For the Dolores River Boating Advocates, nothing is quite as important as water.
Not only does it provide the thrills of white water rafting down the beautiful Lower Dolores River, but it also provides life: life to fish, animals and us.
The group recently donated the movie "Watershed" to the Dolores Public Library, a movie that features the importance of the Colorado River, its tributaries and the resource it provides all of us and is rapidly becoming increasingly popular in demand.
"There is a lot of pressure on the Colorado River," said Jay Loschert, program coordinator for the Dolores River Boating Advocates.
The group felt so strongly about the movie, which is narrated by Robert Redford, that the board members donated their personal money to purchase a public copy of the movie to donate to the library. They also scheduled a screening of the movie on Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in the library to start a discussion on the movie.
The film, which is produced by Redford the Redford Center, highlights the Colorado River system and features some local people, such as Dan James of James Ranch in Durango.
Loschert hopes the film will spark debates about how to conserve water and get locals thinking about their water usage.
"The board is really interested in exploring and discussing climate change," Loschert said.
Loschert has invited some of the people that appeared in the movie to take part in the discussion following the screening.
"It raises more questions than answers which is good for each community has to deal with these changes individually," Loschert said.
Loschert said he has always been frugal with his water, but after learning about the Colorado River and the wetlands that used to cover Mexico before the river started to run dry in Mexico, he believes he will change his ways a bit.
"I'm pretty frugal with my water, but I don't think I will water my grass as much this year," he said.
