River Currents Issue #10, July 2009
Dear Friends of the Gila River:
Here’s the latest news from the Gila Conservation Coalition. Hope to see you at our 25th Anniversary Party at the River!
CELEBRATE NEW MEXICO’S LAST WILD RIVER: GCC 25th Anniversary Party on the Gila!
We think it’s a safe bet that you’re really busy and don’t take enough time to enjoy our beautiful Gila River. So we’re extending an official party invitation to you to visit the river, hear some great music and stories, eat delicious food, and have fun with your friends, too. Call it multi-tasking if that’s what it takes to get you out there.
This year, the Gila Conservation Coalition is celebrating its 25th anniversary. We want to thank you, our friends and supporters, for helping us to protect the Gila River over the past two and a half decades from short-sighted attempts to divert water from the last free-flowing river in the state.
Please join us for a party on Saturday, July 25, from 3 to 9 pm. We’ll be playing at the river at the Mogollon Box Campground in Cliff. From 3-6 pm, we’ll have games for kids and adults, in and out of the water. At 6 pm, GCC will BBQ food for meat-eaters and vegetarians. Please bring a potluck dish to share. Andrew Dahl-Bredine will entertain us with his original songwriting, folk and world music, starting around 7 pm. And when dusk starts to fall, we’ll gather around the campfire to hear the adventures of the GCC founders and share stories about our good times on the Gila River.
Please plan to bring: a potluck dish, plate, cup & eating utensils, swimsuit and water toys, hat, sunscreen, water, and your stories about the Gila.
Directions to Mogollon Box Campground: From Silver City: Hwy 180 west to Cliff. Turn right onto Hwy 211. At the bottom of the hill, take a left onto Hwy 293 (Box Canyon Rd). After about 5 miles, Hwy 293 turns to dirt. Stay on this road all the way down to the river, where you’ll see signs for the GCC party.
Please RSVP so that we have enough food on hand. 575.538.8078. See you at the river!
You may have received an invitation in the mail. If not, it’s because we don’t have your mailing address. Please let us know if you’d like to be on our mailing list.
AWSA Planning Process Holds Forums on Economics, Science and Water Supply
The Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA) Stakeholders Group held three forums to further the public’s understanding of available economic tools for water planning, a potential framework for evaluating hypothetical withdrawals from the Gila River, and preliminary information on water supply in southwestern New Mexico. The AWSA planning process was established to reach consensus on how to utilize the AWSA in a cost-effective manner to balance historical and future demands for water against uncertain supply while protecting the environment.
The Gila Economic Forum was held May 28 and brought together eight experts to present a range of decision-making tools available for water planning under the AWSA. Dr. David Gutzler, climatologist at the University of New Mexico, described the predicted impacts of climate change on Gila River flows. “Streamflows in southwestern rivers, especially in snow-fed rivers like the Gila, are expected to decrease significantly in this century. It is possible that the Gila Basin could lose its snowpack altogether by the end of the 21st Century, effectively eliminating seasonal snowmelt runoff. Streamflows from late winter into early summer would decrease most markedly.” These predictions have serious implications for efforts to spend millions to divert water from the Gila River under the AWSA. If flows become significantly diminished, why build a large scale diversion project that may not be used given the constraints of the AWSA, endangered species and other considerations? Lower-cost alternatives are available to the region to meet future water needs that do not rely on an unreliable surface water supply. Read more here.
An update on these reports and subsequent planning tasks will be discussed at the July 13 AWSA Implementation/Technical Committee meeting (see calendar and link to agenda below).
Vote for Gila River Conservation on the New Belgium Brewing “Skinny Dip” Site
Since water makes up 90% of their beer, New Belgium Brewing Company has taken an active role in advocating for clean water. The Gila River is now on the company’s list of potential grant awards, but we need your help to receive $10,000 in funding. Visit New Belgium’s site at www.newbelgium.com/skinnydip, click on “Vote for a Cause” and cast your vote for “Gila River Conservation.” The winner is the advocacy group with the most votes, so please send this to your friends and family and get them to vote for us. Thanks!
Calendar of Upcoming Events
AWSA Implementation/Technical Committee Monthly Meeting – July 13, 2009; 1:00 – 4:00 pm Grant County Administration Building. Click here for agenda.
AWSA Stakeholders Group Quarterly Meeting – July 13, 2009; 6:00 – 8:00 pm; Grant County Administration Building. Click here for agenda.
GCC 25th Anniversary Party at the Gila – July 25, 2009; 3:00 – 9:00 pm; Mogollon Box Campground (see directions above)
AWSA Implementation/Technical Committee Monthly Meeting – August 3, 2009; 10:00 am Grant County Administration Building
5th Annual Gila River Festival – September 17 – 20, 2009; Silver City. Visit http://www.gilaconservation.org/5thannualgrf.shtml for more information.