Summer - Upper Gila Watershed Alliance

Carapace
NEWSLETTER FOR THE
Upper Gila Watershed Alliance
Summer–Fall 2013
Vol. 16 No. 2
I NSIDE
Gila River protectors walk in the 4th of July parade in downtown Silver City.
The black t-shirts read, “Don’t Pipe the Gila to Texas.”
Photo by Dennis Weller.
2 Who’s Who in UGWA
Water War?
2 Patriotic Fun—Gila-River-In-A-Pipe
5 9th Annual Gila River Festival—The Gila River Is in Our Hands!
Kenneth Brower to Give Keynote Address at Gila River Festival
Canyon Restoration
Gerry Niva
Form
4 AWSA—Who Will Win the
9 SWCCA—The Bad Old Days Redux
7 Stream Protection—Bar 6
10 Goodbye—In Memory of
11 Members, Donors, & Volunteers—Thank You!
12 UGWA Statement of Philosophy
6 Profile—
11 UGWA Membership
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CARAPACE
Summer–Fall 2013
Upper Gila
Watershed Alliance
Gila-River-In-A-Pipe
Saving the Gila River is patriotic.
~M.H. “Dutch” Salmon
Office
PO Box 383 • Gila, NM 88038
575-590-5698 • admin@ugwa.org
www.ugwa.org
Mission Statement
The Upper Gila Watershed Alliance is a non-profit
watershed protection and conservation organization working to promote the long-term health of the
Upper Gila Watershed and its communities of life.
Through advocacy, education, research and restoration projects, we are striving to build communities of
stewards in more locally based economies.
UGWA Staff
Donna Stevens
Executive Director
Marguerite Bellringer
Administrative Assistant
Board of Directors
April Crosby (Development Chair)
Gila, NM & Fairbanks, AK
As environmental destruction continues apace, protecting the land becomes more critical. Saving the
country—literally—is our patriotic duty.
That’s why a couple dozen patriots walked in Silver
City’s 4th of July parade. Leading the pack was a fat
cat bureaucrat, swinging a suitcase with dollars spilling out, puffing on a big cigar. His messages? “Trust
me with your money. It’s only $300 million!” And “I
never saw a boondoggle I didn’t like!”
Staggering under the weight of a Gila River pipeline—coming soon to a valley near you?—were some
stout pallbearers. Our rollerskating super-heroines,
leaping tall curbs in a single bound, distributed “boondoggle bucks” to the crowd. Banners reading “NO
Gila River pipeline” and “Keep the river in its valley”
bracketed the walkers.
After the parade ended, many citizens sought out
the Gila Conservation Coalition’s booth at Gough
Park, curious about the meaning of our signs and
wanting to know more. It was a great opportunity to
Continued page 3
Sarah Johnson
Gila, NM
Tom Krohley (Treasurer)
Silver City, NM
Ron Parry
Silver City, NM & Houston, TX
Sharman Apt Russell (Chair)
Silver City & Gila, NM
Dennis Weller
Silver City, NM
Carapace is published by the Upper Gila Watershed
Alliance. It is sent free to all UGWA members.
UGWA is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in
New Mexico. All contributions are tax-deductible.
The trickster coyote questions the water buffalo
bureaucrat, who insists that a pipeline would cost only
$300 million. Photo by Allyson Siwik.
Summer–Fall 2013 CARAPACE
Parade (continued)
educate folks who haven’t
been following this important issue. After all, the 4th
of July parade is Silver City’s
most well-attended event.
Many folks regaled us
with memories of adventures
on the Gila River. To a person, not one of them wants
the Gila River piped to Deming or Las Cruces.
Activists working to protect the Gila River spend
much time at meetings and
strategizing about a successful course of action. But work needs
to be balanced with fun, and that’s
what the parade was all about.
Above: The bureaucrat carries
his suitcase of cash, exhorting
taxpayers to trust him with
their money. (Photo by Allyson
Siwik.) Below: Taxpayers and water
users bear the heavy weight of a
Gila River pipeline. (Photo by Dennis Weller.)
