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Nanjit dahonche?
Hi, I'm Quannah Chasinghorse,

and I hope you are well.

I'm Han Gwich'in
from Eagle Village, Alaska,

and Sicangu
and Oglála Lakota

from the Rosebud Reservation
in South Dakota.

I am the narrator
of this film,

and on behalf
of the team and I,

we really hope
you enjoy this film

and leave feeling
inspired to protect

the wildlife
of the American Southwest.

-[rain pattering]
-[water lapping softly]

[gentle music]

[wind blowing softly]

The Never Summer Mountains.

Headwaters
of the mighty Colorado River.

Fueled by snowmelt
from the Rockies,

the river and its tributaries
grow with each confluence

and nourish valley floors

and cottonwood galleries
downstream.

[bird chirping]

Its timeless power

has carved Cataract, Glen,

and Marble Canyons...

and shaped
the grandest of them all.

[water lapping softly]

Like the blood flowing
through our veins,

the Colorado pumps life

into the harsh Mojave
and Sonoran Deserts.

For millions of years,

soil borne by the river

settled into
an immense delta...

transferring its nutrients
from land to sea.

[gulls cawing]

[dramatic music]

Along its nearly
1,500-mile journey,

the Colorado connects
the Rocky Mountains

to the Gulf of California

and nurtures landscapes

that are bursting
with wildlife.

[horn-like braying]

[rattling]

[heavy exhalation]

Water is the divine force

in this unforgiving landscape.

It is the most essential

and precious resource

that has supported humanity
for millennia.

This story

follows the Colorado
on its journey

to sustain society
and the natural world

through a rapidly
changing landscape.

[dramatic music]

[sprinklers whirring]

[wind whooshing]

[gentle music]

[crescendo]

[music fading]

[gentle music]

[water lapping gently]

[birds chirping]

This humble pond

in Rocky Mountain
National Park

may seem unassuming.

But many great journeys have
modest beginnings.

In the case
of the Colorado River,

its ancient voyage to the sea
begins here,

as a small stream
below a marshy meadow.

The stream is
soon joined by others...

and the river meanders
through fields and forests,

down a valley
as old as the mountains.

[distant bird call]

[bird calls]

But the journey for this water

has become perilous.

Its fate uncertain.

For the landscapes
carved by the river

have drastically changed

in the last few centuries.

A change that can be told

through the song
of the Rockies...

the bugle of the bull elk.

[horn-like call]

[rapid snorting]

[horn-like response]

Vast herds of elk
and other wildlife

have roamed the Southwest
for millennia.

They supported
wolves, grizzlies,

mountain lions,
and jaguars,

and were an important source
of food and clothing

for indigenous people.

As the Southwest
was colonized,

much of the wildlife was
commercially hunted

for meat, hides,
and for sport.

The slaughter was
so extensive...

that, within mere decades,

the mountains fell silent.

[silence]

[low music]

[thunder crashing distantly]

[rain pattering]

As the last bugles faded...

a bold group
of early environmentalists

and conservation-
minded hunters

resolved to protect
the animals that remained.

And to begin their recovery.

[dramatic music]

They led states
to regulate hunting,

which allowed
the herds to re-grow.

And they reintroduced elk
and other species

across their historic range.

The ongoing recovery efforts

have been so successful...

that elk numbers
in the Southwest

have increased
from a few small herds

in the early 1900s

to nearly
half a million today.

[horn-like braying]

As elk numbers grow,

so does...
the competition.

Each fall, the bull elk
compete for hierarchy.

The winners rise in status

to become the herd bull.

[birds chirping]

This bull is relatively young,

but he has
a very impressive rack,

which has attracted
the attention

of several dozen females.

[upbeat music]

He has spent weeks
gathering the harem

in preparation
for the rite to begin.

But some of the cows
are still nursing...

and they are not interested.

Rejection...

can be difficult
for young males.

[horn-like call]

To vent his frustration

and to impress the ladies
with his physical fitness,

he scrapes
and wallows in the mud.

