DJ Duran, junior at West Las Vegas High School, is going for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place at the ¡ESE! (Espanola Showing Excellence!) Film Festival to be held FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008 in the ‘Cultural Documentary‘ category. His film is entitled ‘Cattle Driven’ and features information about his cattle ranching traditions in Chacon, New Mexico. In his film you will get to see rare footage of taking cattle to mountain pasture, acequia irrigation, and other cattle ranching traditions. Come to the film festival and vote for your favorite entries!

Date: Friday, April 18, 2008

Time: 7-9 pm

Place: Northern new Mexico College, Center for the Arts Auditorium

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ABOUT

CATTLE RANCHING IN THE MORA AREA

This show features a presentation by Dr. Richard Ford at our 3rd Annual Tierra, Agua, y Cultura conference held on March 8, 2008 in Española, New Mexico. This presentation covers the interactions of the various cultures in northern New Mexico with regard to land, water, and seeds that has resulted in the food and agricultural patterns we see in the region today.

Special thanks to Cipriano Vigil for our theme music and Los Viejitos for this month’s musical selection.

Download episode: 29quevivan.mp3

This show features a conversation with two parciantes and a mayordomo of three Taos acequias: Patricia Quintana of the Don Fernando Acequia Sur, Gene Sanchez of the Acequia Sanchez, and Dave Rael, mayordomo of the Spring Ditch. In this conversation we discuss some threats that the Taos acequias are facing with regard to development and politics.

Special thanks to Cipriano Vigil for our theme music and Quinto Sol for this month’s musical selection.

Download episode: 28quevivan.mp3

Community Groups Go to Court to Clean up LANL

Santa Fe, New Mexico — Citing significant violations of the Clean Water
Act at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), an alliance of nine New
Mexico community organizations and two individuals today filed a lawsuit
against the U.S. Department of Energy and the Los Alamos National
Security, LLC. (a copy is available at www.amigosbravos.org/lanl.php)
This morning at the state capitol building in Santa Fe, the community
groups said it was time for LANL to address the substantial contamination
problems that are migrating off the lab’s property.

“We have joined forces to hold LANL accountable for more than 60 years of
contamination that now threatens our future drinking water supply,” said
Brian Shields of Amigos Bravos, one of the community groups.  “Every time
it rains or snows, these contaminants move through our canyons and springs
to the Río Grande.  LANL needs to take immediate and effective action to
protect our community’s waters.”

Megan Anderson of the Western Environmental Law Center and legal counsel
for the alliance of groups and individuals, said that the lawsuit was
based on several violations of the Clean Water Act: failure to comply with
water quality standards; failure to conduct adequate monitoring; failure
to comply with reporting requirements; and failure to have effective
pollution control measures in place.

“The result of these failures is that toxic contaminants are migrating to
the Río Grande and to drinking water sources for Santa Fe and
Albuquerque,” said Joni Arends of Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety.
“In May, the New Mexico Environment Department reported finding plutonium
in the area of the proposed Buckman Direct Diversion Project, a future
drinking water source for the city.”

The groups say that countless studies by the New Mexico Environment
Department (NMED) and LANL itself show that New Mexico’s future water
supply is being threatened by a number of pollutants, including PCBs at up
to 25,000 times the New Mexico Water Quality Standard protective of human
health.

“We joined this lawsuit because we are concerned about contamination from
LANL impacting downstream and downwind irrigators and farmers” said Harold
Trujillo of the New Mexico Acequia Association.  “The Río Grande continues
to be used for fishing and farming all along its length, enabling
dangerous contaminants to get directly into the food chain.”

“It is urgent for rural Northern New Mexico communities downwind of LANL
to acknowledge air as a pathway for water contamination and hold LANL
accountable for toxic and radioactive pollution that blows on a daily
basis into our watershed.  We have joined with our downstream communities
in this lawsuit because, we can be sure, whatever LANL is sending downwind
through the air is going to end up in our watershed, our land and our
water,” said Sheri Kotowski from Embudo Valley Environmental Monitoring
Group.

“There is no justice if LANL is not held accountable for more than 60
years of knowingly contaminating ancestral water,” added Kathy Sanchez,
Director of Tewa Woman United.  “All of us are connected by water.  There
are more than 1,400 documented contaminated sites in sacred ancestral
homelands of water-related life presence.  That is why we, as tribal women
concerned for all relations, and our children’s future, have joined forces
to hold LANL accountable for violations against water’s natural order-
life affirming water.  Purity of water must be returned.”

Clean water is a spiritual and ethical concern,” said Joan Brown of
Partnership for Earth Spirituality.  “Water is the Creator’s gift for the
Common Good.  Our action today is a moral and ethical stance to invite Los
Alamos National Laboratory and all involved to accountability.”

“El aqua es la vida!  We want zero contaminants discharged from LANL, and
we want them to implement Best Management Practices for discharges and
dumping,” said James Maestas of the Don Gabino Andrade Community Acequia
Association.

