Vol. 2, No. 3, March 2002
At just one year old, LIVING RIVERSí ì1% for the Deltaî campaign has grown some serious teeth. The campaign is now backed by a coalition of 133 groups representing 12 million people and has been the subject of over thirty television, radio and newspaper stories including the nationally broadcast News Hour with Jim Lehrer. The simplicity of the ì1%î voluntary contribution from major Colorado River water users, equaling one percent of the riverís flow to begin reviving the delta region, is what has made it so attractive.
At the prestigious Water Education Foundation meeting, held outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, the ì1%î campaign was referenced repeatedly by speakers from across the country. All this interest has helped draw the attention of the Department of the Interior, which deemed the delta a top priority, yet is moving cautiously. It does support using U.S. technical assistance, but not the necessary contribution of U.S. water of even the tiniest proportion.
During the conference, Bennett Raley, Assistant Secretary of the Interior, met with LIVING RIVERSí Lisa Force and other environmental activists about reviving the dying delta. No agreements have been reached, but further discussions are planned when Raley and Force meet in Eugene, Oregon this month at the Land, Air and Water Conference sponsored by the University of Oregon Law School.