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CARAPACE
Summer–Fall 2013
Who Will Win the Water War?
The Gila Water War can no longer be denied. The violent imagery is disturbing but not wholly inappropriate, although, so far, the battles are only ideological.
On one side are the water buffaloes, the business-asusual politicians and agency wonks who still think
that inter-basin water transfers and expensive megaprojects are the way to go.
On the other side is a cadre of citizens who advocate for agricultural and municipal conservation,
regionalization of our water supplies, and rainwater
harvesting—in short: living within our water means.
Leading the recent buffalo charge was Senator
John Arthur Smith, the powerful chairman of New
Mexico’s Senate Finance Committee. During the last
state legislative session, Smith (D-Deming) submitted
a $25 million capital outlay request to build a pipeline
from the Gila River to Las Cruces. He admitted that
his request was a “message” designed to force the four
counties (Catron, Grant, Hidalgo, and Luna) in the
Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA) to get behind
one diversion project.
His message was heard loud and clear. Representatives from Deming, who in 2012 had submitted a
diversion project proposal to the Interstate Stream
Commission (ISC) that they subsequently withdrew,
decided that they needed Gila River water after all.
In a series of backroom meetings, the Deming Office of the State Engineer met with representatives of
southwest New Mexico counties and municipalities,
who ultimately agreed to support a new project, officially dubbed the Southwest New Mexico Regional
Water Supply Project, but which this article will refer
to as the “Deming project” to differentiate it from the
following regional water plan, which is supported by
conservationists.
The Grant County Regional Water Supply Project
combines the resources of Silver City, Grant County,
and the Mining District (Bayard, Santa Clara, and
Hurley) to create one water supply system. This proposal, submitted to the ISC in 2012 for evaluation,
requested only $15 million of the $66 million allocated for non-diversion water supply projects under
the AWSA. It is a bargain, and it would serve 26,000
people, by far the largest number of people served by
any of the projects submitted to the ISC. It would obviate the need for a Gila River diversion.
So, naturally, the ISC evaluators gave it a very low
ranking.
Back to the “Deming project,” the new darling of
southwest New Mexico’s cities and counties. This project would divert an average of 10,000 acre feet (ac-ft)
of Gila River water annually and pipe the water to two
storage units: (1) a 5,000 ac-ft side-channel reservoir
in Mogollon Creek, and (2) a 30,000 ac-ft reservoir in
Mangas Springs near Bill Evans Lake.
The Mogollon Creek reservoir would store water
(and evaporate up to 30% annually) for releases for agricultural use when the Gila River is low. More water
would be pumped over the Continental Divide to a
Mangas reservoir and piped to Silver City, the Mining
District, and Deming.
The City of Deming and the Hidalgo, Catron, and
Luna County Commissions passed resolutions in support of this project, as did the Southwestern County
Commission Alliance. [For more info on this group,
see page 9.]
At their March 11 meeting, the Grant County
commissioners stated that they oppose sending Gila
River water out of Grant County. Yet they passed the
resolution in support of the Deming project, which
clearly states that the piped water can be used to recharge the aquifer in Grant County or can be sent to
Deming for use there.
At this commission meeting, dozens of conservationists spoke eloquently for the Gila River and against
the Deming project. No one testified in favor of a diversion. But in spite of their constituents’ values and
their own stated position in favor of keeping the water in Grant County, the commissioners voted unanimously to pass the resolution supporting the Deming
project.
Even if the commissioners hadn’t read the proposal
carefully, common sense would dictate that Deming
Continued page 5
Summer–Fall 2013 CARAPACE
Water War (continued)
had no incentive to develop a proposal in which they
did not end up with the water.
The Grant County commissioners’ failure to do
their homework and their disregard for their constituents’ values are disturbing. But even more disturbing
is this: Nowhere in the Deming proposal does it state
that Gila River water cannot be piped to Las Cruces
or any other municipality with deep pockets.
