Arizona Is About To Lose One Of Our Greatest Natural Wonders

Water is essential to human life, and rivers are the lifeblood of civilization. The first ever society was Mesopotamia, literally translating to "between rivers".

As such, the San Pedro River supports life here in southern Arizona, bringing with it unseen biodiversity and a thriving society in one of earth's harshest conditions.

History of the San Pedro

The San Pedro River is a marvel of Earth's creation. Originating just south of the U.S./Mexico border, the river flows north through Cochise and Pima counties until it connects with the Gila River, just north of Tucson.

Its significance lies in the fact that it is the last major undammed river in the American Southwest, which allows for the river to cultivate an unheard of biodiversity. The river and surrounding area hosts two-thirds of the avian diversity seen in America, with 100 species of breeding birds and over 300 species of migrating birds making the San Pedro their home.

Get our free mobile app

Read More:

Arizona's Modern Train Robbers Strike Again

We Need to Protect the San Pedro

As necessary as the San Pedro is to life in this area, it's not immortal. The river has been drying up for decades now, due to the pumping of groundwater that supports the river's flow. This is to be expected as a naturally occurring water source near civilization, but it's gotten to be too much.

A massive population boom and rainwater deficit have sped up this process, especially with Fort Huachuca requiring so much to support the massive military infrastructure built into the mountains. This boom started damaging the river permanently in 2003, and the damage is expected to reach a critical point by 2050.

[San Pedro River (Arizona) via Wikipedia][Center for Biological Diversity]