| Through Amigos Bravos' new Somos Vecinos (We Are Neighbors) initiative, we are working to build consensus among some of the culturally and ideologically diverse water interests in New Mexico and develop collaborative policies toprotect the rivers and water resources upon which we all rely. We have taken on this project with the firm belief that we share more common values and concerns than differences, and that we will make no progress on critical issues as long as entrenched conflicts continue to exist.
Key representatives from the acequia, Pueblo, and environmental communities have expressed great interest in the initiative, affirming our feeling that it is timely and important. During the next two years, we are undertaking a collaborative process in which we will identify common values and threats, establish common ground on specific issues, and develop policy recommendations.
Endorsed by a wide spectrum of river and water interests, these collective policy recommendations should carry extraordinary weight and credibility with the statelegislature and state agencies. We are confident that state legislators and regulators will respond favorably to divisive politics-as-usual and result in increased protection for New Mexico's rivers and water resources, and the communities that rely on them.
Instream flow––the idea that rivers have a legal right to water––has proven to be very divisive in the New Mexico river movement. New Mexico is currently the only state that does not provide legal protection for instream flow, but 1998 opinions from both the State Engineer and the Attorney General determined that instream flow permits were legal. Though instream flow would clearly benefit river and riparian ecosystems, northern New Mexico irrigators,who rely on the centuries-old acequia tradition see instream flow as yet another threat to imperiled community water rights. At this point, the debate has become un-necessarily polarized, leaving the issue of instream flow in a political stalemate until some resolution can be reached that will legally protect both healthy stream flows and traditional community acequias. Somos Vecinos could be the vehicle for breaking that stalemate.
The instream flow issue has a high profile at the moment, but is only one of many river issues Somos Vecinos will address. Our initial meetings have identified TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Loads) and other water quality issues, endangered species protection, ecosystem restoration, water conservation, water banking, water rights adjudication, and sustainable agriculture as potential topics to be addressed in this initiative.
Amigos Bravos' mission includes a commitment to social justice and to supporting "the environmentally sound, sustainable traditional ways of life of indigenous cultures." We view the acequia tradition as a solid example of environmentally sound, sustainable water use, and the wider community and economic concerns surrounding acequias as clear issues of social justice. Maintaining healthy rural economies and a healthy environment are dual priorities for healthy communities––one goal is not more important than the other. Still, it will take some work to strike the balance. |
