Border Oasis: Water and the Political Ecology of the Colorado River Delta, 1940-1975 (La Frontera: Environmental History of the Borderlands) [Hardcover]

Evan R. Ward (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003 | Series: La Frontera: Environmental History of the Borderlands

The environmental history of the Colorado River delta during the past century is one of the most important—and most neglected—stories of the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. Thanks to entrepreneurs such as William E. Smythe, the surrounding desert in Arizona, California, Sonora, and Baja California has been transformed into an agricultural oasis, but not without significant ecological, political, economic, and social consequences. Evan Ward explores the rapid development of this region, examining the ways in which regional politics and international relations created a garden in the Mexicali, Yuma, and Imperial Valleys while simultaneously threatening the life of the Colorado River. Tracing the transformation of the delta by irrigated agribusiness through the twentieth century, he draws on untapped archival resources from both sides of the border to offer a new look at one of the world's most contested landscapes. Border Oasis tells how two very different nations developed the delta into an agricultural oasis at enormous environmental cost. Focusing on the years 1940 to 1975—including the disastrous salinity crisis of the 1960s and 1970s—it combines Mexican, Native American, and U.S. perspectives to demonstrate that the political and diplomatic influences on the delta played as much a part in the region's transformation as did irrigation. Ward reveals how mistrust among political and economic participants has been fueled by conflict between national and local officials on both sides of the border, by Mexican nationalism, and by a mutual recognition that water is the critical ingredient for regional economic development. With overemphasis on development in both nations leading to an ecological breaking point, Ward demonstrates that conflicting interests have made sound binational management of the delta nearly impossible. By weaving together all of these threads that have produced the fabric of today's lower Colorado, his study shows that the environmental history of the delta must be understood as a whole, not from the standpoint of only one of many competing interests.

Editorial Reviews

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The environmental history of the Colorado River delta during the past century is one of the most important--and most neglected--stories of the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. Thanks to entrepreneurs such as William E. Smythe, the surrounding desert in Arizona, California, Sonora, and Baja California has been transformed into an agricultural oasis, but not without significant ecological, political, economic, and social consequences.

Evan Ward explores the rapid development of this region, examining the ways in which regional politics and international relations created a garden in the Mexicali, Yuma, and Imperial Valleys while simultaneously threatening the life of the Colorado River. Tracing the transformation of the delta by irrigated agribusiness through the twentieth century, he draws on untapped archival resources from both sides of the border to offer a new look at one of the world's most contested landscapes.

Border Oasis tells how two very different nations developed the delta into an agricultural oasis at enormous environmental cost. Focusing on the years 1940 to 1975--including the disastrous salinity crisis of the 1960s and 1970s--it combines Mexican, Native American, and U.S. perspectives to demonstrate that the political and diplomatic influences on the delta played as much a part in the region's transformation as did irrigation. Ward reveals how mistrust among political and economic participants has been fueled by conflict between national and local officials on both sides of the border, by Mexican nationalism, and by a mutual recognition that water is the critical ingredient for regional economic development.

With overemphasis on development in both nations leading to an ecological breaking point, Ward demonstrates that conflicting interests have made sound binational management of the delta nearly impossible. By weaving together all of these threads that have produced the fabric of today's lower Colorado, his study shows that the environmental history of the delta must be understood as a whole, not from the standpoint of only one of many competing interests.

About the Author

Evan Ward is Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Alabama. His articles on the Colorado River delta have appeared in such journals as the Pacific Historical Review, Frontera Norte, and Environment and History.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press; First Edition edition (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816522235
• ISBN-13: 978-0816522231
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,586,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Evan R. Ward grew up in Vernon, Texas, and attended Brigham Young University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in history, and a minor in Spanish, in 1995. He obtained an MA (1997)and PhD (2000) in history at the University of Georgia.

Professionally, he has worked as an Assistant and Associate Professor at the University of North Alabama (2001-2008). His main areas of interest included Latin American history and Economic history. While there, he also served as the Interim Director of the Center for International Programs (which has a local economic impact of approximately $21 million [2008]).

As a result of his opportunities there, Dr. Ward has travelled,worked, and researched in Cuba (legally; Havana, Varadero), the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana), Mexico (Tijuana, Mexico City, Ixtapa, Merida, Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen), Argentina (Buenos Aires, Cordoba), Uruguay (Montevideo), Chile (Santiago), Peru (Lima), Ecuador (Quito), Colombia (Bogota, Cartagena), Turkey (Istanbul, Bursa, Pamukkale, Bandirme, Gocek, Bodrum, Edrimet, Ayvalik, Canakkale, Gallipoli), Germany (Munich), Austria (Salzburg), India (Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad), Nepal (Katmandu), Japan (Tokyo), and China (Beijing, Shenyang, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Dalian).

Dr. Ward loves analysis of economic issues, hence his interest in natural resource policy and tourism development. His travels have fostered a strong interest in culture and languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Turkish, Catalan, Japanese, Arabic, and Chinese, all of which he has studied to one degree or another.

On a personal note, Dr. Ward still holds the record for the mile (4:33) and two mile (9:48) at Vernon High School (Vernon, Texas), which were set in 1988.

In August 2009, Evan will join the history faculty at Brigham Young University.