The Cocopah Colorado River Limitrophe Restoration Project is led by the Cocopah Indian Tribe. It is funded through several federal sources, including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s America’s Ecosystem Restoration Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Tribal Wildlife Grant, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Climate Resilience Program. It has also received funding from Google, Meta, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
The Cocopah are known as ‘people of the river,’ yet, for decades, the Colorado River in this area has been disconnected from its floodplain. At the southern end of the reservation, it has ceased flowing entirely near the border with Mexico, degrading this once lush landscape relied upon by the Tribe for food, clean water, spiritual well-being, and cultural traditions.
This project will transform 430 acres of floodplain on the Tribe’s reservation, creating an oasis for Tribal members and visitors alike. The Tribe will construct a new riverside park with a walking path, beach access to the River, and overlooks, offering them and visitors a chance to relax, recreate, and connect with the River. A new Tribal Youth Corps will remove invasive species and restore native vegetation, allowing the Tribe to source materials for their cultural rituals and traditions from their own lands rather than traveling off-reservation and providing Corps members with tangible skills in landscape restoration. The project will also encourage local tourism and boost the Tribe’s economy by making the reservation, which already has an RV park and entertainment enterprises, more attractive to visitors.
Construction of phase one will begin in October 2025, with revegetation completed in spring 2026.
