Along the banks of the Gila River, generations of people have settled since ancient times, surviving the desert environment by hunting, farming and ranching in this lush river valley. Creating an ecologically diverse ribbon of life in an otherwise dry landscape, the Gila River also provides sustenance to a rich variety of plants and animals: 234 species of birds, several threatened and endangered species, and one of the most intact native fish communities in existence in the Lower Colorado River drainage.

Community Comes Together to Celebrate
2nd Annual Gila River Festival

The Gila River Watershed is among the most precious wild drainage systems in North America. It seemed only natural (so to speak) to inaugurate a Gila River Festival last year. Well, now it's a tradition. On May 12th, the 2nd Annual Gila River Festival held its kickoff event in the Global Resource Center Auditorium with keynote speaker and author, Chip Ward. In his talk, Making the Watershed Connection: Coming Home to the Land that Sustains You, Ward said, "We need to give our fellow citizens, especially children, opportunities to feel and express affinity with the land, to experience themselves as eating and breathing beings connected to the . . . diverse ecosystems that enclose us." (read Chip's talk in its entirety here).

The Festival itself seemed to follow Ward's invocation: it gave almost 1,200 people - young and old - a weekend of opportunities to "feel and express" this affinity with the natural and cultural heritage of the Gila River and its watershed. Over the course of the 3-day festival, almost 3 times as many attendees as last year came to celebrate the Gila River by birding, hiking, horse-riding, participating in stewardship activities, kids' events, and archaeological site tours, all while being entertained and healthfully well-fed. The Festival's gorgeous Nature Conservancy Gila River Farm location in Cliff provided a backdrop for speakers ranging from Jack Loeffler's tales of conservation in the American West to Chris Turnbow's demonstration of the Native American spear-throwing tool, the atlatl.

It sounds like a logistical nightmare, but it was in fact a blessing that the Festival was the culmination of over six months of collaborative planning between ten organizations and agencies: the Gila Conservation Coalition, the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, the Gila Resources Information Project, the Gila National Forest, the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, the Gila Conservation Education Center, the Southwest New Mexico Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, Black Range RC&D, and the Community Sustainability Steering Committee. Fifty presenters, over thirty volunteers, eighteen artists, and thirty- seven performers pulled together to make this community-based educational event happen. The festival was made possible with the financial support of the following major sponsors: Defenders of Wildlife, New Mexico Humanities Council, Silver City Food Co-op, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, and the Gila Conservation Coalition; and from the contributions of sponsors and friends of the Festival.

Wanting the Festival to practice the values it preaches, Festival organizers this year provided public transit from Silver City to the Cliff-Gila Valley, and between Festival locations for Saturday's events. Sponsored by the Silver City Food Co-op, organizers offered this transportation alternative in an effort to curb traffic within the Gila valley, minimize the need for limited parking space, and reduce emissions. The shuttle service provided 99 person-trips throughout the day.

Festival organizers said that the large turnout and communitybased support of this year's Gila River Festival indicates a widespread local appreciation of the many values that a free-flowing Gila River provides. To get involved with planning for next year's Gila River Festival, contact the Gila Conservation Coalition at 538-8078 or info@gilaconservation.

The 2nd annual Gila River Festival is a three day interpretive event focused on increasing the awareness of the natural and cultural heritage of the Gila River and its watershed. This year's festival celebrates the stories of all of the communities of life that have made the Gila River home for eons. It is an opportunity to bring our expressions together -- through the arts, history and science, broadening our awareness of communities and community life along the Gila, New Mexico's last free-flowing river.