Meet, Dr. Sara Porterfield.
With a PhD in transnational history of the Colorado River Basin and a background as a raft guide with the Colorado Outward Bound School, Porterfield 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 Trout Unlimited, 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, Porterfield’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.
Basin focused from recreation to education
Porterfield grew up in California, visiting national parks and public lands with her family during vacations. While these initially sparked her interest in the outdoor world, it was her passion for horseback riding that encouraged her desire to foster some independence and push her boundaries of exploration.
“Like anyone else when you’re young, you get some friends together and suddenly you’re sneaking off to areas beyond where you’re supposed to go just to see what’s out there,” said Porterfield. “My friends at the barn and I did that constantly just to expand our local knowledge of the outdoor world. These experiences also encouraged me to go on my first long-term backpacking trip before college, where I further expanded my knowledge of special places in this country. Then, when I saw all my friends get into rafting, I was right there with them and got a job at Outward Bound.”
Between packing gear, planning logistics and other responsibilities, Sara moved up the ranks to being a raft guide and strengthened her connection to her favorite place in the world: the Colorado River Basin.
This passion for the river guided her educational studies as well as leading her to pursue a doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder.
“What I noticed when I read all the classic books, stories and history of the River is that it was all coming from a very similar perspective – even up until about 15 years ago,” said Porterfield. “But this isn’t what I had personally seen or experienced on the river, and it drove me to research the history of this vital watershed.”
Porterfield said the history of the river is incredibly complex.
“Even some of the most legendary guides who fought some of the most important policy battles in the conservation history of the River were also the ones who privately supported certain pieces of infrastructure being built because it would benefit their businesses,” she said. “In other words, there are no neat categories, but instead of diminishing the conservation accomplishments of these individuals, to me, it just represents the crux of the negotiations today — that we’re all humans trying to find a balance for the river and our communities.”
As someone who has spent her life living in, working on and/or thinking incessantly about the Basin, Sara personifies many of the feelings of the seven states and two nations who all rely upon this river.
“I’ve never really had a separation between loving the outdoors and also advocating for them,” said Porterfield, who lives in Boulder, Colorado. “Throughout my whole life and career, seeing these special places and creating memories in them just made me want to speak up for them so that future generations could also have these experiences.
“But, perhaps more importantly for my adult life, it also taught me that you can make a career out of advocating for places you care about. That’s why I was interested in working for Trout Unlimited after earning my doctorate.”
A team approach
“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.”
Cory Toye, TU’s Wyoming water policy director, credits Porterfield for her ability to combine an intimate knowledge of the river and its history to the work TU is trying to accomplish throughout the watershed.
“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,” Toye said. “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.”
Experiences on the river drive the passion
Like many people who spend time on the river, Porterfield is mellow, reliable, quick to undersell her accomplishments and always appreciative of a Ron Burgundy joke. In fact, the only time many have seen her display anger is after seeing others stick grimy 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, Porterfield 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 stakeholders 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.”
Policy for everyone
Porterfield’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 River.
“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 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 others 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 Porterfield 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 Trout Unlimited to help navigate what’s ahead for the Colorado River than our river doctor, and that’s why she’s a river champion.
Fishing in the Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River Basin boasts some of the best trout fishing in the country. With bucket list native species, incredible access for wading and rafting, and numerous stretches of Gold Medal waters, the Rockies and Southwest are truly an angler’s delight.
From the actual Colorado River at its headwaters in the high mountains of Colorado all the way through the Grand Canyon, fishing opportunities abound. High country creeks hold smaller, often native, trout willing to take just about any fly offered. The middle section through Glenwood Canyon holds much larger trout taking advantage of TU’s restoration work improving healthy spawning and rearing habitat on tributaries. As the water warms and eventually glides into Lake Powell, warmwater species inhabit the river and lake, but trout once again are the main quarry in the Lee Ferry section below Glen Canyon Dam.
Whether you enjoy fishing the main river or any of the thousands of tributaries to the Colorado River, fishing opportunities are like none other across the country.
The same free-flowing rivers that sustain trout and salmon bring clean water into our homes, give life to vibrant communities and feed a passion for angling and the outdoors.
But today our fisheries and rivers face enormous challenges. At Trout Unlimited, we are doing something about it, and we need your help. Sign up to be a champion for the rivers and fish we all love and help us unlock the unlimited power of conservation.