The Gila River

By the 21st Century, you might think that every magical, special, ecologically-intact spot on this planet would long since be on the tourist trail, and maybe even find itself over-developed. Somehow, though, the mountains, streams and wildlife that make up the Gila ("hee-la") are still here to be explored, loved and protected (New York Times Article: Walking a Dream of Desolation).

The Gila River carves its way 650 miles through America's first designated wilderness area. Hikers share backcountry with mountain lions, fox and lizards, coyotes, hawks, elk and bears. And the human past shouts its history in pictographs, cliff dwellings, and historic ranches.

Those who explore the Gila River's wilderness watershed know that the largely wild flow of the Gila River is literally the lifeblood of this national treasure, and must be preserved for all time.

And, indeed, vigilance is needed. The Gila River continues to be threatened by water development projects. With good planning and citizen involvement, New Mexico's last wild river can be a magical and healthy ecosystem for our children to enjoy for generations to come. Read more

What's New at GCC? Gila Economic Forum Thursday, May 28, 2009; 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Western New Mexico University Global Resources Center Auditorium, Silver City, New Mexico 2009 Gila Science Forum Western New Mexico University Global Resources Center Auditorium, Silver City, New Mexico June 3, 2009, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm On Horseback and Foot in the Wild West by Hugo Martin, Chicago Tribune Newspapers < photo: Nanda Currant American Rivers Press Release: Progress on the Gila River photo: "Gila River" by Marilyn Gendron Save the Date! 5th Annual Gila River Festival AWSA Implementation Committee & Stakeholder's Group Meeting Saturday, April 4, 2009 8:30 am - 1:00 pm Grant County Administration Building, Silver City Help Preserve the Gila with a GCC Gift Gila River Festival Songwriting Competition Winner “Banks of the Gila” Now Available for Download

Salmon Honored

Gila Conservation Coalition founder and Chairman Dutch Salmon received a lifetime achievement award at the 3rd Annual Gila River Day held on February 4 at the State Capitol Rotunda. The award honors Dutch’s 25 years of work on behalf of the Gila River, the Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness areas and New Mexico’s wildlife. Dutch is a two-term member of the New Mexico Game Commission and has served on the boards of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Quivira Coalition, and GRIP. He also served on the Interstate Stream commission. Dutch is the author of seven outdoor books including the recently released Gila Libre!, Gila Descending, Country Sports, and the novel Home is the River. He has canoed, hiked, and fished the river from its source at Bead Spring to Safford, Arizona, and his experience makes him one of the few authorities on the Gila River in New Mexico.

GCC Turns 25!

2009 marks the Gila Conservation Coalition’s 25th year of working to protect the Gila River. Founded in 1984 by GCC’s current chairman, Dutch Salmon, the late Bob Langsingkamp, Herbie Marsden and Jim Goodkind, the organization is known for its success in stopping the Hooker and Conner Dam proposals in the 1980s. GCC was instrumental in calling attention to the huge environmental and economic impacts of these large-scale water development projects. The Hooker Dam would have flooded part of the Gila Wilderness, our nation’s first wilderness area. The Conner Dam and its alternative, the Mangas Diversion, were so costly that Silver City was unwilling to sign on to the repayment contract. Once these dam projects were laid to rest, GCC achieved protection of the East Fork of the Gila River from road building and partial closure of the wild San Francisco River to ORV use. Read more

Gila River Among America’s Most Endangered Rivers
Water Development Threatens New Mexico’s Last Free-flowing River

April 17, 2008; Silver City, NM – The Gila River, New Mexico’s last free-flowing river, has been named one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers, by the organization American Rivers. The Gila is threatened by a major water development project that could double the amount of water currently withdrawn from the river, degrading this ecological jewel and imposing hundreds of millions of dollars of cost on taxpayers for an unnecessary project. The river has long been eyed for its water development potential, but estimated costs, environmental impacts, and community opposition have precluded previous projects from moving forward.
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21st Century Climate Change in Southwest New Mexico:
What’s in store for the Gila?