Students in this project will engage with one of the most significant forces shaping the American West and one of the most pressing issues facing our region: the Colorado River. Together, we will trace its life-giving story—from prehuman times, to its role in Indigenous communities, to its influence on settler expansion, and to its present-day commodification for the economy, recreation, irrigation, and the supply of clean drinking water to millions of people who choose to live in the American desert. Along the way, we will learn from and with the diverse communities that rely on and work to protect the river, including Native nations, ranchers, commercial recreation leaders, municipal managers, and conservationists. This project invites us to consider a central question: How can we give back to a river that has given us so much?