D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
February 2010
Arizona Water Settlements Act
Page: 2"I'm sure there will be a lot of questions from the audience," he adds, "and I hope I and the other panelists can clear some things up and encourage participation in the stakeholders' meetings."
Many locals welcome that increased participation in the decision-making process. Gila Valley resident Mary Burton Riseley says, "There used to be almost a powerful mythological conflict over water issues in both Catron and Grant counties, but one of the great things coming out of the general AWSA discussion, and the stakeholders panel, too, is much more optimism — much more genuine mutual communication"
Traditional arguments have pitted conservationists who favor keeping the Gila a "wild river" against more development-oriented folks, who often contend that the Gila isn't really a "wild river" because historically it has always been diverted and channeled by agricultural dikes, canals and basins. Those divisions still exist, but Riseley notes that the need for a more civilized approach to problem-solving seems to be developing.
"Some of the projects currently being proposed have a definite appeal to both the environmentalists and the diversionists," she says.
Everyone involved in both the stakeholders' meeting and the AWSA forum stresses the importance of citizen participation in the events.
"We have 140,000 acre feet of water at stake here," comments WILL forum director
Anne McCormick, "and given the intricacies of the issues, proposed projects
and possible results of the AWSA, we in southwest New Mexico have a lot from
which to benefit in this process."
The Feb. 18 AWSA Stakeholders meeting starts at 8:30 a.m., and is divided into three sessions. The first, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., will deal with watershed restoration. The second session, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will deal with conservation. The third session runs from 2-4 p.m., and deals with basic water infrastructure.
For further information on the group and some of the projects being proposed, go to www.awsaplanning.com All sessions will be held in the Grant County administration building on Hwy. 180.
The WILL forum will start at 6:30 p.m., and will be held in the auditorium of WNMU's Global Resource Center, at 12th and Kentucky Streets in Silver City. For more information on the forum, go to www.will-learning.com
The Silver City Museum's Gila River photo/DVD exhibit will run through April. |
Jim Kelly is a retired journalist who lives in Silver City.