Chihuahuan Desert Stories

Rain is the only source of water for some farmers in Mexico. Warmer temperatures mean water supplies are shrinking and agricultural yields are dropping. Here's how a community in the Mexican state of Chihuahua harness rainfall and use it to grow their crops.

Big Bend National Park’s river ranger Mike Ryan is passionate about working to conserve the river for future generations. Growing up less than five miles from the river, Ryan has long appreciated its charm, power and role in sustaining life. As a park ranger, Ryan is primarily responsible for law enforcement and protecting Park visitors. However, he spends whatever extra time he can find assisting the Park’s and partnering scientists, conservationists and managers as they restore the river after decades of decline.

Known locally as El Cabezón de Julimes, several thousand pupfish take up exclusive residency in El Pandeño de los Pandos hot springs in this small municipality about 80 minutes southeast of City of Chihuahua, Mexico. Rarely more than two inches long, pupfish live in water that reaches 114 degrees Fahrenheit, earning it the title of “hottest fish in the world.” 

Joe Sirotnak, a federal botanist in Big Bend National Park, and his colleagues are focused on restoring and protecting the Rio Grande/Bravo River. This involves removing invasive plants that threaten the natural environment, re-vegetating tributaries that fuel the river, and coordinating crews to help with all these processes.

Extreme weather events, melting glaciers and rising sea levels—all with links to climate change—are impacting the United States and the world, according to a new report by a group of leading US scientists and released by the White House on May 6.

WWF and partners are working to restore a section of the Rio Grande/Bravo along the US-Mexico border. The river’s water is already 150% over-allocated and the onset of climate change has led to serious drought.

Karin Krchnak, director of WWF's Freshwater Program, journeyed by canoe down the Rio Grande through Big Bend National Park, witnessing firsthand the power of partnership in finding a solution to maintaining abundant sources of clean water.