Contributaries
(The Vision)

The Spring

Over 97% of all the water on Earth is salty and most of the remaining 3% is frozen in the polar ice-caps. The atmosphere, rivers, lakes and underground stores hold less than 1% of all the fresh water and this tiny amount has to provide the fresh water needed to support the Earth's population. Fourteen billion pounds of garbage (mostly plastic) is dumped into the ocean every year. Over 30 billion tons of urban sewage is discharged into lakes, rivers and oceans each year. In America, 40% of the rivers and 46% of the lakes are polluted and are considered unhealthy for swimming, fishing or aquatic life. These are not exaggerated statistics, hyperbole or "best guesses" - they are verifiable facts. Of all the environmental and social problems we face today, clean water is paramount. Unlike many others, it's a problem that is easily addressible - after all it's our own behavior that is destroying access to our most precious natural resource and the key component of life.

Growing up in Steamboat Springs, CO artist and founder of contributaries.org Siara Atkinson did not take for granted the beauty, power and fragility of the waterways native to the Yampa Valley.

"insert quote"

Possessing both intrinsic artistic talent (which may be partially hereditary - her father is the renown geologic sculptor Leo Atkinson) and a deep passion for the conservation and preservation of water, it was only a matter of time before she found a way to marry the two. Siara created a sustainable cycle of contributions that is perpetually serving to protect and preserve rivers all around the country: