Aerial view of the Colorado River Delta
(photo from here)
For my second project on patterns and systems in nature, I researched river deltas--more specifically the Colorado River delta since it's one of the biggest in the United States. I discovered that this desert river delta is drying up due to an overuse by desert cities in the western U.S. As little as 10% of the original water that used to flow from the beginning of the river into Mexico is making it beyond the U.S.-Mexican border. Unfortunately, there are many endangered species that live in this environment and many are close to extinction from their wetland habitats drying up and the salt levels dramatically rising. I think this project will be an interesting one because there are many different ways to approach this problem--namely from a political or conservation perspective.
Some ideas I have include a series posters that show dissections of the endangered species of the Colorado River delta, a poster advocating the return of water to the wetlands, and a poster showing the effects of rising salt water levels on the plants and animals in the delta. They're all pretty basic right now but hopefully I can hone in on one that will make an excellent final project!
