COLORADO RIVER — The Discovery Channel will air the “Rival Survivor” episode on Wednesday, starring two opposing U.S. Senators, Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, and Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico. The show highlights how the Senators worked together to meet their basic needs on a deserted island and is providing a bit of a guidepost for how the gridlocked U.S. Senate needs to work together too.

And as noted in this Yahoo News story about the show: “The biggest challenge for the pair was securing the most basic human need: water.”

In that vein, the Save The Colorado River Campaign sees the potential for a great example of how the Southwest U.S. must approach its management of water and the Colorado River, which both New Mexico and Arizona rely on for their water supplies.

“We are encouraging people to watch Rival Survivor as an example of how opposing sides need to come together to protect the Colorado River and its water supplies for the Southwest U.S.,” said Gary Wockner, of Save The Colorado organization which works to protect and restore the river. “We created this bingo game so people would think about the importance of water while having fun with the show.”

With the theme “When it comes to water and the Colorado River, we’re all in this together” the bingo game (download and print here, image left) gives Rival Survivor viewers a way to create their own unique bingo card and play along at home or together.

The ecological health of the Colorado River and the quantity of its water supplies are in decline throughout the seven southwest states in the river basin, including New Mexico and Arizona, according to the Save the Colorado River Campaign.  Most recently the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and four large municipal water districts announced the creation of a pilot program to work together to increase water conservation in four states.  Much more cooperation will be needed to address the threat of climate change, river health, and population growth throughout the region which runs from Denver to Los Angeles and beyond.

“If these two rival survivor senators can work together on a deserted island, the residents of the Southwest U.S. and policymakers should be able to work together to protect our river and its water supplies,” Wockner said.  “When we do that, we all will score the most important bingo.”

Viewers are encouraged to use the #RivalSurvivor and #CORiver hashtags on twitter.

Submitted by Gary Wockner, Save the Colorado River Campaign

Resources

• Save the Colorado website

Related posts

• Nonprofit’s sneak peek of workshop: Our water, our future
• Local nonprofit teams up with Patagonia to host Water Workshop
• ON Kilter: Analyst or advocate; examining the Lake Powell Pipeline
• Letter to the Editor: Public Officials have a fiduciary responsibility to the public regarding
• Water district says quagga mussels don’t jeopardize Lake Powell Pipeline
• Red Hills Desert Garden showcases endangered species, promotes water conservation
• Letter to the Editor: Lake Powell Pipeline a ‘Good Ol’ Boy’ scam, a ‘pipe dream’
• Lake Powell Pipeline dominates water forum
• University of Utah professor: Lower Colorado River formed from continuous flooding of basins
• Interior hosts Navajo and Hopi leadership for Little Colorado River water settlement

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews