Red Delta: Fighting for Life at the End of the Colorado River

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Summary: Red Delta: Fighting for Life at the End of the Colorado Rive
Review: Deeply felt, and vividly descriptive, this book examines and explains in a clear yet poetic and personal manner the very complex and desparately contested issues concerning the Colorado River and its end at its Delta in Mexico at the Gulf of California.
This is an important story that no one else has told! This is the story of one of the largest and least known man-made environmental catastrophes in history. It is also a story of hope - there are signs of life in the Delta. Parts of it have come back to life with no help from humans. Bergman also lays out the solution to the Delta's woes: "the 1% of the Colorado's water for the Delta" idea. This will rejuvenate the greater Delta with very little effort and at virtually no cost. Bergman tells the poignant stories of the endangered people and cultures of the Delta, and skillfully weaves them in with stories of the endangered and threatened flora and fauna of the Delta and the Gulf of California. A book illustrated with beautiful photographs, thoroughly researched, and passionately executed in every detail. Inspiring! An important book! An instant Colorado River classic! A book no truly committed environmentalist should be without, and an easy way into the issues of Southwest water for the casual reader.

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Summary: Red Herring
Review: If you like your environmentalism in breathless hyperbole; if you like to have an author's central thesis beaten over your head in nearly every paragraph; if you subscribe to the Chicken Little version of the current state of the environment; or if you just want to read a truly bad book, try Charles Bergman's Red Delta. This book tells us in its various sections that (1) the delta is teeming with life, (2) the delta is dead, (3) the delta needs preservation and restoration, and (4) the delta is threatened. So, since these are not all compatible thoughts, which ones are true? And if the Cienega de Santa Clara really once was a mudflat devoid of vegetation, why would anyone seriously consider "restoration"? This book fits perfectly into W's America, where the creedo seems to be: "It is not supposed to make sense!" This book is less about the current state of the Colorado River delta and more about Bergman's adventures there, conversations with people who have more than a vested economic interest in the delta, and opinions on life in general. He's clearly in love with his impressions; every other word seems to be from the following list: "amazing, astounding, magnificent, remarkable, legendary." He's obviously a neophyte concerning natural history, since among other things he seems to find it noteworthy to tell us repeatedly that riparian and aquatic ecosystems depend on water (Duh!). I find it ironic that Bergman, a professor of English, didn't use a copy editor, because this book suffers from excessive repetition, bad sentence structure, and occasional typos ("Glenn Canyon Dam"). The following statement actually appears in the book (p. 165): "In a famous essay in Harper's magazine called 'The West Against Itself," the great historian, Bernard De Voto, described the West as a region in conflict with itself." Gee, what a profound and original observation Bergman has made, and with value-added hype! What few facts that are actually presented are riddled with errors. For example, if Bergman really thinks the sediment load in the Colorado River is the highest in the world, perhaps he needs to read about a little Chinese river called the Yantze. If he thinks the Colorado River is the only river to suffer from water diversion, perhaps he should read about a little delta at the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Or the Yantze. Or the Zambezi. Or the Ganges. Or the River Jordan. Or the Sacramento-San Joaquin. I think the title, which is less about the delta and more about Bergman's infatuation with sunrise/sunset photography, would be more accurate if changed to Red Herring. If you want something a little less hysterical, try Salt Dreams, although that book is about the Salton Sea. Perhaps something a little more objective will come out on the delta someday.

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Summary: Compassionate Environmentalism at its Finest
Review: Red Delta explores an amazing, almost forgotten section of the world. Through gorgeous photography and evocative writing, Bergman brings the Delta to life -- the land, the animals and the people. It's clear why the book has won three awards - and counting, i'm sure - and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in US water policy, the Delta, or both.

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Summary: The ecological story of fighting for life
Review: Red Delta is the ecological story of fighting for life at the end of the Colorado River discusses keys to understanding environmental collapse and recovery in the Southwest. The Colorado River Delta was an 'accidental delta' created by developers who never fully realized their goals. Red Delta explores the environmental consequences of that Delta, which may now be realized as an important key to the Colorado natural area surrounding it.