His efforts...

are ignored.

[snorting]

His bugles, however, are not.

[horn-like call]

The same bugles
he uses to gather the harem...

have attracted
unwanted attention.

[horn-like call]

This bull is older,

more experienced,

and has been waiting
for the opportunity

to seize a harem of his own.

[heavy hoof thuds]

[horn-like braying]

[yelping]

[heavy hoof thuds]

It will be a test

of age and experience

versus youth and ambition.

[dramatic music]

[horns rattling]

The younger bull
goes on the attack

and drives
the challenger back.

[dramatic music]

[horns rattling]

[dramatic music]

The older bull has been
saving his energy

for a counter-attack.

[dramatic music]

[music fades]

Age and experience...

has defeated youth
and ambition.

The challenger is
the new herd bull.

[horn-like call]

The song of the Rockies

is a reminder
of our ability to both destroy

and recover
the natural world.

[wind blowing softly]

As autumn gives way
to winter...

the mountains are enveloped

under a deep blanket of snow.

Snowpack is the heartbeat

of the Southwest.

It stores and releases water

and pumps life
into rivers, cities,

and ecosystems
downstream.

This seemingly limitless
amount of snow

is actually finite

and quantifiable.

Water in the West

is measured by the acre-foot.

During dry years,
the Colorado's flow

is around
10 million acre-feet.

In wet years,
the total can exceed

20 million acre-feet.

Each spring,
the snowpack begins to thaw...

-and the watershed awakens.
-[ice crackling]

[water rushing]

[water continues rushing]

Thousands of streams
from across the Rockies

join together in a torrent
towards the sea.

[waves crashing]

[waves crashing]

[waves crashing]

-[water rushing]
-[bird tweeting]

The peak of the snowmelt,

which usually occurs
in late May to early June,

presents a challenge
to one of nature's

most ambitious engineers.

What seems to be

a messy jumble
of trunks and limbs

is part of a dam
measuring six feet tall

and 100 feet wide.

The architectural
mastermind is

North America's
largest rodent...

the beaver.

Beavers can weigh
more than 60 pounds,

and their diet
consists of grasses,

forbs, and tree bark.

A lot of tree bark.

In a traditional
beaver family,

there is a patriarch
and a matriarch.

Their relationships are
often longer

than the average
American marriage.

A beaver couple's dream

is to have
a pond of their own

with a big, spacious lodge.

A place to raise
a family in peace.

[soft music]

Beaver mothers give birth
in the springtime,

and on average,

they have four
very hungry mouths to feed.

Still living in the lodge

are her nearly-grown kids
from last year,

who help raise the newborns

and teach them
the family trades

of woodwork, hydrology,
and construction.

Which can be
very competitive fields.

When they're two years old,

young beavers leave
their parents' lodge

to find a partner
and build a life of their own.

They seek out
an ideal home site.

A place with flowing water

and plenty of timber and mud
for construction materials.

Once located, they begin
to chew out a living.

[upbeat music]

[upbeat music continues]

[chomping]

[rapid chomping]

[soft cracking]

[cracking]

[cracking]

[cracking]

[heavy cracking]

[thud]

Through hard work,
determination,

and several months
of pulling all-nighters,

these young couples can
build the foundation

for their families' success

and achieve
their great beaver dream.

[gentle music]

[distant birds chirping]

In pursuit of their ambitions,

beavers transform
their immediate surroundings,

and as a species,

they engineer
a wetland ecosystem.

By building dams,
beavers spread water

across valley floors

and create
a web of channels and ponds

called a beaver
meadow complex.

Their porous dams
filter streams

and purify water,

and their ponds
collect sediment

and prevent erosion.

Like a sponge,
the wetland soaks up water

during floods
and spring runoff

and slowly releases it

through the dry summer
and fall...

acting as both
a natural reservoir

and serving
as a firebreak.

[birds cawing]

The impact of beavers is
so great...

that streams
with beaver complexes

can hold water year-round,

compared to similar watersheds
without beavers.

