ALAMOSA — With the theme of “In Scarcity, Opportunity for Community,” the Salazar Rio Grande del Norte Center at Adams State University recently shared the agenda for the 2022 Rio Grande State of the Basin Symposium.

Inspired by these words from the late Justice Greg Hobbs, the symposium will address the causes of water scarcity here in the San Luis Valley, and ways that the community is coming together to address the issues. The public is invited to attend this free virtual event, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26. Registration is available online at: tinyurl.com/StateoftheBasin2022.

Symposium Agenda Overview

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Maria E. Montoya of NYU provide her global perspective in her key note address on ‘A Look at Water Scarcity Globally: From the American West to China.’ And we’re bringing back long time Adams State professor and newly appointed State Director for the USDA’s Colorado Office of Rural Affairs, Armando Valdez as our Master of Ceremonies,” said organizer Rio de la Vista, “As a multigenerational farmer/rancher from the Capulin area, a water leader, educator and now statewide leader, Armando brings his valuable perspective to the whole event.”

The morning will begin with a report on the current “State of the Basin,” including the latest data on snowpack measurements and flow forecasts by Division Engineer, Craig Cotten with the Colorado Division of Water Resources. He will also provide information about the state of our groundwater and related challenges.

Given the various aspects of community and water scarcity facing our community now and, in the time, ahead, the Symposium agenda will address three key causes of water scarcity and the community’s response to them: the state of the Valley’s aquifers and subdistricts, the current threat of water exportation, and the current and future effects of climate change.

The session on “What’s up with the aquifers?” will include a panel addressing the status of the aquifers and the work of the Groundwater Management Subdistricts to achieve ground water sustainability. Amber Pacheco from the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, George Whitten, rancher and water leader in Saguache County, and Charlie Goodson of Colorado Open Lands will answer common questions about these issues.

For the session on “What’s up with the water exportation threat?”, Heather Dutton, Manager of the San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District and the Rio Grande representative on the statewide Colorado Water Conservation Board will give an update on the latest developments with the proposal to move SLV water to Douglas County. Michael Carson of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District will let participants know how they can learn and engage in the collective effort to prevent exportation and the collaborative protectsanluisvalley.com information source.

“What’s happening with climate change?” will be addressed by well-known journalist and author Laura Paskus, drawing from here recent book, “At the Precipice: New Mexico’s Changing Climate,” which was published in September 2020 by the University of New Mexico Press. A longtime environment reporter based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Paskus is the environment reporter for New Mexico PBS, and produces the monthly series, “Our Land: New Mexico’s Environmental Past, Present and Future.”

The program will also include information about the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable’s newly completed Rio Grande Basin Implementation Plan from Emma Reesor of the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project.  Becky Mitchell, Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board will update on the new version overall Colorado Water Plan.

State Senator Cleave Simpson (R-District 35) will share the latest on water bills at the Colorado State Legislature. Updates on the Salazar Rio Grande del Norte Center’s upcoming water education programs for Adams State and the community will also be provided.

Hosts and Sponsors

The Salazar Center and the Rio Grande Water Conservation District are co-hosts of the annual Rio Grande State of the Basin Symposium, with generous support from the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Symposium sponsorships from the SLV Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Conejos Water Conservancy District, the SLV Irrigation District, the SLV Water Conservancy District, Headwaters Alliance, Colorado Open Lands, and generous individual donors all help make this event possible and free to the community.

To register and for more information about the 2022 Rio Grande State of the Basin Symposium, go to tinyurl.com/StateoftheBasin2022. Interested citizens can also follow the Salazar Rio Grande del Norte Center on Facebook for regular updates on water issues and get information about Water Education program at Adams State University at www.adams.edu/about/salazar-center/ or contact them directly at [email protected].

To learn even more about water issues in the Rio Grande, videos of presentations from the 2019, 2020, and 2021 Rio Grande State of the Basin Symposiums and other past water talks are all available online at: https://tinyurl.com/ASU-SalazarCenterPlaylist. The 2022 Symposium recordings will be posted there as well, as part of the Salazar Center’s on-going work to develop a Rio Grande Library of water information and resources.