Every February, volunteers walk the banks of the Animas River counting American dippers — small, bold birds that dive headfirst into rushing rapids and spend their entire lives along river corridors. Because dippers feed on the aquatic insects that can only survive in clean water, they serve as a living indicator of river health. The American Dipper Project launched in 2016 following the Gold King Mine spill, and citizen scientists have been tracking nesting behavior and success rates ever since, entering all data into Cornell Lab of Ornithology's NestWatch database. When nesting success declined after the 416 Fire in 2018 and subsequent flooding, the dippers reflected that environmental stress. 

By Paige Sparks

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This story is sponsored by Durango Gelato, Coffee & Tea and The LOR Foundation