Gila: River of History
Noted nature writer to speak on past and present of iconic river
As inhabitants of the Sonoran Desert, nothing is more precious to us than water. And nothing defines water in this unique bioregion, historically or ecologically, more than the Gila River.
For nearly a generation, one of the Gila’s great champions and all-around experts has been the acclaimed author Gregory McNamee, who has traversed every inch of the watershed, from its upper reaches in the Gila Wilderness near Silver City, N.M., to its end at the confluence with the Colorado a few miles east of Yuma.
As the latest step in a long crusade on behalf of the river, McNamee will make a virtual visit to Yuma on Tuesday, from 1:30-3 p.m. His presentation, “Gila: River of History,” co-hosted by the Arizona Western College Honors Program and the popular Arizona Humanities program AZ Speaks, is free and open to the public. Anyone wishing to attend may register on the Web through the Arizona Humanities events calendar (https:// azhumanities.org/events-calendar/) and then join the Zoom session using the link that will be sent to them via email.
In describing this long-running feature of AZ Speaks, the Arizona Humanities web site has the following to say: “Six hundred miles long from its source in the mountains of southwestern New Mexico to its confluence with the Colorado River above Yuma, the Gila has been an important avenue for the movement of birds, animals, plants and peoples across the desert for millennia. Many cultures have sprung up on its banks, and millions of people depend on the river today – whether they know it or not.
“Gregory McNamee, author of the prize-winning book ‘Gila: The Life and Death of an American River,’ presents a biography of this vital resource, drawing on Native American stories, pioneer memoirs, the writings of modern naturalists such as Aldo Leopold and Edward Abbey and many other sources. Think of it as 70 million years of history packed into an entertaining, informative hour.”
In 1994, only months after the Gila overflowed its banks in Yuma County during a uniquely wet year, McNamee published that landmark book, one of the definitive contemporary works on the river that defines the expanse of the Sonoran Desert. In that book, he manages to bring together all fields of study – geology, hydrology, anthropology, archeology, biology – to make the passionate case for preserving whatever integrity remains of this iconic geographical feature.
According to his own web site (http://www.gregorymcnamee. com/), “McNamee is a writer, journalist, editor, photographer and publisher. He is the author or title-page editor of 40 books and more than 7,000 periodical publications including articles, essays, reviews interviews, editorials, poems and short stories.”
His work includes in-depth investigations on various topics related to Arizona specifically and the Desert Southwest in general. The prominent Native-American writer N. Scott Momaday calls him “an engaging writer” who “sees far into the landscape and becomes one with its spirit.”
Tuesday’s presentation is being brought to the local community as a capstone activity of the AWC Honors Colloquium, a group of talented and motivated graduating sophomores who represent the vanguard of Yuma’s future leaders. Anyone who is able is invited to join the virtual crowd via Zoom for a lively and enlightening glimpse at our beloved Sonoran Desert landscape.