A river of hopes & dreams—and challenges.
What happens when a group of river lovers decide to bring attention to a degraded and forgotten stretch of the Pecos River?
Friends of the Pecos River was formed in 2021 as a 501c3 nonprofit organization with its primary focus on the Pecos River in Texas—from Imperial to Sheffield—the forgotten reach.
Our focus is on the cultural, societal, and natural aspects of this stretch of river as it travels along the Pecos County line.
The ‘forgotten’ segment suffers from withheld releases from Red Bluff reservoir, long-term proximity to the oil patch, lack of attention, regional groundwater depletion, and persistent drought.
The river’s health has consequences for people and wildlife around it and the waters downstream.
We are dedicated to connecting stakeholders, adding partners, and building community in this region.
We firmly believe an informed, engaged citizenry—when presented with recreational and educational opportunities—will learn to care about the river’s future and will support restoration activities.
Please join us. For the love of a river. For the health of our forgotten reach.
Photo credit: Lauren Brown
Priority objectives and programs:
Work closely with Pecos River landowners to help them accomplish individual and collective stewardship goals
Bring people, institutions and organizations together through collaborative programs
Act as the catalyst of good work along the river
Generate good science, data collection, and monitoring of the river
Provide educational opportunities through local schools
Promote outdoor experiences in communities along the river
Introduce riparian and rangeland restoration projects for water quality and quantity
Attract funding to the region to support river stewardship and education
Stories from the Pecos
“I remember a bitter cold winter day in the early 1950s. My Dad and Tex Masterson took me and Tex’s son Bobby for a duck hunt on the Pecos River. We drove to a spot where we had permission and parked the car on the hill above the river. After walking down a little way, Bobby said he was going back to the car. Dad, Tex and I proceeded on. We could see lots of ducks landing on the river, and we moved as quietly as possible to a good hunting spot. Then the car horn started blaring. It was Bobby, who had grown cold and impatient. Well, all the ducks spooked and flew off, and we didn’t get a shot off that day.”
- Luke Shipp
Rancher, Crockett County
(center, with best friend Bobby at right)
“My 9-year-old grandson’s favorite place to fish is the Pecos River just a few miles out of Iraan. The fish are not that big, but Dawson catches a bunch of them and that makes him happy. But now we’re in a drought, and that makes him sad. “The river is drying up” he cried, “and it makes me sad because the wild animals depend on the Pecos River for water to stay alive.” He is also concerned about water for endangered species and for farming the crops we need. Dawson even came up with a way to get cleaner and more water to the river—it involved old oil pipelines from the coast to the river and a desalination station to pump fresh water up to the Pecos. Then he could get his favorite fishing spot back! ”
- DeLane Cagle, 2023
Grandmother to Dawson, Iraan
