Supporting Nature-Based Solutions in the Colorado River Basin

May 29, 2026

Illustration credit USGS

To further invest in Native stewardship that will, in turn, promote biodiversity and restore watershed health, First Nations is supporting multiple tribes and Native-led organizations through the Advancing Tribal Nature-Based Solutions project.

With extended funding this year, more community partners will be announced next week. These 2026 grantees will be focused on strengthening tribal efforts within the Colorado River Basin, building adaptive capacity and advancing community-based watershed restoration efforts through climate change planning, community engagement, monitoring policy development, and native plants and animal restoration.

The Colorado River headwaters are in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the river flows through seven states until it ends at the Gulf of California (if it reaches that far). These seven states rely on the Colorado River for agricultural and municipal uses. The Colorado River water allocation is governed by a collection of compacts, treaties, statutes, and other authorities. With this year being the worst for Colorado snowpack in recorded history, there is an increased need to address water management and conservation in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Read more in High Country News.

In a 2025 proclamation to work together to protect the Colorado River, Chairwoman Amelia Flores of First Nations community partner Colorado River Indian Tribes, said, “All of us who live in Arizona, Native and non-Native alike, are connected by water, for without water, there is no life.  And it is that common thread that binds us, which has us here today, pledging to work together for the greater good of all who live in Arizona.” Read more.