And although riparian habitats

are only found
on 2% of the landscape,

they contain 80%

of the biodiversity
in the West.

[gentle music]

Beavers make
landscapes wetter,

cooler, and more resilient.

-[birds chirping]
-They are a keystone species

for their habitat

and provide an invaluable
ecosystem service

to everyone downstream.

As creeks and rivers flow down
from the mountains,

their water is often diverted
for human use.

During westward expansion,

settlers began building
irrigation systems,

and by the late 1800s,

large canals had been dug

along many fertile valleys.

As communities grew,

so did the desire to spread
the power of water

even further
across the landscape.

[soft music]

In 1902,
the United States created

the Bureau of Reclamation

to reclaim western lands

from their natural state
and transform them

into irrigated,
agricultural lands.

[soft music]

The federal program

developed ambitious
water projects

to take the Colorado
far from its natural course.

[water crashing]

To quantify
the amount of water,

the Bureau calculated
the river's flow

over ten years

and found an annual average

of 16 and a half
million acre-feet.

In 1922,

the Colorado River Compact
was created

to legally divide the water
between the states.

The compact split
the watershed in half.

The upper basin was allotted

seven and a half
million acre-feet,

as was the lower basin.

Mexico was later granted

one and a half
million acre-feet.

The compact gave
no water rights

to the sovereign
tribal nations

or to the river itself.

[booming]

[booming]

To distribute the water,

the bureau bore tunnels
through mountain ranges,

pumped water
over hills,

and diverted tributaries
to distant valleys.

To regulate the water's flow,

dams were constructed
over many rivers and streams.

Dams impound water

and create reservoirs
that store it for human use.

The release of water is
carefully managed

to generate electricity,

provide irrigation,

and fulfill downstream
water commitments.

The bureau's water projects

have helped grow
the human population

that depends on the Colorado

from 2 million people
in the year 1900

to over 40 million people
in 2025.

But the dams
and altering the river

have come with consequences.

The released water is
unnaturally cold,

the water quality is
diminished,

and the altered flows disrupt
natural processes.

The disruptions are
so extensive

that an iconic fish
of the West

now only survives
in a small fraction

of its historic waters.

But they still have
strongholds

in a few
very special streams.

In early summer,

cutthroat trout
begin traveling

to their spawning sites.

Each female has
several hundred eggs to lay,

and they are determined
to reach a stretch of stream

that will give their offspring
the best chance of survival.

[dramatic music]

[dramatic music continues]

[gentle music]

She has reached
a shallow stream bed

with pea-sized gravel.

The perfect place

to dig a small depression

as a cradle for her eggs.

As she prepares the bed,

the males gather behind.

[gentle music]

She protects her eggs

by covering them
with loose gravel,

and in a few weeks' time,

a new generation
of cutthroat trout

will emerge.

[water rushing gently]

A hundred miles
downstream of its headwaters,

where the Colorado drifts

through hills
of Ponderosa and Aspen

and flows over boulders
and cobblestones,

an ancient event prepares
to surface each spring.

[water rushing]

This is the largest
aquatic insect

in North America.

The giant salmonfly.

They spend three to five years

feeding on vegetation
in the boulders

and traveling
with the river's current.

[dramatic music]

[gentle music]

[dramatic music]

[gentle music]

Their constant
downstream motion

presents a challenge.

How will they travel
back upriver

to lay their eggs

for their offspring
to live and grow

in the same home waters?

Such a feat requires...

a metamorphosis.

[coyote howling]

Under the cover of darkness

in early summer,

the mature salmonflies

begin to emerge.

[soft music]

This is their first time

to leave the river.

An instinct
propels them upwards

in search of a safe place

to shed their exoskeleton.

[soft music]

[exoskeleton rustling]

[rustling continues]

[rustling continues]

After half an hour
of struggle,

they reveal
their new adult form.

Four wings will give them

the power of flight,

and the ability
to travel upstream

to lay their eggs.

By morning,
thousands of salmonflies

cover the willows,

each in search of a partner.

