River Currents Issue #4, June 2008
Southwest New Mexico Stakeholder Group
to Review Arizona Water Settlements Act New Mexico Process Framework
At the request of the Southwest New Mexico Stakeholder Group, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has developed a draft framework to guide the planning process under the Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA), entitled “Arizona Water Settlements Act New Mexico Process Framework.”
The draft document will be reviewed at the Stakeholder Group’s next meeting on June 21.
The AWSA planning process was established in October 2007 to determine how best to utilize the AWSA in a cost-effective manner to balance historical and future demand for water against uncertain supply while protecting the environment.
The New Mexico Process Framework will provide a planning structure to:
Conduct comprehensive baseline studies to identify current and future water supply and demand in the four-county area of southwestern New Mexico;
Identify a broad and balanced range of water supply alternatives that close the gap between supply and demand and evaluate each with a common and agreed upon set of criteria.
The Process Framework will guide development of a needs assessment documenting the region’s current water sources and uses, baseline biological and watershed conditions, future projected water demand, and water development alternatives. Alternatives will then be categorized and screened to eliminate those options with fatal flaws based on a set of yet-to-be-defined criteria (e.g., technical, social, economic, environmental, institutional, and legal feasibility; acceptability to public; costs; risk and uncertainty; etc.) Based on this screening analysis, alternatives will be selected for further development and analysis.
The next meeting of the Southwest New Mexico Stakeholder Group will be Saturday, June 21, 2008, in the Grant County Administration Center, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Visit the GCC Gila Settlement Implementation webpage for a complete listing of Stakeholder Group workshop reports and other materials.
4th Annual Gila River Festival
September 18 – 21
The fourth annual Gila River Festival, scheduled for September 18-21, 2008, is an opportunity to celebrate the Gila River as a source of inspiration. The theme for the festival will bring together experts and laypersons, artists and scientists from many disciplines, to converge on the topic of the Gila River as experienced through creative expression. Through rock art, nature writing, field sketching, weaving, song writing, performance and photography, we will bridge the arts and sciences through active discussion and demonstration. The festival format will include intensive workshops co-led by artists and scientists, a keynote speaker, lectures, hikes, and performance over a four-day period. Visit us on the web for a complete list of festival events and activities.
Gila River Festival Song Writing Competition
Deadline: August 15
Get in touch with your personal muse,and write a song worthy of our beloved Gila River!
The Gila River Festival is soliciting original songs about the Gila River. Winning songs will be premiered on Saturday evening of the festival, September 20, 2008, at Isaac’s in downtown Silver City.
Two winners will each receive a professional recording session for their prize-winning song at a Silver City recording studio.
For songwriting rules and entry form, click here or call 575.538.8078.
Gila River Festival: Call for Exhibitors
Deadline: June 30
The Gila River Festival is looking for organizations to set up exhibits/info tables for two events at the historic Silco Theatre in downtown Silver City:
Keynote speaker, art historian Gray Sweeney: “Dreams of Angels and Dust Storms: An Evening on the Rio Gila in 1848,”Thursday, September 18, 7 – 9 pm
Community performance, Friday, September 19, 7 – 9 pm
There is no fee for a booth space. Exhibitors must provide their own table. SETUP BEGINS AT 6 pm on Thursday, September 18.
For more information, call Allyson Siwik at (575) 538-8078 or info@gilaconservation.org
PLEASE RESPOND BY JUNE 30 TO ENSURE YOUR SPACE AT THE FESTIVAL!
Gila River Festival: Volunteers Needed
Volunteering for the Gila River Festival is a great way to spend time at the enchanting Gila River. Festival events include workshops, hikes, art openings, dance, community performance, and our keynote speaker’s presentation.
We will need volunteers to help out with workshops and hikes (i.e. check attendance, assist leader, and collect evaluation forms) and other festival activities. We will waive registration fees for workshop and hike volunteers.
If you’d like to attend an event free of charge, in exchange for a small amount of work, please contact Donna Stevens at 575.388.5296 or donnastevens@aznex.net.
Gila River Festival Accepting
Youth Art Show Entries
Organizers of the fourth annual Gila River Festival are looking for youth of all ages to submit entries that illustrate the 2008 festival’s theme: Celebrating the Gila River as a Source of Inspiration.
Youth are invited to submit their original work for the youth art show to the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance no later than September 1, 2008. Any 2-D or 3-D media will be accepted. Entries should represent some aspect of the Gila River. Entries will be on display at the Silco Theater during the Gila River Festival, Saturday, September 20, and Sunday, September 21.
Entries must be received by September 1 by the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance at P.O. Box 383, Gila, NM88038.
Entries will be returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope, or may be picked up from the Alliance after September 21.
Entries must have the artist’s name, address, phone or e-mail. Digital entries may also be sent to director@ugwa.org.
For more information about the festival art show, call Melanie Gasparich at (575) 313-2203.
Calendar of Events:
Gila-San Francisco Stakeholders Group Meeting
June 21, 2008;
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
at the Grant County Administration Building, Silver City.
4th Annual
Gila River Festival
September 18 – 21
2nd Annual
Natural History of the Gila Symposium
October 16 – 17, 2008; Western New Mexico University, Silver City