Hidden Waters: Dryland Springs in the West

Beautiful, damaged or gone, arid-land springs in the American West are disappearing. Essential to humanity for millions of years as dependable water sources, natural springs supported both migration and the establishment of communities. Yet in our modern world they are all but forgotten as a staggering 80% of them have been destroyed since 1900 and that rate is only increasing. For the past 4 years I’ve been photographing in the five major deserts of North America as they run out of water, focusing on the effects of climate change, drought and aquifer overuse. This series began on an ecology field trip to the Navajo Nation during which I became fascinated to learn about the complex role and meaning of freshwater springs. Pre-historic, indigenous, cross-desert trade routes followed paths that lead from spring to spring a day or two days walk apart while European immigrants of the 1800’s relied on those same springs. Contemporary Native Americans view spring waters rising from the desert as sacred beings deserving of protection. Even today when the West is the driest it has been in 1,200 years springs continue to be a barometer of the conditions and durability of their aqu