[romantic music]

Finding a match
comes easily for some.

For others...

love is beyond their reach.

Traveling through
the terrestrial world

is difficult
for the salmonflies.

And the banks are rife

with unfamiliar dangers.

[ominous music]

[ominous music]

The salmonfly hatch supports
an entire ecosystem.

But from their perspective...

they're surrounded
by terrifying monsters.

[ominous music]

Their best chance of survival

is to climb back
to the safety of the willows.

-[feet thudding]
-Or else.

[dramatic stinger]

[rustling]

[chirping]

[chirping]

[dramatic music]

[music fades]

Although
many individuals fall,

the salmonflies'
greatest strength

is their sheer abundance.

Within the willows,
they find safety in numbers

and overwhelm
the shoreline predators.

After mating,

they wait for dry
and sunny conditions

with little wind

to take flight.

[majestic music]

Rising together,

the salmonflies
create a swarm

that travels up
the canyon walls

and begins
their journey upstream.

[majestic music]

[gentle music]

The swarm can fly
for several miles

before the females return
back to the water

to release their eggs.

[water lapping gently]

Their offspring will now
have a chance at life

in the same home waters.

It is their final act.

The salmonfly hatch

is a massive transfer
of nutrients

from the river to
the surrounding ecosystem.

But like the cutthroat trout,

salmonflies have disappeared

from hundreds of miles
of western rivers

because of dams and their
unnatural water releases.

Managing dam releases
to mimic natural river flows

would help bring
the hatches back,

and the entire river community
would benefit.

[water rushing gently]

As the Colorado
and its many tributaries

leave the Rocky Mountains
behind...

they begin to carve their way

through the Colorado Plateau.

Water and soil
from faraway watersheds

converge at each confluence,

nourishing fertile valleys
and cottonwood forests.

This remote
Four Corners region

has been called home

for thousands of years.

In Bears Ears
National Monument alone,

there are
more than 100,000

cultural
and archaeological sites.

[gentle music]

These canyon walls
have witnessed

the laughter of children

and the dreams
of their parents

for longer than
1,000 human generations.

This individual was
part of a community

that lived
in a multi-room dwelling

overlooking the river.

Their handprints are
still visible in the mortar,

holding walls that have stood
for a thousand years.

Following
the springtime floods,

they walked down
well-worn paths

to the valley below

and planted a variety
of desert-adapted crops.

[distant bird cawing]

After the growing season,
they placed their harvest

into ceramic pots,

and carried them
up familiar steps

to their homes and granaries.

Agriculture allowed
their communities to flourish.

They played games,

made music,

raised children,

and passed down
their stories and wisdom

to future generations.

The largest communities
contained thousands of people,

and their cultural networks
were so vast

that people traded
tools and jewelry

from across the continent...

exchanged language
and knowledge...

and traded spices,

medicinal plants,
and religious objects.

Some of these items

would've been taken
into sacred kivas

and used for ceremonies.

Perhaps to pray

for the health
of an aging parent...

the healing of a friend...

or for the germination
of a seed.

They most certainly

prayed for rain.

[distant thunder rumbling]

[distant thunder crashing]

[rain patter increases]

The connections
that indigenous cultures had

and still have with the land

is so intimate

that their clan names are
often described

by their homeland.

[soft music]

Yadokkya-kwe.

The Zuni Sun Clan.

Weeminuche.

The Ute Mountain Ute.

Chakwaina.

The Black Earth Kachina Clan

of the Hopi.

Tachii'nii.

The Navajo Red Running
Into Water Clan.

[water rushing]

[gentle music]

Like other cultures
around the world...

the people who lived here
passed on their wisdom,

beliefs, and memories

through art.

[gentle music]

[gentle music continues]

[gentle music continues]

These panels speak of times

when game was plenty...

of the sanctity of water...

and the devastation
of drought.

[music fades]

Oral history,
combined with evidence

from tree rings,

tell of a severe dry period

nearly 1,000 years ago

that lasted for a century.

