Co-produced by Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP), Upper Gila Watershed Alliance (UGWA) and NM Wilderness Alliance (NMWA), Earth Matters is a weekly, hour-long radio program that addresses critical environmental issues at the local, national and international level. This effort expands our outreach efforts to a larger audience and gives longer life to our programming. We’re proud to be the first full length, locally produced and regularly scheduled program on Gila/Mimbres Community Radio. The show broadcasts on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am and 8 pm via webstream or anytime via podcast.
Week of 11/7/12 – Martha Cooper of The Nature Conservancy on the Gila River, restoration and AWSA
Week of 12/18/12 – Citizen Science with Sharman Apt Russell, Claire Catlett and Silver City Watershed Keepers
Week of 12/25/12 – Big Environmental Stories of 2012 with Allyson Siwik of Gila Resources Information Project, Donna Stevens of the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, and Kim McCreery of New Mexico Wilderness Alliance
Week of 1/1/13– Upcoming Conservation Issues for 2013 with Allyson, Donna and Kim
Renew Your GCC Membership or Become a Member for $25 and Receive MF Dondelinger’s New Book Modern Icons
Thanks to the generosity of Mary Frances Dondelinger, we are pleased to offer a special gift to new or renewing members of the Gila Conservation Coalition. Become a member of GCC or renew your membership for $25 and receive a copy of Modern Icons: The Sacrifice of Endangered Species of the American Southwest.
You can also renew your membership/become a member by mail by sending a check for $25 to the Gila Conservation Coalition, 305A North Cooper St., Silver City, NM 88061 or on-line via GCC’s secure donation page.
Your membership in the Gila Conservation Coalition will bring you:
Opportunities to get involved in local con-servation efforts through volunteering, grassroots organizing, advocacy, educational field trips and events, and service learning;
Quarterly e-mail issues of River Currents, GCC’s electronic newsletter;
Periodic action alerts and updates on important Gila River protection efforts;
Special invitations to GCC events;
Discounts on GCC activities and promotional items.
From the Book Jacket:
MF Dondelinger’s jewel of a book features images of once-familiar Southwest species rendered in exquisite detail. Short entries accompany each painting, describing the plant or animal, its habitat, and the cause of it’s endangerment.
Dondelinger’s work always surprises. She juxtaposes the ancient art of egg tempera iconography onto the most disposable of backdrops, the humble paper plate. The plate-as-canvas serves as a symbol of twenty-first century throwaway culture, just as the creatures she so painstakingly depicts (using precious materials like 23 carat gold, egg tempera and rabbit skin glue) have become expedient in our fast moving culture. In Modern Icons, readers will gain a new view of what is-or is no longer-to be found in our own back yards.
MF Dondelinger apprenticed in Italy with an orthodox iconographer. She applies the traditional materials and theories of this sacred art form to contemporary themes. She divides her time between Arizona and New Mexico.
This book is sponsored by ARTSPIRE, a program of New York Foundation for the Arts, Gallery One Visual Arts Center, Margaret W. Reed Foundation and amazing individual supporters.
Threatened and Endangered: Perspectives on Biodiversity Loss in the Southwest
A Panel Discussion with Botanist Dr. Jack Carter, Artist Mary Frances Dondelinger, and Conservation Advocate Michael Robinson
November 13, 7pm Silco Theater, 311 N. Bullard St. Silver City
Admission: FREE
The impact of humanity on the earth’s diverse flora and fauna has been significant. Scientists estimate that 5 – 20% of species in many groups of organisms have already gone extinct, and we may be losing up to 140,000 species per year. Some of the most vulnerable species in the current global extinction crisis occur in the desert Southwest. Habitat loss, climate change, overexploitation of water resources and non-native species introduction threaten the continued existence of a variety of desert plant and animal species. This panel discussion will explore a variety of perspectives on biodiversity loss in the American Southwest. Panelists include botanist Dr. Jack Carter, professor emeritus at Colorado College and author of several books and articles, including the recently -revised Trees and Shrubs of New Mexico; artist Mary Frances Dondelinger, author of the new book Modern Icons: The Sacrifice of Endangered Species of the American Southwest; and Center for Biological Diversity conservation advocate Michael Robinson, author of the book, Predatory Bureaucracy.
Thanks to Mary Frances Dondelinger, we are pleased to offer a special gift to new or renewing members of the Gila Conservation Coalition. Become a member of GCC or renew your membership for $25 and receive a copy of Modern Icons. Dondelinger will be on hand to sign books.