These recent developments have galvanized supporters, as we’ve seen at the Interstate Stream Commission’s quarterly public meetings. At the January
2013 meeting, there were exactly three people in the
5
audience: Allyson Siwik and Dutch Salmon (Gila Conservation Coalition) and Donna Stevens (UGWA). But
at the April meeting, 70 Gila River supporters were on
hand to ask the ISC some very hard questions and to
make so many comments that the meeting dragged on
for three hours.
Although the 2014 New Mexico legislative session
is a short one (the sessions alternate between 30 days
and 60 days), there is already talk of Senator John Arthur Smith submitting a bill to divert the Gila River.
We’ve witnessed the opening salvo in the local
water wars. And we’re fighting back on behalf of the
Gila.
The Gila River Is in Our Hands!
9th Annual Gila River Festival, September 19–22, 2013
The Gila River Festival has been called “the Southwest’s premier nature festival.” But the festival isn’t
just about observing hummingbirds or learning about
native plants, as rewarding as those activities are.
Full disclosure: The Gila River Festival has an
agenda. We aim to inform and entertain participants,
with the goal of advocating for a wild Gila River and
adding to our ranks of supporters.
Some Gila Valley residents tend to sit out the festival, perhaps because they already love and enjoy the
river on a daily basis. We hope these folks will reconsider this year and sign up for a field trip or attend an
evening event in Silver City. After all, saving the Gila
River is a big job, and it’s going to take the concerted
efforts of not only valley residents but also Silver City
conservationists, environmental groups, and far distant Gila River lovers.
Each year the festival has a theme, and this year
it’s all about about changes, choices, and community
empowerment. We’ve all read—or tried to ignore—
the alarming predictions about climate change in the
Southwest. A healthy response would be to acknowledge that obstacles present us with a chance to break
with the past and to steward our environment in
smarter and more responsible ways.
“First, do no harm” should be our oath to keep the
water in the Gila River and stabilize its health. Second, we have opportunities—should we choose to accept them—to restore degraded systems and to build
resilience into our natural and human communities.
At the Gila River Festival, we’ll talk about the
prognosis for future climate change and how we can
act as a community to moderate the expected impacts
and balance the needs of the environment while also
meeting our future water needs. Restoring our streams
is a vital way to build resilience into our wild lands, as
well as our urban communities, and will help ensure
that aquatic and riparian ecosystems survive climate
change with minimal damage.
The festival’s keynote speaker is writer and conservationist Kenneth Brower. He knows a thing or two
about working to prevent dams, having heard about
such campaigns from his father, the great conservationist David Brower. (See page 6 for more about Kenneth Brower.)
We have some excellent field trips lined up. You
can learn about the Gila’s imperiled native fish, birds,
and plants; animal tracking; and Mexican gray wolf
reintroduction.
Continued page 6
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CARAPACE
Summer–Fall 2013
Gila River Festival (continued from page 5)
During the hot afternoons, you can enjoy a cool
panel discussion, including:
• An overview of regional climate change by Tom
Swetnam
• Local plans to help soften the blow
• The Endangered Species Act’s positive impact on
threatened and endangered species
• Non-diversion solutions to meet our regional water needs
Evening events include “New Mexico, Ancient Waters,” featuring films about New Mexico rivers. Introducing Rivers Run Through Us, a chronicle of her journey along the Santa Fe River, is filmmaker and poet
Valerie Martinez.
Because many activists are so serious about saving
the Gila River, and there are endless meetings to attend and setbacks to endure, it’s important that we put
on our dancing shoes and just have fun! Join us for the
Gala for the Gila on Saturday evening.
We’ll close out the festival with the Sunday morning brunch at Seedboat Center for the Arts’ courtyard,
where we’ll enjoy local foods, a delicious feast, and inspiring words from a surprise guest.
Please join fellow Gila River lovers as we enjoy
what a long-time festival participant calls “the best
weekend of the year in Silver City.”
For the Gila River Festival schedule and to register
for events, please visit gilaconservation.org.