The rivers diminished

from a lack of snow,

and the crops withered

from a lack of rain.

A vibrant culture

much older
than the United States

was disrupted,

and conflict swept
across the land.

[ominous music]

Families hid their crops

in secret granaries

to conceal their food
from hungry raiders.

And communities built
defensive towers

to protect themselves
against desperate bands.

People prayed for rain.

But the scarcity
of water and food,

along with bad omens...

led entire communities
to leave their homes

and move
to more hospitable areas

of the Colorado Plateau.

Water has always been
the most essential

and precious resource
in the Southwest.

Sadly, our understanding
of these cultures

and their ancient wisdom
is incomplete,

because a genocidal war

was waged against
their descendants...

and almost all
of the archaeological sites

have been looted.

Many panels have
been vandalized,

and some of humanity's
oldest artwork

has been used
for target practice

and is riddled
with bullet holes.

This cultural desecration
from vandalism

is salt in the wound
to the partial drowning

of their ancestral homes.

[soft melancholic music]

Buried beneath
the surface of Lake Powell

are more than 3,000 known
archaeological sites,

and Glen Canyon...

a canyon whose arches,
grottos, and spires

are so beautiful,
it is often remembered

as America's
lost national park.

When the reservoir is low,
its rocky cathedrals

are partially revealed,

providing a glimpse

of the submerged wonders.

[gentle music]

[gentle music continues]

Lake Powell was formed
by the Glen Canyon Dam

in 1963,

which impounded 186 miles

of the Colorado River,

making Powell
the second-largest reservoir

in North America.

The largest reservoir

is 300 miles downstream,

Lake Mead,

which was created in 1936

after the completion
of the Hoover Dam.

In total, there are

15 major dams
and diversions

on the main stem
of the Colorado,

and dozens more
along its tributaries.

Lake Mead was constructed
to store water

for the lower basin states

and deliver it to farms,

communities,
and cities downstream.

In contrast,
Lake Powell's main purpose

is for the upper basin
to store water

and release it
to the lower basin

to fulfill
their legal water obligations.

In the hundred years

since the Colorado River
Compact was created...

the annual river flow
has diminished

from 16 and a half
million acre-feet

to only 13 million acre-feet.

The reservoirs
expose water to the sun,

and over 10%
of the Colorado's water

is lost to evaporation.

As of 2025,

Lake Powell has been reduced

to only 39% capacity.

Lake Mead has fallen
even lower,

down to only 33%.

Water is projected
to decrease even further

as climate change makes
the Southwest

hotter and drier.

These dams,

and the Colorado's
water management system

were designed with values
that are over a century old,

for an amount of water
that no longer exists.

[water rushing]

Hope for revival can be found

beneath vermillion cliffs

along the Navajo Nation.

These canyons are home

to one of the planet's
most rare

and endangered birds.

The California condor.

Fewer than 100 condors exist

in Arizona and Utah.

They are descendants
of a captive breeding program

that saved the species
from extinction.

[gentle music]

Condors often soar
over 100 miles a day

and fulfill the important role
of scavengers.

Their greatest threat

is consuming
lead bullet fragments

left in the carcasses
of hunted animals

and dying
from lead poisoning.

[majestic music]

This couple has
defied the odds

and laid hope for the future.

Their precious hatchling
will become known

as Condor 1150.

The number
since the species was

nearly lost to extinction.

His parents will spend
the next several months

keeping him
fed, safe, and warm

until he is old enough
to fly on his own.

[soft music]

[upbeat music]

Condor 1150 is now
five months old

and almost fully grown.

He spends his days
exercising his wings

and exploring the ledges
around the nest.

Like all youngsters,

he's fascinated
with the world around him.

[music softens]

[thud]

[rocks clacking]

Gravity.

He'll have to overcome that.

But, for now, Mom has
brought home the groceries.

[upbeat music]

His favorite:
leftover roadkill.

His parents have chosen
a nest location

that is 500 feet
above a vertical cliff face.