You can also renew your membership/become a member by mail by sending a check for $25 to the Gila Conservation Coalition, 305A North Cooper St., Silver City, NM 88061 or on-line via GCC’s secure donation page.
This event is organized in conjunction with Gila-Mimbres Community Radio. The discussion will be audiotaped and will air as part of GMCR’s Earth Matters, a weekly radio program collaboratively produced by Gila Resources Information Project, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and Upper Gila Watershed Alliance.
OPENING: Sacred Sacrifices
Exquisitely painted images of endangered species of the Southwest.
by MF Dondelinger
Tuesday, November 13
5-7 pm @ Leyba & Ingalls Arts, 315 N. Bullard St., Silver City
The 8th annual Gila River Festival The Wild River Speaks drew 1000 participants to a variety of field trips, workshops, presentations, a three-minute film fest, kayaking, horseback riding and more throughout the four-day event. We want to thank all of our sponsors, presenters, and volunteers whose commitment and dedication to celebration of the Gila River make this event one of the premier nature festivals in the Southwest.
Through a collaboration with Gila-Mimbres Community Radio and Kyle Johnson, we will be making available via podcast and video several of the presentations from the festival, including keynote speaker Craig Childs and The Great Conversation with Pat Toomay, Sharman Apt Russell, Michael Casaus and Joe Saenz. Stay tuned for more information as these become available.
And mark your calendars for the 9th annual Gila River Festival September 19 – 22, 2013.
Interstate Stream Commission Initiates Detailed Studies of AWSA Projects
Bureau of Reclamation to Assess Costs and Benefits of Alternatives
At their June meeting, the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) approved a work plan for Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA) planning that outlines $3.9M in studies for FY2013 – 2014. The work, to be done by ISC-approved contractors, will develop detailed engineering design and cost information, and evaluate environmental impacts for the 16 Tier 2 projects approved by the commission in February. These studies are intended to inform the state’s 2014 decision on whether or not to use Gila River water under the AWSA.
The AWSA is a congressionally approved water bill that provides $66M in non-reimbursable expenditures that may be used to meet water supply demands in the Southwest Planning Region of New Mexico (Catron, Luna, Hidalgo and Grant counties) either through the construction of a New Mexico Unit of the Central Arizona Project that would increase water used from the Gila River by up to 14,000 acre-feet per year, or through non-diversion water projects. New Mexico will receive a guaranteed $6.6 million a year for ten years, beginning in 2012 that can be used for any water project that meets a water supply demand. New Mexico may also receive an additional $34 to $62 million if it chooses to construct a New Mexico Unit. New Mexico must notify the Secretary of the Interior by December 2014 if it will use Gila River water or not.
Stakeholders in southwestern New Mexico have been meeting since 2007 to develop AWSA project proposals to cost effectively balance water supply and demand in the region while protecting the Gila River. Their successful collaborative efforts resulted in more than 70 projects submitted to the ISC in November 2010 for consideration. The vast majority of projects were for “non-diversion” alternatives that ranged from municipal and agricultural conservation to development of regional infrastructure for water supply delivery, water reuse and storage, to watershed restoration. Only three of the projects were “diversion” proposals to withdraw water from the Gila for consumptive use.
Stakeholders worked hard to find areas of agreement, while at the same time coming forward with questions and concerns. In general, non-diversion alternatives were supported by stakeholders. A long list of concerns were identified with diversion projects.
With the transition to the Martinez administration in 2011, the ISC ceased to support the formal stakeholders’ group and initiated a new process. More than 40 Tier 1 projects were submitted for evaluation by a “secret” evaluation panel made up of state agency representatives; the ISC refused to make public the names of the proposal reviewers. Twenty-one projects made it through the first phase and were evaluated in Tier 2 according to 9 criteria, such as cost, technical feasibility and public support. The ISC approved the final set of 16 projects in February 2012 that would be analyzed during the current assessment phase leading up to the ISC’s 2014 decision on whether or not to divert water from the Gila River. The list included three diversion projects and 13 non-diversion alternatives. Since that time, the City of Deming has withdrawn its diversion proposal citing high costs and the desire to not compete with the other 2 diversion proponents, Hidalgo County and the Gila Basin Irrigation Commission.
