“The Colorado River no longer reaches the sea, though much of the water is simply stolen for human activities, the disruption to the hydrological cycle inflicted by climate engineering must also be considered. I spent much of my childhood in the lush and thriving Colorado River delta in Mexico, sadly, now it has turned to barren desert.” —DW

Photojournalist Pete McBride asks: Is the Colorado River more than just the plumbing for our western states? He journeys from the river-irrigated fields of his family ranch in Colorado to the Sea of Cortez to find out.