As he grows,
his parents must bring back

more and more food,

which requires them to be gone
for days at a time...

leaving him alone

and unsupervised.

His only chance to leave
the confines of the nest

and be with his parents
is to fly.

For that, he'll need
to keep exercising his wings

and practicing.

[ominous music]

[dramatic music]

[music fades]

1150 survived the fall.

But he doesn't have
the strength or skills

to fly back to the nest.

His only hope of returning

is to attempt a first ascent.

He begins to climb home.

[gentle music]

1150 succeeds in climbing

the first hundred feet

and discovers a chimney crack.

He's able to find enough holds

to climb up
the vertical distance

and make his way
to the same elevation

as the nest.

All that remains is
the horizontal traverse.

[ominous music]

[dramatic music]

A much-needed lucky break.

But he still faces

the crux of the climb.

The gap separating him
from the nest.

The gap
he originally fell from.

[gentle music]

[dramatic music]

Like the condors before him,

1150 overcame the odds

and returned home.

A few weeks later,

with more confidence
in his abilities,

1150 spread his wings.

[stirring music]

With luck,

he will soar
for the next 50 years

and help increase

the endangered
condor population...

where they will soar

over one of Earth's
most iconic landscapes.

The Grand Canyon.

[majestic music]

The landscapes
of the Southwest

have inspired
some of the greatest

conversation efforts
in the history of the world.

They led to the creation

of national parks
and monuments

and to the world's
first designated wilderness.

In total,
60% of the Southwest

is public land.

They are a beacon of hope
for wildlife

and an opportunity

for every American

to experience wild places

and have a stake
in the stewardship

of our environment.

[stirring music]

For 277 miles,

the mighty Colorado

chisels its way
through ancient rock.

The power of water

carves the canyon
ever deeper.

[waves crashing]

[gentle music]

Weather and time

have sculpted
a geologic masterpiece

that reveals layers
of Earth's history

like chapters in a book.

The topmost layer is
Kaibab Limestone,

formed 270 million years ago,

when dinosaurs still
roamed the planet.

It sits atop the Toroweap,

Coconino, and Hermit layers

and above
the Esplanade Sandstone,

when the first reptiles
appeared.

The Redwall Formation below

contains some
of the earliest insects

and terrestrial plants.

At the very bottom is
the Visnhu Schist,

formed one and a half
billion years ago,

when the first cells
containing a nucleus

appeared in the fossil record.

The plants and animals
alive today

are nature's survivors.

the descendants of those

who endured mass extinctions

and climatic changes.

A precious existence

in our current layer of time.

Downstream
of the Grand Canyon,

the Colorado flows
into the Mojave Desert.

A scorching landscape

in the rain shadow
of the Sierra Nevadas.

Some parts of the desert

receive mere inches
of annual rain.

Earth's hottest
surface temperature,

134 degrees Fahrenheit,

was recorded
in the Mojave's Death Valley.

The namesake of this desert

produces two types of venom:

a hemotoxin
that destroys tissue

and a neurotoxin

that attacks
the nervous system.

[eerie music]

[tail rattling]

The Mojave rattlesnake.

This female has
released pheromones

to summon males.

She wants snakelets.

A potential suitor approaches.

But is he worthy?

[eerie music continues]

She responds to his advance
by slapping him repeatedly.

He seems committed,

but he'll need
to prove himself.

[eerie music continues]

His fitness and determination

meet her standards,

and she coils around him.

She seizes what she needs

and clasps onto him

and drags him
by his reproductive organs.

[eerie music continues]

She will keep him locked
for the next 12 hours

until his usefulness
has expired.

[music fades slowly]

A few months later,

she descends into a burrow.

[eerie music]

[body gurgling]

[body gurgling]

This mother sacrificed

40% of her body weight

and most of her water

to deliver life
to her 13 offspring.

Such extreme measures

are needed for
the harsh conditions above.

[dramatic music]

[music fades]

The Mojave's
plants and animals

have evolved
over millions of years

to survive and thrive

in one of the most arid

and unforgiving landscapes

on Earth.