The Gila Conservation Coalition’s proposal for municipal conservation received the top score from the evaluation panel and was approved by the ISC for further study in the assessment phase. The City of Deming and Stream Dynamics also submitted proposals for municipal conservation and rainwater harvesting respectively. The commission signed off on an expenditure of $100K for evaluation of municipal conservation measures, including rainwater harvesting. The Town of Silver City and the City of Deming are currently working on water audits to identify opportunities for conservation. Once audit data is analyzed, demonstration projects will be implemented to help determine the amount of water that could be saved if water conservation measures were funded under the AWSA. Unfortunately, the dollars allocated for this effort are not sufficient to adequately assess the potential for water savings across the entire region, and GCC has been pushing for more resources to be committed to evaluating this cost-effective means for extending the life of our water supplies.
The ISC has allocated $1.45M to analysis of the Grant County Water Commission Regional Water Supply Project that includes evaluation of construction of infrastructure to regionalize the water distribution system between Silver City and the Mining District, as well as a reservoir project north of Santa Clara and a wastewater reuse project in Bayard. This project would meet the future water needs of 26,000 people in Silver City and the Mining District for a fraction of the cost of expensive, large-scale Gila River diversion projects.
The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has been asked by the ISC to conduct an appraisal level cost-benefit analysis of all of the AWSA alternatives. Reclamation’s Economics and Resource Planning Team will “examine the incremental changes in benefits and costs to agriculture, municipal and industrial supply, water quality, recreation, and fish and wildlife uses between the proposed alternatives and the current conditions.” The group will also evaluate regional economic impacts through economic modeling. BOR’s Water Conveyance Group will conduct analyses of a range of diversion/storage/conveyance alternatives. Alternatives include diversion of 5000 – 14,000 acre-feet per year from one of three different diversion locations and storage in a single storage facility (generally identified as “top, middle, or lower Cliff-Gila Valley”) in smaller ponds throughout the Cliff-Gila Valley, or aquifer storage and recovery anywhere in the Cliff-Gila Valley. No conveyance alternatives to end water users have been identified and ISC staff refuses to answer where this water is ultimately going.
Given that the ISC has stated that the end water users must pay the water supplied by any of these projects above and beyond the AWSA subsidy, ISC staff says that it will have its own contractors assessing ability of water users to pay for water supplied from a diversion project. This is a fundamental question that has been asked for years and is a key factor in the decision to move forward with a diversion project given that the AWSA subsidy is estimated to cover only 40% of the construction costs.
The revised schedule approved by the ISC in June calls for the commission to make a preliminary decision on a project(s) by August 31, 2014 and a final decision by November 14, 2014.
The Gila Conservation Coalition and The Nature Conservancy serve as the conservation representatives to the ISC’s Stakeholder Input Group that provides input on scopes of work, contractor reports, workplans, and other deliverables of the AWSA planning process. GCC will continue to advocate for a fair and objective analysis of both diversion and non-diversion alternatives. Public meetings related to the AWSA process are held quarterly. The next public meeting has not been scheduled yet.
Michael Berman’s Book Gila: Radical Visions/ The Enduring Silence is now available for sale!
Guggenheim Fellow landscape photographer Michael Berman’s newest book of photography,Gila: Radical Visions / The Enduring Silence is now available for sale through GCC partner, Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP). Call (575-538-8078), email (grip@gilaresources.info) or stop by the GRIP office at 305A North Cooper St. to get your copy. Books are available for $50 (retail price) and proceeds will benefit GRIP’s work to protect our land, air and water in southwestern New Mexico.
Berman’s black-and white photographs of the Gila Wilderness offer a wordless exploration into this complex and subtle landscape. For more than thirty years, he has explored the vast Gila, fascinated by the land and how people use and value it. He has wandered deep into the forest with his large-format camera, searching for the untrammeled and solitary ecosystems, allowing the Gila to reveal itself. The untouched specialness of the Gila is captured in Berman’s photographs and explored in fifteen essays by noted writers, natural historians, and environmentalists.
A former Guggenheim fellow and 2012 recipient of the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts,Berman’s works have been exhibited throughout the country and are in numerous public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Amon Carter Museum. He lives in the Mimbres Valley, bordering the Gila Wilderness.