Kenneth Brower to Give Keynote Address
at Gila River Festival
Kenneth Brower will give the keynote address for
the Gila River Festival on September 19. Setting the
context for the entire festival, Brower will speak of
changes, choices, and community empowerment.
At a young age, Kenneth Brower learned about
environmental issues from his father, the great conservationist David Brower. Kenneth’s most recent book,
The Wildness Within: Remembering David Brower, honors
his father on the centennial of his birth. For this project, Kenneth Brower interviewed twenty environmental leaders about the elder Brower’s influence on their
lives and the conservation movement.
In homage to his father’s legacy, Brower will share
anecdotes and relate lessons from his dad’s impressive
career as the godfather of the modern environmental
movement. While still in his teens, Kenneth Brower
worked with his father to write and edit fourteen volumes in a series of large-format photography books
published by the Sierra Club.
This apprenticeship served him well, and he con-
tinued to write. His articles have appeared in The Atlantic, Audubon, National Geographic, Canadian Geographic, The Paris Review, Reader’s Digest, Smithsonian,
Sierra, Islands, and numerous other publications.
He has written or co-authored more than a dozen
books about wild landscapes, including The Starship
and the Canoe, American Legacy: Our National Forests,
Yosemite: An American Treasure, and many others. Next
year, Brower’s recently completed book on climate
change will be published.
Kenneth Brower gives talks across the country,
and has been interviewed about The Wildness Within
on C-Span’s BookTV and in various publications.
Today, bad news confronts us daily. Society is challenged with conserving rivers and wild places in the
face of climate change and other significant human
impacts to the global environment.
What would the Browers do? You can find out by attending Ken Brower’s keynote on September 19.
For Gila River Festival highlights, see page 5.
Summer–Fall 2013 CARAPACE
7
Bar 6 Canyon Restoration
Bar 6 Canyon, a tributary of the Gila River, is an important wildlife watering hole in the arid Burro Mountains of the Gila National Forest. The Red Rock Road
(Forest Road 851) crosses Bar 6, and in some places,
Bar 6 and the road are one and the same.
Bar 6 is more than just a cool riparian area with
towering old cottonwoods; it’s one of UGWA’s restoration projects, with the cooperation of the Forest
Service and the grazing permittee. Funded through
a now-defunct program instituted by former Governor Richardson, River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (RERI), this project aims to achieve the following
goals.
1. Extend the base flow of the stream, so that more
of the stream stays wet for a longer time;
2. Restore instream ecosystem function;
3. Raise the local water table;
4. Create a reliable source of surface water for wildlife; and
5. Improve the Gila watershed.
In early March, our contractor, Stream Dynamics, Inc., did the heavy machinery phase of this work,
building instream structures with huge boulders harvested on-site. A variety of structures, including check
dams, one-rock dams, and cross vanes, were built
within the livestock exclosure. These were designed to
stabilize the arroyo against erosion, raise the level of
the stream to access its floodplain, trap sediment, and
cause the stream channel to build back up to its original level. All of this will have the effect of getting water
to slow down and soak into the ground to grow a new
generation of riparian vegetation.
A large check dam was built in a narrow part of
the canyon where the arroyo had cut down to bedrock. It was designed to raise the stream bed up to
its original level and protect an ancient cottonwood
tree from drying out and dying. This tree can be the
seed source for a new generation of cottonwoods that
can now grow up within the livestock exclosure area.
This check dam will create a new wet-weather springs,
which will create a new source of water for wildlife.
If the summer thunderstorms favor the Burros this
year, we’ll get to see how the stream responds to these
structures and how long water stays on the surface.
When precipitation makes its way sub-surface, wildlife can dig down a short distance for water. And even
when groundwater goes beyond their reach, it’s recharging the aquifer and raising the local water table.
To maximize the benefits of the instream work
completed, the riparian area was fenced from cattle.
Bar 6 has some decades-old cottonwoods, but no regeneration of seedlings, which cows consume before
they have a chance to get established. The nearby cattle watering tanks allow for the exclusion of cattle in
the Bar 6 riparian area.
