TU’s resident river doctor on finding a prognosis for the Colorado

Meet TU’s resident river doctor, Sara Porterfield. With a PhD in the transnational history of the Colorado River Basin and a background as a rafting guide with the Colorado Outward Bound School, Sara brings a unique perspective to both the high-level policy discussions happening about the future of this watershed and the impacts of the historically low water levels on communities across the Basin’s seven states. 

Technically known as Dr. Sara Porterfield, Colorado River Program Director & Western Water Policy Advisor at TU, she quips at the notion of formality before jumping into the importance of her favorite river. 

“I don’t even go by doctor, let alone my title,” joked Porterfield. “Just call me, Sara. There are more important things happening on the Colorado River.” 

The accelerating aridification of the West, which is hitting the Colorado River Basin particularly hard, means there’s even less water for those who rely on the river, including tribes, agriculture, rural communities, municipalities, wildlife, and fish. This has also caused increasingly hotter and more unpredictable wildfires, further impacting these populations. 

To mitigate these impacts and present policymakers with examples and options for how best to make the most use out of every drop of water in the basin, Sara’s work focuses on connecting TU’s on-the-ground projects to federal policies and programs, such as the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART grant programs, and using TU’s project work to inform our advocacy on water policy in the West. 

According to Sara, however, her job is mostly “managing boys who like to fish.” 

“Sara likes to say her job is ‘managing boys who like to fish,’ and I’m proud to be one of them,” said Jordan Nielson, Utah state director at TU. “But what she really does is anchor our Colorado River Program with deep knowledge, steady leadership, and a gift for connecting people who don’t always see the world the same way. Sara brings clarity to complicated problems and compassion to the communities we serve. TU is lucky to have her as a river champion—and I’m lucky to call her a colleague and friend.” 

“Sara combines an intimate knowledge of the river and its history to the work TU is trying to accomplish throughout the watershed,” said Cory Toye, Wyoming water policy director at TU. “Her logic, professionalism and, most importantly, sense of humor, motivates and encourages people in her circle to show up and put in the hard work. We are thankful for her willingness to navigate complicated policy challenges and create meaningful pathways for TU staff to develop and implement projects to ensure the health of the Colorado River for future generations.” 

Like many people who spend time on the river, Sara is mellow, reliable, quick to undersell her accomplishments, and always appreciative of a Ron Burgundy joke. In fact, the only time many of us have seen her display anger is by sticking our hands directly into a tub of peanut M&Ms instead of pouring them out individually.  

“I’ve been sick too many times on rafting trips from this exact problem,” said Porterfield in a serious moment. “Never again.” 

And while she has been known to pick up a rod to join in the camaraderie at staff retreats, she remains a rafter at heart. When asked why she works for TU then as opposed to another organization, she naturally responds with a quip before making an impassioned plea to see the bigger picture. 

“I’ve had some of the most beautiful and the most terrible experiences of my life in the Colorado River Basin,” said Porterfield. “But so have a lot of other people who spend time outdoors. This means it’s critically important to bring together different groups – ranging from ranchers, industry, and other representatives of the 40 million people who rely on this watershed – to identify where they can work together at this critical juncture in the Colorado River’s history. We all have something at stake.” 

Sara’s job takes her to a lot of places around the globe to advocate for the Colorado River. In the past year alone, she’s been to multiple Basin states to host Congressional and stakeholder tours, Washington, D.C. to speak with legislators, and even Stockholm, Sweden, for World Water Week to talk about active solutions to the challenges facing the Colorado.  

“It’s very easy to get trapped in the conversation of ‘nature good, people bad,’” said Porterfield. “What I like about the work we do at TU is that we address these issues on both the policy and restoration sides of the conversation. In other words, you’re getting a well-rounded perspective of what’s needed across a watershed as a whole compared to just one specific need. And, because we’re advocating for policies that we are also offering to implement, it shows you’re walking the talk with rural communities, legislators, and agency partners. It makes a real difference.”  

So, how can people get involved to help support this vital river in the West? 

“You can start getting more familiar with these issues by listening to our Western Water 101 podcast series,” said Porterfield. “But the most important thing is to be able to think broader than your own needs while also taking action in your part of the Basin. Regardless of whether you volunteer, join a group, reach out to your elected officials, or even just get people more optimistic about potential solutions to these issues, you’re making a difference. Optimism is hard to come by in these discussions, but we see it in our project managers every day across the Basin.” 

It’s not easy to thoughtfully blend the experiences, goals, and restoration projects of the dozens of project managers TU has across the seven Basin states, but Sara believes that TU’s work is a microcosm of what is possible for the Colorado River going forward.  

In other words, there’s no one better at TU to help navigate what’s ahead for the Colorado than our river doctor. That’s why she’s a river champion.