Essayists in Gila: Radical Visions / The Enduring Silence include Charles Bowden, Dave Foreman, Sharman Apt Russell, Philip Connors, Patrick Toomay, M.H. “Dutch’ Salmon, Victor Masayesva, Alejandro Muñoz, Martha Schumann Cooper, Mary Katherine Ray, Rex Johnson, Jorge Garcia, John Horning, Guy McPherson, and Mary Ann Redding.
$66 Million is available to meet water needs in southwest NM and an additional $34 – 62 million to develop Gila River water ($128 million total): Stakeholders in southwest NM are trying to determine how to use funding from the Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA) to cost effectively balance water supply and demand while protecting the Gila River. THE $200 MILLION QUESTION – Two Choices: Southwest NM (Grant, Luna, Hidalgo and Catron counties) can use up to $128 million in a federal subsidy to cover only 40% of the project costs to divert up to 14,000 acre-feet per year from the Gila River and its tributary, the San Francisco, through a Gila River DAM and PIPELINE project OR INSTEAD Southwest New Mexico can use $66 million to meet local water needs.
THE WRONG CHOICE LEAVES TAXPAYERS HOLDING THE $200 MILLION BAG:
~ No need for Gila River water has been demonstrated in the four county area. Studies show that the regional aquifer contains enough water to supply Silver City for hundreds of years. Deming’s 2009 water plan demonstrates that it has already acquired enough water rights to meet future demand over the 40-year planning period.
~ A massive taxpayer-funded boondoggle. Gila River diversion would require major infrastructure in the Cliff-Gila Valley. This project would require a diversion dam and some combination of a huge pumping station, a power station, a massive pipeline and/or canal system and an off-stream dam and reservoir.
~ The boondoggle won’t benefit the local area: The state is scrambling to meet obligations to big cities in New Mexico and Texas. It’s almost certain that this water will leave the local area and get piped to the Rio Grande and on to Texas. ~ Bottom Line WE CAN’T AFFORD IT: The construction cost has been projected AT LEAST $300 million – more than double the promised $128 million federal subsidy. The additional cost would be shouldered by local taxpayers and burden local government with debt. At a time when federal, state and local budgets are spread thin, a diversion project outstrips our financial resources.
~ No seriously, WE REALLY CAN’T AFFORD IT: Given that annual exchange costs plus operation and maintenance costs total more than $8M per year, each acre-foot of Gila River water would cost $589 before including the capital costs of the dam and pipeline. These costs would be paid by the water users directly. Estimates of total construction cost for a project range from $193M - $300 M, tens of thousands of $/acrefoot.
THE RESPONSIBLE CHOICE:
Real Solutions for Southwest NM’s Long-term Water Needs: Implementation of proven conservation and water efficiency measures can sharply reduce the amount of water needed in the future at a fraction of the cost of a Gila River dam and pipeline project. Conservation and sustainable use of groundwater can secure our water future without building a costly diversion project that will alter the character of the Gila River forever. These strategies range in cost from $11- $360/acre-foot for municipal conservation, $517/acrefoot for drip irrigation, and $98-$274/acre-foot for sustainable groundwater management. These solutions compare to tens of thousands of dollars/acre-foot for construction of a Gila River diversion project.
IT’S UP TO YOU:
Email or call the Interstate Stream Commission members today and tell them you want responsible and cost-effective non-diversion alternatives, such as municipal and agricultural conservation and sustainable groundwater management, evaluated during the 2012 – 2013 assessment phase of the AWSA planning process.
Non-diversion Alternatives Remain on the List for Further Consideration
Feb 29, 2012
Albuquerque, NM – The Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) decided today on the projects that will move forward for final consideration under the Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA), leading up to the December 2014 deadline for notifying the Department of the Interior whether or not New Mexico will develop Gila River water. The Commission approved ISC staff recommendations to further refine and study most of the 20 Tier 2 proposals, including 16 non-diversion alternatives and 3 diversion projects.
Municipal conservation scored at the top of the ISC Evaluation Panel’s Tier 2 ranking list. The Commission approved initiation of the Gila Conservation Coalition’s proposal to set up a municipal conservation fund by providing “initial funding of $100,000 made available as soon as possible, and include water harvesting as allowed under Office of the State Engineer Water Use and Conservation Bureau policies. The initial funding for this proposal is intended to test the utility and feasibility of the proposal and thereby provide the Commission with adequate data and information to assess the value of this proposal by 2014,” according to the ISC staff recommendation approved today.
