MEETINGS:
Mesa Public Library, Upstairs Meeting Rm, 7:00PM
Wednesday, November 7: John Bartlit and Don Neeper of New Mexico Citizens for Clean Air & Water will present
"What Citizens Do: A Greener NM Oil Conservation Division (OCD) and Intel Corp."
Learn about new regulations and the role citizens can play in promoting science at the OCD. Also discussed will be the national history of air regulation and the resulting authorities and limitations of the state Air Quality Bureau.
Wednesday, December 5: Steve Harris, Rio Grande Restoration Presents:
Long River, Short Water: A Story of Rio Grande Water Development
This presentation was originally scheduled for October.
The essential condition of the Rio Grande has been described
as “a state of perpetual drought, mitigated by brief periods of
abundance.” The modern Rio Grande dilemma stems from a fascinating
historical drama in which claims to the waters of the river have come to exceed
its ordinarily available supplies.
During the past 150 years, the human relationship with the river has been a
series of attempts to stretch and mold the river to accommodate changing
desires of successive cultures: first for water with which to irrigate
crops, more recently for water to supply expanding urban populations and,
lately, for water to maintain the river’s ecological viability.
Today's society continues to be challenged to equitably allocate and share the
water among users of the river and to defend our lands against flooding and
water logging. If, at times we have disregarded the laws of nature and
physics which govern rivers, we have discovered that we will bear the
consequences. This talk, then , will be about the causes and effects of converting
rivers into wealth.
Says Harris: “If the past and present trajectory of the Rio Grande
predicts the direction of its future, we may anticipate economic insecurity and
ecological decline. Though we seldom consider the facts, today’s
generation is not particularly well served by past tinkering with the river.
Coming generations will depend on our best efforts to correct the course.
If decision-makers are able to understand how we got into our present dilemma,
they may be able to apply these lessons, make policies with respect to the
river and perhaps protect it as a life support system to the universe of water
using communities- farms and habitats, upstream and downstream.”
Harris is the founder and
Executive Director of Rio Grande Restoration, a non-profit stream-flow advocacy
group.
There will be no general meeting in January. We will meet instead to elect new officers and plan for the coming year. If you would like to participate, please contact Ilse Bleck.
OUTINGS:
Saturday, November 3: Moderate hike in the Jemez Mountains, location to be
determined. Mark Jones (662-9443).
Saturday, November 10: Hike to Window Rock near Espanola-Moderate, 8 miles. Ilse
Bleck(ibleck@yahoo.com or 662-2368).
Saturday, December 1: Moderate hike in the Jemez Mountains, location to be
determined. Mark Jones (662-9443).
Saturday, December 8: X-C (or snowshoeing) if there is snow, at Cumbres Pass –
Beginner/Intermediate. X-C ski rentals available in Chama. Leave Los Alamos at 7
am, return at 6 pm. Wear layers of clothes, including gaiters. Bring knapsack, lunch,
water. For more information and to sign up, call Jean Dewart (662-9592 by Wed
12/5).
Saturday, December 15. Ojito trail near continental divide and Rio Chama. Moderate,
9miles, 1000’ gain, one steep/strenuous section. Michael Di Rosa (667-0095 or
663-0648).
Saturday, January 19. Strenuous snowshoe in Cerro Grande area, 8 miles, 2500', Valle Grande views, hike if poor snow. Michael Di Rosa (667-0095 or 663-0648).