Podcasts Culture Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson Pete McBride Returns - Exploring & Documenting His Backyard River

Pete McBride Returns - Exploring & Documenting His Backyard River

Published: July 3, 2024, 3:32 p.m.

If you\u2019re a longtime Mountain & Prairie listener, then you\u2019ll definitely remember Pete McBride. He\u2019s a renowned photographer, filmmaker, and author, and he\u2019s joined me on the podcast twice before\u2013 once to discuss his epic hike of the length of the Grand Canyon, and then to chat about his global search for silence in a very loud world. I\u2019m glad to say that he\u2019s back again, and this time, we\u2019re chatting about his backyard river\u2013 the mighty Colorado\u2013 and the challenges, opportunities, and realities facing the people and wildlife that depend on it.

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Pete\u2019s newest book is titled \u201cThe Colorado River: Chasing Water,\u201d and it features Pete\u2019s stunning photography and insightful essays, along with a foreword by Nick Paumgarten and an introduction by Kevin Fedarko. The book follows the Colorado River from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains all the way down to the Colorado River Delta, where it peters out just before reaching the Gulf of California.

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I\u2019ve read a lot of books about the Colorado River and water in the West, but \u201cChasing Water\u201d opened my eyes to a number of very specific and sometimes-maddening challenges facing the Colorado River Basin. The book delves into issues such as the unchecked exportation of water-intensive alfalfa to foreign countries, how dust leads to increased evaporation and water loss, as well as more optimistic topics, such as how Las Vegas has become an imperfect-yet-inspiring case study in responsible water conservation. But at its core, the book demonstrates Pete\u2019s deep love and respect for the Colorado River, and showcases his two decades of dedication to telling the story of this world-famous waterway.

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We met up at Pete\u2019s house in Basalt, overlooking the Roaring Fork River, and talked about all things water and conservation. We started by talking about Pete\u2019s father, and how his advice many years ago led Pete to shift his focus from global adventure photography to the Colorado River. We discussed the disconnect between people and their water sources, the challenge of using an over-appropriated water source to grow food for an entire country, Pete\u2019s firsthand experience observing changes in the river and surrounding landscape, his work with Indigenous communities throughout the basin, and his preferences between photography, filmmaking, and writing. We also discuss some of his recent favorite books, and much, much more.

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Be sure to check out the episode notes for a full list of everything we discussed and links to all of Pete\u2019s books.

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A big thanks to Pete for graciously letting me barge into his house and hassle him with questions yet again, and thank you for listening.\xa0

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:30 - All the places Pete has seen in the Colorado River watershed

6:30 - How Pete\u2019s dad influenced Pete\u2019s career\xa0

11:30 - The immense changes to the Colorado River over the course of Pete\u2019s father\u2019s lifetime

13:00 - Reconciling how much of the West\u2019s water comes from the Colorado, and how few people know it\xa0

14:30 - Pete\u2019s hope for his new book

18:00 - Pete\u2019s style of writing for this visual book\xa0

21:00 - Discussing how much Colorado River water goes to cattle and cattle feed, and the water challenges that face agriculture
29:00 - The impact of dust on Rocky Mountain snow, and how that impacts the Colorado River

34:30 - Highlighting an unexpected water conservation success story: Las Vegas, and how southwestern cities can start conserving their water.\xa0

39:00 - How many times Colorado River water has been reused along its trek to Mexico, and discussing the state of the Colorado River Delta

44:45 - How Peter wants to divide his time between books and films, and a discussion about \u201cearning\u201d hope

53:00 - Pete\u2019s work with Indigenous communities\u2019 access to Colorado River Water

1:01:00 - Pete\u2019s book recommendations

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