“The Gila Conservation Coalition is very pleased that the Commissioners approved municipal conservation, including water harvesting, for further consideration under the AWSA. Municipal conservation measures represent a cost-effective way to reduce the demand for water, extend the life of our water resources and therefore reduce the need to develop costly new water supplies,” stated GCC executive director, Allyson Siwik. “We are disappointed that the full amount of funding recommended by the Evaluation Panel — $500,000-was cut to $100,000 by ISC staff. This represents a significant under-investment in evaluation of water savings through conservation.”
The Grant County Regional Water Supply project along with the Bayard Effluent Reuse project and Grant County Infrastructure and Reservoir proposal will be considered together to investigate how these projects “might be combined or refined to best utilize the treated effluent of those communities at the least cost,” according to the ISC staff memo. “The Grant County Regional Water supply project is a high priority for water users in Silver City and the Mining District, and should be a top priority for the AWSA planning process, since the project meets a real water need now by providing a long-term, sustainable water supply to 26,000 people including Mining District communities with an extremely urgent water need, such as Hurley that has no water rights,” stated Siwik during her testimony at today’s ISC meeting.
The ISC also approved investigation of “how the Gila Basin Irrigation Commission Diversion and Storage, Deming Diversion, and Hidalgo County Diversion and Storage proposals might be combined or refined to realize the greatest synergies and best meet agricultural, municipal, and environmental needs.”
“A costly, unnecessary diversion, dam and pipeline would forever change the Gila River’s unique ecology, compromising the economic, environmental and recreational benefits the Gila provides and put a financial burden on local water users for decades to come,” explained GCC chairman Dutch Salmon. “Not only has there been no demonstrated need for Gila River water, but we can’t afford the $325 million dollar price tag to build a diversion project. Even after using the AWSA subsidy of up to $128 million, water users must still come up with $200 million to pay the remainder of the construction costs, an annual exchange cost of at least $1.7 million/year and annual operation and maintenance costs of $5 – 6 million. We question if anyone in southwest New Mexico can pay for this expensive water.”
The ISC also approved assessment of the Luna, Pleasanton, and Sunset and New Model ditch improvement proposals. Along with drip irrigation approved for study at the September 2011 ISC meeting, agricultural conservation has the potential to significantly improve irrigation efficiency and reduce water demand from the agricultural sector, the largest water user in the four-county area.
The ISC also approved working with independent professional experts to assess how best to integrate and refine the various watershed proposals to realize the greatest synergies and benefits, as well as further assessment of the Deming Effluent Reuse proposal.
Lois Fuller, Catron County resident, told commissioners that the Gila National Forest and the Gila and San Francisco rivers are “the heart of the whole area. Our economy will suffer if a diversion project goes through. Economic benefit to our local communities is on the line.”
Donna Stevens, director of the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance and a partner in the Gila Conservation Coalition, stated that GCC’s Rosgen diversion proposal “represents a win-win solution for Cliff-Gila Valley irrigators and the Gila River. Redesigning irrigation ditch diversions following a Rosgen-style cross-vane design allows for maintenance of instream flow while also meeting the water needs of irrigators.” This concept will be analyzed further as part of the Gila Basin Irrigation Commission’s proposal.
Siwik encouraged ISC commissioners to consider that there is enough AWSA funding available as part of the $66M to fund all of the non-diversion alternatives currently on the Tier 2 list, benefiting farmers, ranchers, municipalities, industry and the environment throughout southwest New Mexico. “The non-diversion projects provide real solutions for southwest New Mexico’s long-term water needs at a fraction of the cost of a large-scale diversion project and most received strong support at the recent multi-stakeholder New Mexico First Town Hall meeting.”
On February 29, the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) will decide on the handful of projects that will move forward for final consideration under the Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA), leading up to the December 2014 deadline for notifying the Department of the Interior whether or not New Mexico will develop Gila River water.
As part of this process, the ISC released the Tier 2 evaluation panel rankings of stakeholder proposals submitted under the Arizona Water Settlements Act planning process.
Although the Gila Conservation Coalition’s municipal conservation proposal scores at the top of the list, three of the top four ranked proposals are large scale diversion, dam and pipeline projects that would withdraw 14,000 acre-feet of water per year from the Gila, impound it in an off-stream reservoir, and pipe it to Deming or other population centers or use it for agricultural use.