The exclosure fence was completed at the end
of June. We inspected it just before this newsletter
went to print and are glad to say that local contractor
Keller Fencing did a very good job, despite the presence of catclaw and steep slopes. Before next summer,
Continued page 8
UGWA’s contractor, Stream Dynamics, moves huge boulders into
place in Bar 6. After several floods, the completed structure will
raise the stream bed to its original level, fixing a cutbank just
upstream of the structure and protecting a huge cottonwood
growing there. Photo by Van Clothier.
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CARAPACE
Summer–Fall 2013
Bar 6 (continued from page 7)
UGWA will host a volunteer planting party. This has
not been scheduled yet because we are waiting to see
if the summer monsoons amount to much. If not, we’ll
probably plant in late fall 2013 or early spring 2014. It’s
difficult to plan in advance when precipitation is the
limiting factor!
By happy coincidence, the Bar 6 area falls along
a wildlife tracking transect that is being monitored
by Silver City volunteers in cooperation with Sky Island Alliance, a Tucson-based nonprofit that monitors wildlife movement in important animal corridors.
Every six weeks, the volunteers walk their transects,
recording and photographing tracks of bobcat, black
bear, coati, jaguar, gray wolf, mountain lion, ocelot,
and box turtle.
It is our hope that their
monitoring data will show that
after the restoration work is
completed, wildlife habitat has
improved. We can’t wait to show
you the jaguar and Mexican gray
wolf tracks!
If you are interested in volunteering to help plant native trees
and shrubs in Bar 6, please contact Donna Stevens by emailing
director@ugwa.org.
A local wildlifemonitoring
team documents
mountain lion
tracks in Spring
Canyon, a
tributary of Bar
6. We anticipate
that Bar 6
wildlife habitat
will improve,
and more tracks
will be recorded
in the future.
Photo by Walter
Szymanski.
The fence surrounds a half-mile
length of the Bar 6 riparian area.
Without the stressor of cattle
grazing, the stream reach within
this exclosure will have a chance
to recover and become more
productive wildlife habitat.
Photos by James Keller.
Summer–Fall 2013 CARAPACE
9
The Bad Old Days Redux
Do you remember the pre-1970s era, when politicians
reflexively voted against environmental protections?
With the formation of the Southwestern County Commission Alliance, those bad old days are back with a
vengeance.
The Southwestern County Commission Alliance
(SWCCA) was born in June 2012, and is apparently
the brainchild of Grant County Commissioner Gabe
Ramos. Not that brains appear to play a prominent
role in this group’s decision-making process.
Made up of five counties (Catron, Grant, Hidalgo,
Luna, and Sierra—Otero and Socorro declined to
join), this alliance’s Joint Powers Agreement states
that “the purpose . . . shall be to bring together the
Southwest New Mexico counties to address local issues with federal, state and local resource agencies in
planning and management regarding resource issues
and opportunities in order to secure and protect the
health, safety and welfare of the citizens within the
SWCCA authority.”
Sounds pretty innocuous, no? Of course we want
our “health, safety and welfare” protected. But protected how, and from what? Wildlife? A healthy environment? SWCCA’s unstated purpose appears to be
the opposition of conservation measures in southwest
New Mexico, as evidenced by actions taken in their
inaugural year.
Following are some lowlights of this group’s discussions and decisions to date.
Travel Management planning in the Gila National Forest seems to be particularly reviled by the
commissioners. At the first SWCCA meeting in June
2012, Sierra County Sheriff Joe Baca stated that the
Forest Service has no authority to close roads, and that
if they do so, he will cut the locks on any gated roads.
Boys and girls, can you say “Sagebrush Rebellion”?
Now that members of the public—including
UGWA staff—attend these meetings and the commissioners are under scrutiny, they have been on better behavior, but just barely. Grant County Commissioner Ramos accused Gila National Forest Supervisor Kelly Russell of making the Travel Management
decision without consulting the county commissioners
or listening to the public. This claim disregards the
Forest Service’s 78 open houses and public meetings
held since 2006, and private meetings with the county
commissioners, though some of these meetings occurred before Ramos’ tenure.
