Conserving Water in the Old West

More precious than gold?

Taking a drive on a desert trail can often turn up some interesting and intriguing sights when you are open for adventure.  Such was the day on my most recent outing when I came across what appeared to have been a settlement that was built to trap rain water and snowmelt. 

 Many years ago, trapping and containing water was crucial to the survival of settlers in the desert where precipitation levels can range to just a few inches per year.      

Lured by the promise of free public land, a cruel hoax had been played on the homesteaders by speculators that if they came to the west, rain would surely follow them.  Water was to become as precious a resource as gold and John Wesley Powell foresaw the struggles of settling in the dry barren desert. To offset fighting over the scarcity of water,  Powell in 1878 published "Report on the Lands of the Arid Region", thus laying out a strategy to  organize settlements  and conserve this scarce but vital resource.  Powell's idealism sought to prevent the overuse and/or pollution that could come as a result from the rapidly expanding West.    

My thoughts are with Powell as I walk around the mud-cracked retention basin and think about the latest warnings regarding the Colorado River  at an all time record low.  

I look across at Walker Lake and see where this natural desert lake has receded more since the beginning of this hot summer in 2014.  

Powell had the foresight to conserve and protect this natural resource and now that many years have passed since the rush to settle the west, water still remains as critical an issue.  It is a harsh reality when our natural lakes are allowed to dry up but then artificial ones are built with eloquent sounding names. 

 I just wonder what will happen in the western U.S. when the day comes that the ground water can no longer quince all the feverous demands?

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

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