Zak Podmore & Will Stauffer-Norris - State of the Rockies Project

Zak Podmore grew up boating on the Colorado River near his hometown of Glenwood Springs, Colo. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Colorado College and is currently working on an M.A. in Environmental Philosophy at the University of Montana.  An avid kayaker, Zak has dedicated several years to promoting water education in the Southwest through a mix of river expeditions, writing, and multimedia presentations. In 2011-2012 he completed a source to sea descent of the Green and Colorado Rivers from southern Wyoming to the Gulf of California in Mexico. Later that year Zak was hired as an expedition manager for the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project and floated the Colorado River from Rocky Mountain National Park to Lake Powell, documenting water issues along the way through film and writing. In all, he has paddled over 3,000 miles in the Colorado River basin and has shown the resulting videos at schools across the country. His articles have been featured in Canoe and Kayak Magazine and the State of the Rockies Report Card; he is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. 

Will Stauffer-Norris was born in Moscow, Idaho, grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, and graduated from Colorado College in 2011 with an Environmental Science degree. Will was one of the founding members of the Rockies Project's field research component. During his time with the expeditions, Will served as a photographer, cinematographer, and video editor in addition to planning logistics. View Will's online portfolio: www.willstauffernorris.com

Video:  A Paddler's Perspective on the Colorado River Delta (first person account of the Morales Diversion Dam in Northern Baja California, Mexico)