Indeed, one wonders where the commissioners
have been during this years-long Travel Management
process, when the Forest Service received more than
20,000 public comments. And despite the fact that the
Forest Service’s preferred TM alternative leaves open
more than 3,300 miles of roads—enough to drive from
San Diego to Maine—the commissioners all persist in
stating that the public will lose access to the forest. It’s
a temious claim, to be sure. (Look up “temious,” allegedly coined by a Grant County resident, in the online
Urban Dictionary.)
Critical habitat designation for the endangered jaguar is another issue that offends the commissioners. Never mind that the designation would
include only a tiny portion of public land in the Peloncillos in Hidalgo County and would not touch any of
the other counties.
But geography is not the strong suit of this alliance. They opposed the creation of the Organ Mountains–Desert Peak National Monument outside
Las Cruces. Forget about the fact that the monument
is in Doña Ana County, which is not part of the alliance. And never mind that Doña Ana County and
the cities of Las Cruces, El Paso, Sunland Park, and
Mesilla all passed resolutions in support of the monument, anticipating that it will generate tourist income.
And speaking of Las Cruces, the SWCCA apparently sometimes does have that city’s best interests at
heart, as when they approved a resolution supporting
the Southwest New Mexico Regional Water Supply Project (aka “the Deming project”), which would
take water from the Gila River and pipe it over the
Continental Divide to Deming. That resolution states
that “the Luna County Board of Commissioners . . .
supports the creation of an entity that will . . . enter
Continued page 10
CARAPACE
Summer–Fall 2013
Bad Old Days (continued from page 9)
into contracts to sell water to eligible water users . . .”
Who might these “eligible water users” be? The resolution doesn’t say, but it’s all downhill from Deming to
Las Cruces, the largest urban center in southern New
Mexico.
Now that you’re getting a feel for this group’s values, it should come as no surprise that they oppose
Mexican gray wolf reintroduction in the Gila
National Forest. In fact, these commissioners apparently don’t have much love for public land in general.
They co-sponsored a talk in Deming by Utah State
In Memory of Gerry Niva
February 3, 1936–March 29, 2013
UGWA member and longtime conservationist Gerry
Niva passed away in March. Gerry was active in the
Grant County Democratic Party, where she volunteered in the office during campaign season. Gerry
loved to talk politics; despite this penchant, she was
always positive and upbeat, and a joy to be around.
For many years, Gerry planned the field trips for
the Gila Native Plant Society, and she was a supporter
of the Gila River Festival.
Gerry’s husband, Frank Niva, and their daughters asked Gerry’s friends to donate to UGWA in her
name. We are most grateful to the following people,
who honored Gerry’s memory by giving donations to
UGWA:
Pamela Bryant & Ron Groves • Lois Duffy • Gwyn
Jones & Quinn Martin • Betsy Kaido • John Shaffner
Representative Ken Ivory, a fast-talking attorney who,
through his group American Lands Council, advocates turning over federal lands to state control and then
selectively selling off valuable tracts of public land to
private resource industries.
Talk about being “locked out” of the Gila National
Forest!
The Southwestern County Commission Alliance’s
policies are unenlightened, misguided, and unquestionably behind the times. Let’s continue to tell these
commissioners that they don’t stand for our values.
UGWA will continue to represent your views at these
monthly meetings, and we urge you to attend as well.
Meetings are usually held on the last Wednesday
of the month. Visit www.grantcountynm.com, Grant
County’s website, for meeting dates, and be forewarned that meetings are often rescheduled or cancelled at the last minute. Click on “Southwestern
County Commission Alliance” for the Joint Powers
Agreement, meeting minutes, and more.
Earth Matters
A show about earthly
matters that impact
us all!
Brought to you by:
Gila/Mimbres
Community Radio
Gila Resources
Information Project
New Mexico
Wilderness Alliance
Upper Gila Watershed Alliance
Every Tuesday and Thursday
10 am & 8 pm
via webstream@www.gmcr.org
Podcasts available @ http://gmcr.org/category/earth-matters/
Lisa Fryxell
10
Summer–Fall 2013 CARAPACE
Thank You!
