Jennifer Pitt

Colorado River Program Director

Jennifer Pitt joined Audubon in December 2015 to advise the organization’s strategies to protect and restore rivers throughout the Colorado River Basin. At Audubon she continues to lead the United States–Mexico collaboration to restore the long-desiccated Colorado River Delta. She serves as the U.S. co-chair of the bi-national work group whose partners will, through 2026, implement existing treaty commitments providing environmental flows and habitat creation.

Prior to joining Audubon, Jennifer spent 17 years working to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems in the Colorado River Basin at the Environmental Defense Fund. With partners, she led the conservation community’s efforts to prioritize and implement restoration of the Colorado River Delta, and she worked with Colorado River stakeholders to produce the unprecedented Colorado River Basin Supply and Demand Study, the first federal assessment of climate change impacts in the basin and the first basin-wide evaluation of the impacts of river system operation on water supply reliability and river health. Jennifer has also worked at the National Park Service headquarters and in Mesa Verde and Sequoia National Parks, as a legislative assistant to U.S. Congressman Mike Kopetski, and in the headquarters office of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.

Jennifer graduated from Harvard University and received a master’s in Environmental Science and Policy from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Articles by Jennifer Pitt

Nuevo proyecto de ley del Senado amenaza a EE. UU.—Cooperación de México, Medio Ambiente y Aves del bajo Río Colorado
July 31, 2020 — Reabrir la Planta Desaladora de Yuma—con su tecnología antigua—demasiado caro y demasiado dañino
Restoring the Colorado River Delta
May 08, 2020 — How building binational support brought water, trees, funding, and birds back to the Colorado River Delta.
Water to Flow in Colorado River Delta Again
September 04, 2019 — Canal maintenance a reminder of the 2014 pulse flow.
Water Levels at Lake Mead Trigger 2020 Water Reductions in Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico
August 15, 2019 — With new drought plan in place, Lake Mead to enter ‘Tier Zero’ operations.
The Drought Contingency Plan and How We Got Here
March 06, 2019 — Getting DCP over the finish line.
Bird Abundance and Diversity Increase in Colorado River Delta after Pulse Flow
December 17, 2018 — Science Assessment Concludes U.S.-Mexico Colorado River Agreement Positive for Birds, the Environment, and the River
La Abundancia y la Diversidad de las Aves Aumentan en el Delta del Río Colorado después del Flujo Pulso
December 17, 2018 — Las Evaluaciones Científicas Determinaron de que el Acuerdo sobre el Río Colorado entre EE. UU y México es positivo para las Aves, el Ambiente, y el Río.
Progress on the Drought Contingency Plan
October 10, 2018 — Don't pop the champagne yet, there’s still more to do.
Shortage on the Colorado River is Imminent, but a Catastrophic One is Not
September 13, 2018 — Parties in Arizona must keep pushing to leave more water in Lake Mead.
There Are Better Options To Solve Our Water Issues Than An Old Desalting Plant
May 16, 2018 — The Yuma Desalting Plant sits dormant in the southwestern corner of Arizona, embodying both the promise of new water and the peril of environmental Armageddon.