area, the Colorado River delta included 2.5 million + acres of Wetlands with 400 species living there. The US began damming the river and now more than 100 dams have been constructed to provide water to 30 million people in seven states, including many large cities and agricultural areas. Now the water has been so depleted that the river dries up and doesn't actually reach the ocean. In the Sea of Cortez, where the Colorado River used to feed into the ocean, there are endangered sea turtles, pelicans, and Vaquita (the World's most endangered porpoise). Many native fish species in the Colorado River are also endangered including: Colorado Pikeminnow, Razorback Suncker, Bonytail Sucker, Humpback Chub, and Desert Pupfish.