New Mexico Acequia Association

In show #32 you can hear the first presentation of the 3rd Annual Ben Lujan Leadership and Public Policy Institute held at New Mexico Highlands University on May 19 & 20, 2008 by the youth leaders of the Sembrando Semillas Acequia Youth Project: Toribio Garcia, DJ Duran, and Margaret Garcia. The objectives for the Institute are to convene community leaders, youth, and students to learn from successful projects and campaigns to protect land and water rights, to discuss ways to replicate projects that demonstrate the viability of land-based livelihoods, and to identify strategies to integrate community interests and knowledge into the educational system.

Special thanks to Cipriano Vigil for our theme music and the B-Side Players for this month’s musical selection.

Download episode: 32quevivan.mp3

The 9th Annual Congreso de las Acequias will be held on Friday and Saturday, December 5th and 6th at The Lodge in Santa Fe on North Saint Frances Drive.  Details are forthcoming.  Friday will consist of workshops followed by a banquet and awards ceremony that evening.  Saturday will be the general assembly of the Congreso de las Acequias, the statewide governing body of the New Mexico Acequia Associations with regional delegations from over 25 regions of the state.  For more information, please call 505-995-9644 or email marcela@lasacequias.org.

Augustine Gonzales learns how to use the cutter bar on the tiller while Donne Gonzales (back left) helps her mom Juliet remove the flowers from the plants. Removing the flowers from the plants is said to help the potatoes grow bigger.

After a day’s work, the field looks nice! Ready for some papas?

Photo by Donne Gonzales.