In contrast,

our water management system

is in the early stages

of adapting
to a desert environment.

Below Lake Mead,

the Colorado loses
its identity

as a wild river

and becomes a conduit

for the Colorado River
Compact.

4% of the lower basin's water

is allocated to Nevada.

Arizona receives 37%,

and California takes 59%.

[soft music]

At the Imperial Dam,

the Colorado is diverted

into the largest canal
in the world...

the All-American Canal,

which transports
nearly one quarter

of the entire
river basin's water

to Southern California's
Imperial Valley.

In total,
the Colorado irrigates

over 5 million acres
of farmland.

The abundant sunshine

and lack
of extreme weather events

makes these desert farms
a stable breadbasket.

They are so productive

that nearly 90%
of the United States'

wintertime vegetables are
grown in the lower basin.

Flood irrigation is
the most common

and least efficient form
of irrigation.

Sprinklers are more efficient

and drip irrigation is
the most efficient.

The amount of irrigation
depends on the crop.

Water-intensive crops,

such as alfalfa,
almonds, and cotton,

require significantly
more water

than drought-tolerant crops,

like squash, Kernza,
and leafy greens.

Each field is
a miniature representation

of market forces,

policies and subsidies,

and the consumer's choice.

25% of the Colorado's water
used by humans

is municipal, commercial,
and industrial.

28% is used to irrigate crops
for human consumption,

such as corn, carrots,
and tomatoes.

47% is used to grow
alfalfa and hay

to feed livestock
for meat and dairy products.

[distant moo-ing]

The most commonly-grown crop

in the Imperial Valley
is alfalfa.

Around a third of its alfalfa,

grown with
Colorado River water,

is exported overseas

to feed livestock
in foreign countries.

The largest opportunity

to save water
in the Colorado River system

is to transition to more
water-efficient agriculture.

[distant chirps, tweets]

Inspiration
for water efficiency

can be found
in the Sonoran Desert

of Arizona
and Northern Mexico.

The saguaro cactus

is legendary
for saving water

and distributing it
to their community.

[gentle guitar plucking]

[thunder crashing]

[rain pattering]

Saguaros funnel water
down to their base

and soak it up
through shallow roots

that extend
as wide as the cactus is tall.

They store their water
in their trunks and arms,

which expand
during wet times

and can hold
over 1,000 gallons.

When it's dry, they contract.

Saguaros protect
the precious liquid inside

like their lives depend on it.

Their thick, waxy skin shields
their water from the sun

and nearly eliminates
evaporation,

while their rows
of needle-sharp spines

defend it from any predators.

Their water-saving strategies

are so efficient

that saguaros can live
over two centuries

and can survive years
without rain.

[upbeat music]

[music ends]

During
the scorching conditions

of early summer,

they prepare an annual gift

for their desert community.

[soft music]

[gentle music]

For only one night and day,

the flowers bloom
and reveal their nectar.

The sweet aroma drifts
through the desert air

and attracts
a variety of pollinators.

[birds chirping, hooting]

In exchange for the nectar's
sugar and moisture,

birds, bats, and bees

transfer the flower's pollen

to other saguaros.

A few weeks later,

the flowers mature

into a succulent, red fruit.

It is a life-saving gift

of food and water

during the hottest
and driest time of year.

In return,

the saguaro seeds
are distributed

right in time
for the summer monsoons.

[wind whooshing]

[wind whooshing]

Above the Sonoran Desert,

mountain ranges

rise into the clouds

and create sky islands
of dense forest.

[thunder rumbling]

Known to roam these mountains

is an animal so beautiful,

powerful,

and sacred...

that, to many cultures...

it is nothing short...

of a god.

[dramatic music]

[thunder rumbling]

Behold...

the apex cat of the Americas.

[snarl]

The jaguar.

South of
the U.S.-Mexico border,

conservation organizations
have established

wildlife reserves

and work with local ranches

to protect jaguars
and their habitat.