The Gila River is vital to our economy in southwest New Mexico. It is the last free-flowing, main-stem river in the state and one of the few remaining in the Southwest. Rich in natural and cultural history, the Gila contributes significant economic benefits to our counties through ecosystem services, enhanced property values, aesthetics, recreation and tourism, and scientific and educational opportunities. The Gila supports a naturally reproducing sport fishery and is a birding hotspot of the Southwest.
A costly, unnecessary dam and pipeline would forever change the Gila River’s unique ecology, compromising the economic, environmental and recreational benefits the Gila provides, and put a financial burden on local water users for decades to come.
There has been no demonstrated need for Gila River water. Studies show that the regional aquifer contains enough water to supply Silver City for hundreds of years. Deming’s 2009 water plan states that the community has already acquired enough water rights to meet future demand over the 40-year planning period. Moreover, as much as 25,000 acre-feet of mining water rights lay fallow in the Gila and Mimbres basins and could provide a cushion for municipal and industrial use as mining activity winds down over the next 30 years.
We can’t afford it. The construction cost for the Deming Diversion Project, #3 on the evaluation panel’s ranking list, will cost $325 million-more than double the promised $128 million federal subsidy. The additional cost would be shouldered by water users and local governments, burdening our local communities with debt and unnecessarily high water rates.
The project won’t benefit the local area. The state is scrambling to meet obligations to big cities in New Mexico and Texas. It’s almost certain that this water will leave the local area and get piped to the Rio Grande and on to Texas, especially given that this water is too expensive for water users in southwest New Mexico.
The responsible choice provides real solutions for southwest New Mexico’s long-term water needs at a fraction of the cost. There is $66 million available to fund common-sense, cost-effective water projects. These proposals received strong support at last week’s NM First Town Hall meeting at which stakeholders from throughout southwest New Mexico provided input on the twenty projects submitted for Tier 2 evaluation.
Grant County Regional Water Supply meets a real water need now by providing a long-term, sustainable water supply to 26,000 people including Mining District communities with an extremely urgent need, such as Hurley that has no water rights.
Water Reuse Projects in Bayard and Deming
Given that Bayard will no longer be able to discharge treated effluent from its wastewater treatment plant into one of the Chino mine tailings ponds, this project is a priority for putting the treated effluent to beneficial use through watering of ballparks and a new cemetery, saving the town 528 acre-feet of water per year. Deming’s reuse project will water parks and recreational facilities and initially save 328 acre-feet of water per year.
Agricultural Conservation, such as conversion to drip irrigation and irrigation ditch and diversion improvements, have the potential to significantly improve irrigation efficiency and reduce water demand from the agricultural sector, the largest water user in the four-county area.
Municipal Conservation has the potential to save 4,200 acre-feet of water annually throughout southwest New Mexico. Water conservation measures reduce the demand for water in a cost-effective manner and therefore reduce the need to develop costly new water supplies.
IT’S UP TO YOU: Support an affordable long-term water supply that benefits local economies by contacting the Interstate Stream Commissioners BY FEBRUARY 28.
Tell the ISC that you support responsible, cost-effective non-diversion alternatives that secure our water future at low cost and keep the Gila River flowing, such as the Grant County Regional Water Supply project, Bayard and Deming reuse projects, and municipal and agricultural conservation. These projects should be evaluated during the 2012 – 2013 assessment phase of the AWSA planning process.
As a follow-up to the positive NM First Town Hall, we strongly request full public participation in review of work plans during the 2012 – 2013 assessment phase of the planning process.
Interstate Stream Commission Members – please bcc: info@gilaconservation.org so we can keep track of emails to the commissioners. Thanks!
Jim Dunlap, ISC Chairman waterjim1@live.com; 505-598-5845
Estevan Lopez, ISC Director estevan.lopez@state.nm.us; 505-827-6103
Scott Verhines, State Engineer scott.verhines@state.nm.us; 505-827-6091
Patricio Garcia PAGarcia@rio-arriba.org; 505-753-4508
Blane Sanchez indnh2o@aol.com; 505-869-2068
Mark S. Sanchez msanchez@abcwua.org; 505-768-2504
Julia Davis Safford csranch@bacavalley.com; 575-376-2827
Buford Harris bufordharris@yahoo.com; 575-644-8614
James Wilcox jrwilcox@pvtnetwords.net; 575-887-2871 x 421
Phelps Anderson wpasve@rt66.com; 575-625-9152
Randal Crowder rscrowder@suddenlink.net; 575-763-3901