Robby Rodriguez, Executive Director of SWOP, said that the groups expect
the lawsuit would result in LANL honoring its commitments.  “LANL has a
budget over $2 billion,” Rodriguez said.  “It is inexcusable that they are
failing to clean up their toxic mess, which affects nearby Pueblos and
small towns and cities along the Río Grande.  We want Federal and State
regulators to hold LANL accountable.  LANL needs to take immediate and
effective action to protect our waters.”

Anderson stated that groups filing the lawsuit hoped that total fines from
prior and on-going violations would be vigorously pursued, paid in full,
and allocated to complete and effective independent monitoring and
remediation of the sites in question to prevent future contamination of
our waters.

“There’s a lot at stake here.  We all have a responsibility to protect the
Rio Grande from further degradation,” said Steve Harris, director of Rio
Grande Restoration.

Organizations and individuals filing the lawsuit are Amigos Bravos,
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, Don Gabino Andrade Community
Acequia Association, Embudo Valley Environmental Monitoring Group, New
Mexico Acequia Association, Partnership for Earth Spirituality, Río Grande
Restoration, SouthWest Organizing Project, Gilbert Sanchez, Kathy Sanchez,
and Tewa Women United.

A full copy of the complaint can be found at www.amigosbravos.org/lanl.php

Organizations and individuals that jointly filed the lawsuit include:
*Amigos Bravos – Protecting and restoring New Mexico’s rivers since 1988.
*Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety – Protecting all living beings and
the environment from the effects of radioactive and other hazardous
materials now and in the future.
*Don Gabino Andrade Community Acequia Association – An acequia in the
South Valley of Albuquerque concerned with water quality issues and
providing water to small farmers.
*Embudo Valley Environmental Monitoring Group – Focuses on the public and
environmental health and safety issues related to air emissions generated
by LANL activities that affect our watersheds.
*New Mexico Acequia Association – Strengthening our communities by
sustaining ancestral connections to land, water, and culture.
*Partnership for Earth Spirituality – An interfaith group of people
working for care of God’s creation through reflection, education and
action.
*Rio Grande Restoration – “A policy advocacy group dedicated to protecting
the flows of the Rio Grande.”
*SouthWest Organizing Project – Working to empower our communities to
realize racial and gender equality and social and economic justice.
*Gilbert Sanchez – Member of Tribal Environmental Watch Alliance (TEWA)
and a community activist at the Pueblo of San Ildefonso.
*Kathy Sanchez – Director of Tewa Women United and a community activist at
the Pueblo of San Ildefonso caring for Mother Earth.
*Tewa Women United – A civic group empowering women from the Northern New
Mexico Pueblos.

Western Environmental Law Center, a non-profit, public interest law firm
dedicated to protecting the land, sky, water, wildlife and culture of the
West is representing the community groups and individuals.

###

El Rito Acequia Workshop - February 23, 1pm - 4pm

El Rito Rural Event Center, Abiquiu

Co-sponsored by NMAA and the El Rito Acequia Association

Topics:  Powers and Duties of Commissioners and Mayordomos, Protecting Water Rights, Having Effective Acequia Meetings, Open Meetings Act, Funding for Acequias, Risk Management Coverage for Acequias.

Acequia Easements Workshop - March 6,  1pm - 4pm

State Archives Building,  1205 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe

All acequias have a historic easement along the course of the ditch that should be wide enough for reasonable use, maintenance, and improvements.  Acequias also have easement rights through historic and traditional a points of access.  In this workshop, we will discuss ways to document and protect acequia easements in addition to tips for acequia cleaning day.

Pojoaque/Santa Cruz Acequia Workshop - March 8, 9am - 12pm

Knights of Columbus, Arroyo Seco

Co-sponsored by NMAA, Pojoaque Valley Acequia and Well Association, and the Santa Cruz Irrigation District

Topics:  Acequia Bylaws, Acequia Water Banking, Regulation of Water Transfers, Funding for Acequias.

Acequia Water Banking - March 27, 1 pm - 4pm

State Archives Building, 1205 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe

For hundreds of years, acequias have reallocated unused water rights within the same acequia for use by the other parciantes.  However, under state law, unused water rights were subject to loss for non-use.  In 2003, the legislature authorized acequias to operate “water banks” to provide acequias with the tools to protect water rights from loss for non-use.  It acts as a “paper trail” documenting that water not used by a parciante is still in use by the remainder of the parciantes.  In this workshop, we will discuss the NMAA Water Banking Template, which is a method for doing water banking including draft guidelines for operation and forms for documentation of banked water rights

This show features interviews of Sembrando Semillas members, mentors, and chaperones from a La Jicarita backpacking trip held July 16 & 17, 2007. In this program we talk about hiking to La Jicarita peak, the source of our water and the watershed, and being silent in nature. Participants include:

Celestino Chavez, Taos

RJ Chavez, Taos

Toribio Garcia, Chamisal

Joshua Rivera, Mora

Angel Martinez, Taos

Andrew Mascareñas, Urraca

Augustine Gonzales, Chamisal

Done Gonzales, Chamisal

James Duran, Chacon

Dominic Chavez, Taos

Mentor and chaperone Victor Mascareñas

Chaperone Reynaldo Santistevan

and

Mentor and chaperone Margarita Garcia.