Their numbers are increasing,

and jaguars are now roaming
into the United States,

where they were
historically found

as far north
as the Grand Canyon.

[gentle music]

This female is known as...

Libellula,

the dragonfly.

She is the matriarch
of the Northern Jaguar Reserve

in Sonora, Mexico.

She is marking her territory

and leaving scent
to communicate

with other jaguars.

Libellula is 12 years old

and has successfully raised

several cubs on the reserve.

Her most recent cub is
fully grown,

and she is now
seeking a partner.

[jaguar roaring]

Her roars travel
through the mountains

and have been heard
by the dominant male...

-[jaguar roaring]
-...who heeds her call.

He follows the trail

that Libellula has
left behind

and covers her marks
with his own.

[dramatic music]

He is communicating
to any other males

that this is his territory,

and he is in pursuit.

[dramatic music continues]

[music fades]

[gentle music]

Libellula's calls have
been answered.

If their courtship is
successful,

she will spend
the next two years

raising her cubs

before they disperse

to find a territory
of their own.

If her cubs travel north
along the Sky Islands,

they could potentially
cross the border

into the United States

and help bring the jaguar
back to American soil...

if that door of opportunity
stays open.

[beeping]

[booming]

[booming]

[booming]

[rapid booming]

[equipment whirring]

Over the last 50 years,

a border wall has
been constructed

on three
out of every four miles

of the U.S.-Mexico border

in Arizona, New Mexico,
and California.

If the border wall is
completed,

the north to south flow
of wildlife

would be halted

at a continental scale.

The disruption
of natural processes

has become a defining feature

of our modern society.

From its headwaters
to the border,

the Colorado is diverted,
divided, and dammed.

Its water is impounded,

evaporated,
and subjugated.

The most essential ingredient
for life on Earth

is turned into a commodity

that is sold, consumed,
and exported

so extensively...

that by the time
the river flows

past the border wall,

the Colorado is
so exhausted,

all that remains is
the amount of water

that is owed to Mexico

under the river's compact.

After crossing the border,

the river is dammed
and diverted

for its final time.

Only a small trickle seeps

into the river's
natural channel.

[gentle music]

At this location...

the mighty Colorado,

which carved
the Grand Canyon

and has journeyed
to the sea

for 6 million years...

ceases to flow completely.

Less than one lifetime ago,

the river spread across

a 2-million-acre delta,

nourishing forests
and wetlands

that teemed
with water fowl,

fish, and jaguars.

This...

is the delta now.

An entirely man-made

wasteland.

This ecological collapse

is spreading
as the Southwest

becomes hotter and drier.

And is a symptom

of policies and values

that ignore
the health of the Earth.

The same strenuous efforts

to conquer the river...

are now needed to recover it.

On the east side of the delta,

a small amount
of agricultural runoff

seeps into
the historic wetland

and has created

the Cienega
de Santa Clara.

This...

is a small taste

of what the delta
once looked like

and could look like again,

if a portion
of the Colorado River

is allowed to fulfill
its ancient journey

and flow to the sea.

[gentle music]

[birds chirping]

[birds cawing]

[stirring music]

Restoring the river
can be achieved

by saving water
at every opportunity...

and by giving the river

the legal right to flow.

[soft music]

There isn't a shortage
of water in the Southwest.

There is an opportunity

to better steward
this magnificent landscape

and its most
essential resource.

[waves crashing]

The Colorado

is the artery that connects

landscapes and life.

And the river's health

is a reflection of our own.

[dramatic music]

If we listen...

ancient knowledge
can teach us

the sanctity of water

and the perils
of a changing climate.

Like the layers
revealed by the river,

we are writing our own chapter
into the rock.

But unlike
the billions of animals

in the fossil record below us,

our species,
at this point in time...

is the first to have
the knowledge and power

to influence the thickness

of our layer
in Earth's history...

and what life will exist

in the layers above.

[gentle music]

[gentle music continues]

[gentle music continues]

[gentle music continues]

[gentle music continues]

[music fades]