The Colorado River Collection
The Nature Conservancy
Colorado River Program
For years Backcountry has partnered with The Nature Conservancy to support its mission of protecting the lands and waters on which all life depends. We’re now collaborating with the Conservancy to promote its efforts to protect the Colorado River – an iconic place to play and the source of water for nearly 40 million people. The Conservancy has 15 different projects on the Colorado River and its tributaries in six U.S. states and Mexico, developing innovative ways of managing water to meet the needs of people without sacrificing the health of the river.
Our new collection features products that highlight three of the Conservancy’s ongoing Colorado River projects. For each product sold between now and January 31, 2018, Backcountry will donate $10 directly to the Conservancy to support its vital work securing water for people and nature in the Colorado River Basin.
Shop the Collection
The Verde River
The Verde River is the lifeblood of central Arizona – a ribbon of green in the desert supporting a diverse population of birds, fish and other wildlife. It supplies drinking water to more than 14 Arizona communities including Phoenix and supports recreational opportunities from kayaking to birding. The Nature Conservancy is working with farmers, ranchers and communities to restore and protect the Verde River through a range of projects including protection of sensitive habitat and improved technology for irrigation water management.
Shop the Verde Camp CupThe Yampa River
The Yampa River basin is one of the last naturally functioning major river systems in the Colorado River Basin and supports a diverse landscape where nature, agriculture, and outdoor recreation thrive together. The Nature Conservancy works in the Yampa Valley to demonstrate how we can preserve the wildness of rivers while supporting local economies and communities. The Conservancy owns the Carpenter Ranch near Steamboat Springs as a living laboratory to show how agriculture can operate in harmony with a healthy river.
Shop the Yampa Dry Sack
The Escalante River
The spectacular and unforgiving landscape of Utah’s Escalante River features petrified sand dunes and lush hanging gardens created by springs in the surrounding Navajo sandstone. But this otherworldly place is threatened by invasive plant and animal species and by the impact of human activity. The Nature Conservancy is partnering with other organizations to remove invasive species, improve land management, and work with local communities to find solutions to restore and protect the river.
Shop the Escalante Water Bottle The Verde River
The Verde River is the lifeblood of central Arizona – a ribbon of green in the desert supporting a diverse population of birds, fish and other wildlife. It supplies drinking water to more than 14 Arizona communities including Phoenix and supports recreational opportunities from kayaking to birding. The Nature Conservancy is working with farmers, ranchers and communities to restore and protect the Verde River through a range of projects including protection of sensitive habitat and improved technology for irrigation water management.
Shop the Verde Camp Cup The Yampa River
The Yampa River basin is one of the last naturally functioning major river systems in the Colorado River Basin and supports a diverse landscape where nature, agriculture, and outdoor recreation thrive together. The Nature Conservancy works in the Yampa Valley to demonstrate how we can preserve the wildness of rivers while supporting local economies and communities. The Conservancy owns the Carpenter Ranch near Steamboat Springs as a living laboratory to show how agriculture can operate in harmony with a healthy river.
Shop the Yampa Dry Sack The Escalante River
The spectacular and unforgiving landscape of Utah’s Escalante River features petrified sand dunes and lush hanging gardens created by springs in the surrounding Navajo sandstone. But this otherworldly place is threatened by invasive plant and animal species and by the impact of human activity. The Nature Conservancy is partnering with other organizations to remove invasive species, improve land management, and work with local communities to find solutions to restore and protect the river.
Shop the Escalante Water Bottle
Find ways to explore, volunteer, or give at nature.org/coriver
About the Artist
In addition to his day job as a UX Designer at Backcountry, Tim Cheneval is a fine artist and illustrator based in Park City, Utah. He focuses on creating work that reflects his wonder and awe of the natural world around him. Working exclusively in black and white media, Tim strives to achieve a handmade aesthetic in both his illustration works and his fine art pieces, rendering landscapes and wild animals as simple abstractions to stir an appreciation in the viewer for the great spaces he loves to play in.