In 2010, a flood rearranged the Rio Grande in the Valley. It ripped out docks, carved deep into the banks and flooded thousands of acres for weeks.   

“It really should be called the Delta instead of the Valley,” said Rick Ramke, a volunteer at the Santa Anna National Wildlife Refuge and president of the Friends of the Wildlife Corridor.  

Ramke pointed out that there are no ridges to form a valley and guide the Rio Grande. Instead, it takes its time crossing the last 100 miles of sandy soil that stand between it and the Gulf of Mexico.  

The land to the north and south of the river is littered with abandoned river bends and islands of clay left behind by the Rio Grande.

That diversity, combined with two of the largest migratory flyways in North America, makes this one of the best places for birding in the world. Protecting and linking those habitats together is the goal of Ramke’s organization. 

Taking people on canoe trips was one of the tools to educate people about the river and the ecosystems it supports. But the flood took out the ramps and docks that were needed to get the general public on the water.  

That the flood was able to cause so much damage is impressive, given the size of the levees and dams. Of course, without the smaller more frequent floods, which the infrastructure can handle, the refuges now pump water out of the river to refill wetlands and lakes.     

Keeping the river in line is not easy, either.   

After we left Santa Anna and passed under the gates of Retamal Dam, we came across a crew from Mexico dredging the U.S. bank and pumping the sand and dirt back to Mexico.  

The work crew had a big fire and invited us to warm up. They also insisted we share in their lunch of roasted chicken and tortillas.    

After more than 50 river trips on the Rio Grande, Keith Bowden said their hospitality was the highlight of the trip and his number one culinary experience on the river.   

“It was so dang cold and it was hot chicken and it was good,” he said. “And I did not have to make it.” 

The crew has been working every day for two months to remove sediment from below the dam. The goal is to increase the carrying capacity of the river channel. They said they had at least another two months of work to go.   

I asked the crew leader, Francisco Esqueda, what he thought about the river, attempts to control it and if he ever went fishing or took picnics along it.   

He explained to me that he is a U.S. citizen with a family in Mexico. He is doing everything he can to earn enough money so they can move to the states and have a home.   

“Work and family is my life,” he said. “I don’t have time for picnics.”

Note: Colin's dissolved oxygen sensor appears to be malfunctioning, so those results below are likely incorrect.

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