A special thanks to The Center for Whole Communities in Vermont for helping to fund this backpacking trip. Additional thanks to Rocky Mountain Youth Corp in Taos for lending us backpacking equipment for this trip.

Theme music by Cipriano Vigil and this month’s musical selection, “Esperanza,” by the B-Side Players.

Download episode: 27quevivan.mp3

This show features a presentation by Lisa Robert to the Southwest Water class at the University of New Mexico on October 26, 2007.  Lisa was editor of the New Mexico Water Dialogue for several years and has done much work on water issues in the Middle Rio Grande. In this show we dialogue about the Middle Rio Grande Basin, the San Juan-Chama diversion, and the connection between agriculture, surface water, and groundwater.

Music by Cipriano Vigil y los Viejitos.

Download episode: 26quevivan.mp3

On Saturday, December 1^st, acequia leaders from throughout New Mexico convened for the Congreso de las Acequias. Over 150 people from every corner of the state joined to strategize on defense of acequias. “We continue to build strength and unity around the principle that water is life, el agua es la vida,” said Paula Garcia, Executive Director of the New Mexico Acequia Association. In addition to acequia leaders, elected leaders including House Speaker Ben Lujan and several other legislators and county officials attended.

More than twenty regional delegations from such diverse places as the Hondo Valley (Ruidoso), South Valley (Albuquerque), Taos Valley, and Rio de las Gallinas (Las Vegas) met to discuss the most pressing issues facing acequias. “The State Engineer wants to expedite water markets. If we let that happen, it will unravel the acequias,” remarked Jackie Powell of the Hondo Valley who explained the negative impacts of water transfers on acequias and water quality in rivers.

A similar sentiment was echoed from northern New Mexico representatives from El Rito who proposed NMAA take a position to take greater action to keep water rights in their respective communities. “We believe water is a community resource. Local communities need to protect the water from being transferred to other places downstream,” remarked Juan Garcia from El Rito.

According to Don Bustos, a NMAA board member and farmer, “We are not only defending our water but we are building for the future.” Bustos proposed legislative initiative to fund a new Farms for the Future program through the NMSU College of Agriculture. “We realize that it is just as important to revitalize local agriculture,” said Don Bustos, owner of Santa Cruz Farm and Greenhouses. “We need to keep our acequias flowing so that local farmers and ranchers can meet the need for locally grown food.”

Other issues addressed included adjudication reform. Some irrigators expressed concern about how water rights will be quantified. “We believe the state should continue to bear the cost of producing and updating hydrographic surveys. That burden should not be shifted to the claimants,” said James Maestas, an irrigator from the South Valley. “Efforts to expedite adjudication should not come at the expense of fairness.”

Click here for copies of the program and final resolutions.

This show features a Sembrando Semillas workshop held on October 20, 2007 in Chamisal, New Mexico.  In this program you can hear the Sembrando Semillas team learn how to make posole from blue corn.  Featured in this show are:

Maximiliano Garcia: mentor in the making of posole.

Miguel Santistevan: recorder and interviewer.

Margaret Garcia: youth mentor.

Victor Mascareñas, Taos Sembrando Semillas mentor.

AND Youth participants:

RJ Chavez, Taos High School senior.

Juan Felipe Roybal, Peñasco High School junior.
Adam Casados, Peñasco High School.

Karen Mirabal, Taos college student.

Toribio Garcia, Peñasco High School junior.

Michael Fresquez, Peñasco High School.

Music by Cipriano Vigil and David Garcia y su conjunto.

Download episode: 25quevivan.mp3

On Saturday, October 20, 2007, the Sembrando Semillas team gathered in Chamisal to learn how to make posole from blue corn. This workshop was led by our mentor Maximiliano Garcia with great support from his family. The workshop was attended by Taos’ RJ Chavez, Karen Mirabal, as well as Questa’s Andrew, Samantha, Jordan, and Lauren Mascareñas. Penasco Semillas included Toribio Garcia, Michael Fresquez, Juan Felipe Roybal, Adam & Eric Casados, and Donne, Augustine, & Ignacio Gonzales.

We learned about the entire process of making posole, starting with the planting and harvesting of blue corn last year. The workshop consisted of desgranando el maiz, aigriandolo, lavandolo, and boiling the corn with cal (slake lime) until it turned orange and the seed shell started coming off. It then had to be rinsed several times to remove the cal. At that point it was frozen or could also be dried for later use. Posole, like chicos, is a fundamental food in northern New Mexico culture so having this knowledge is important. You will be able to hear about this workshop on the November edition of “¡Que Vivan las Acequias!”

!!! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ABOUT THIS DAY !!!