The untamed Gila River is one of the last of its kind in the southwest. Scrolling across its floodplain, the Gila nurtures healthy bosques of native trees and a diverse array of wildlife. Over 300 species of bird have been recorded in the Gila Valley. The river’s streamside habitat supports wildlife ranging from the reclusive Mexican gray wolf to the threatened loach minnow and the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher. No large dams impede the natural flow of water that is critical to the health of this riparian jewel.

The Gila is also a witness to history. Geronimo, fierce defender of his Apache homeland, was born at the headwaters of the Gila. Before the nomadic Apaches, cliff-dwellers built their homes in the Gila's tributary canyons; shards of their pottery, the pieces of their lives, still abound. More recently, gunslingers and outlaws have holed up along the river's banks, while ranchers and farmers have grazed cattle and grown food nourished by the Gila’s water.

For much of the 20th century, New Mexico’s last free-flowing river has been under threat of certain destruction from dam and diversion projects that would have flooded the Gila Wilderness and sapped the lifeblood from this ecological treasure. Although the river has been spared thus far, a new threat in the form of the Arizona Water Settlements Act holds the Gila’s future in the balance.

Our decision about whether to divert the Gila for human use has ecological, economic and cultural implications. The 7th annual Gila River Festival will examine what's at stake as southwestern New Mexico contemplates this choice. Our belief is that we can have water for people AND for nature. The Festival will provide opportunities to learn more about common-sense solutions that work with the environment, saving us money and protecting the Gila at the same time.

This water use decision is a profoundly ethical one. It will determine whether or not the Gila River remains a healthy river ecosystem, which plant and animal species survive, and whether or not we lose connections to our cultural and natural history so critical to our sense of place and who we are as individuals and as a community. We invite you to join us for the 7th Annual Gila River Festival as we explore the issues surrounding this momentous decision.

Click here to view the schedule highlights!

National Geographic’s Freshwater Fellow Sandra Postel will give Keynote Address
2/28/11

Mark your calendars for September 15 – 18 for the 7th Annual Gila River Festival. We are pleased to announce that the National Geographic Society’s Freshwater Fellow Sandra Postel will give the keynote address at this year’s festival. According to the National Geographic Society, Ms. Postel “is recognized as one of the world's most respected authorities on freshwater issues and is hailed for her "inspiring, innovative, and practical approach" to promoting the preservation and sustainable use of Earth’s freshwater.” Ms. Postel has discussed her ideas for redirecting society’s use and management of fresh water toward conservation and ecosystem health in a recent YES Magazine article.

The 7th annual Gila River Festival will examine what's at stake as southwestern New Mexico contemplates whether to use Gila River water under the Arizona Water Settlements Act. Our belief is that we can have water for people AND for nature. The Festival will provide opportunities to learn more about the Gila’s natural and cultural history, ecological and economic importance and common-sense solutions to meet our water needs that work WITH the environment rather than against it, saving us money and protecting the Gila at the same time.

This water use decision is a profoundly ethical one. It will determine whether or not the Gila River remains a healthy river ecosystem, which plant and animal species survive, and whether or not we lose connections to our cultural and natural history so critical to our sense of place and who we are as individuals and as a community. We invite you to join us for the 7th Annual Gila River Festival as we explore the issues surrounding this momentous decision through lectures, field trips, films, kids’ and family activities, an invitational art show, and much more.

To be a Gila River Festival sponsor fill out and return this form.