New Members
Joan Bacon • Jane Epperson • Lisa Fields •
Chip & Lara Leavitt • Bill Stites • Cyndi Tuell
Returning Members
Neal Apple & Vicki Allen • Barrett &
Sebert Brewer • Jack & Martha Carter • AT &
Cinda Cole, Pitchfork Ranch • Martha S. &
Tom Cooper • Lyle Dethlefsen • Susan Van Auken
& Gurnie Dobbs • Tomas Enos • Nora &
Andrew Fiedler • Sam & Kim Fry • Carol &
Mike Fugagli • Marilyn & Joseph Gendron •
Meyoni Geougé • Katherine Gould-Martin •
Frank Kirschner & Sandy Hathaway •
April Crosby & Merritt Helfferich • Monica Rude
& Kyle Johnson • Naava Koenigsberg •
Raymond Lawson • Arlan Lazere • Don &
Pamela Lichty • Al & Miriam Lopez • Stephen &
Nena MacDonald • Anita McMahon • Richard &
Carol Martin • Michael Bertin & Carolyn Meinel •
David Rose & Ceil Murray • Damie Nelson •
Frank Niva • Kathleen Wigley & Robert Pittman •
Nathaniel Priest • Thomas Krohley &
Esperanza Quintero • Teresa Tibbets &
Tom Rangitsch • Mary Burton Riseley •
Ama Rivers • Sharman Apt Russell •
Ellen Soles • Annie Lessem &
Walt Szymanski, Jr. • Laurie Van Vliet
UGWA Membership Application
Your membership and additional financial
support sustain UGWA and are critical
to the organization’s ongoing health.
Share in the protection and conservation
of our watershed and become an
UGWA member today.
Name(s)
Address
City
State
Thank You to Our Volunteers
Jeff Boyd • Nora Fiedler • Nancy Kaminski •
Michael Lacey • Jay & Madge Slavec •
Walter “Ski” Szymanski
Zip
Telephone
E-Mail
Membership Categories—Annual Dues:
Chiricahua Leopard Frog
Gila Trout
Mexican Gray Wolf
Beaver
River Otter
Other Amount
Thank You to Our Funders
Altman Foundation • Benwood Foundation •
Maki Foundation • McCune Charitable
Foundation • Native Plant Society of New
Mexico • New Mexico Community Foundation •
New Mexico Environment Department •
Secure Rural Schools • The Wilderness Society
11
$1,010
30
50
100
250
Make your check payable to
UGWA
and send to
PO Box 383, Gila NM 88038
❑ I don’t wish to join at this time, but please notify me
of upcoming events:
Name
E-Mail
UGWA’s Statement of Philosophy
The members of the UGWA recognize a
vital and necessary connection between
our individual and collective rights and
responsibilities as landowners and community members and the long-term stewardship of the Upper
Gila River Valley and Watershed.
The members of the UGWA share a love and
concern for our community which is an integral
part of our lives and, therefore, seek to harmonize
our presence and activities within the watershed for
the health and integrity of the entire “community,”
which includes the soil, the air, the water, the people,
the plants, and animals.
The members of the UGWA share the conviction that men and women work best together in
a spirit of cooperation, conflict resolution, and
consensual agreement that builds upon a common
ground that benefits from the views and concerns
of each individual acting as uncoerced free agents.
To realize our vision for the common benefit of
the entire community served by the Upper Gila Watershed, and for the sake of future generations, the
UGWA seeks ways and means to bring people and
organizations together in constructive dialogue and
activities aimed at clear communication, education,
land restoration, research, and local economic health.
UGWA Meeting Schedule
Monthly board meetings are usually the second Monday of the month, from 9–11 a.m.
All are welcome to attend.
For meeting location, please e-mail director@ugwa.org or call 575-590-5698.
Upper Gila Watershed Alliance
PO Box 383
Gila, New Mexico 88038
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