The next round with the foreigners is now scheduled:
Thursday, November 12, at 1:15 pm
Socorro County Courthouse
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We'll have more up about the issue at hand -
the who-what-why - but basically it's a legal strategy
by the enemy: trying get an earlier decision
that ruled in the good guys' favor
to be set aside. It's legal wrangling. This is NOT a hearing on their latest application.
More coming.
* GOOD NEWS! Some members of the New Mexico Legislature's Interim Committee on Water and Natural Resources have all made recent statements questioning or outright opposing the WATER GRAB. Eileen Dodds of the Water Coalition got some terrific information at their Aug 31-Sept 1 meeting. We'll have some quotes and more in our next posting.
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Drought Fears Subside - LLC Shuts Up!
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Compare the above to the situation
in July of 2013 - 27 months ago.
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At this point in 2013, and for months and
months following, the foreigners kept up the
salesman's spiel that only NEW sources of
water would save us from the drought,
such as, or most especially, the aquifer they want to tap, the San Augustin Plains aquifer.
Our only hope was to welcome the
thieves and end up buying what was ours
to begin with. What bullshit.
There were other new sources of water,
and so we tapped into these other "reserves"
one might say. Keep the devil out of here.
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They've now shut their traps about drought. We pray further that they'll eventually shut up about all of it, and stay in (or go back to) their homelands, where fraud, theft, and lying must be typical national pastimes. At least among the high and mighty.... at least (or especially) when it involves Americans. It certainly appears as such.
"....if the gods are good - and if all has been done well, the gods are good - rain is coming. As the late afternoon light wanes, dusk is usually hastened by the gathering of huge clouds,
streaks of rain appear over distant mesas, dude-wranglers marshal their charges into cars, eager to 'cross the wash' before floods fill it, Hopis from neighboring villages get themselves and
their families loaded into cars; and then comes the long, swishing, sweet-smelling rain, pouring in cleansing floods from the roofs into the streets and over the edges of the mesa,
bringing hope and confident assurance that hearts
were pure and the work was pleasing in
the sight of the unseen ones.
The Snake-dance always brings rain."
Erna Fergusson
Dancing Gods: Indian Ceremonials of
New Mexico and Arizona
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Jewish Tradition/Water/Rain/Prayer
"The land you are about to enter and settle is unlike the land of Egypt you have left, in which one could sow seeds and irrigate by foot, like a vegetable garden. The land you are going to settle is a land of mountains and valleys, which absorbs water as rain from heaven." Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11: 10–12
Water plays a central role in Jewish tradition, both literally and metaphorically. The ancient Israelite agricultural system was dependent on rains coming in their proper times and in proper amounts. And throughout our liturgy, we are presented with the idea that rain is a blessing that reflects our societal balance and harmony. Today, water continues to play a crucial role in our agricultural systems. And while we have developed advanced irrigation methods, ultimately, we are dependent on clean water and rains coming in their proper times. During the High Holy Days we take stock not only of our own lives, but also on the state of the natural resources on which our lives depend. When we consider water, it has been quite a year indeed. We have witnessed a frightening series of droughts, forest fires, floods, ice melts, heat waves, and other extreme weather events. On top of these natural phenomena, hydro-fracking has emerged as one of the most significant environmental issues of our time.
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ABOUT THE VIDEO BELOW "A Prayer for Rain" Jewish Farm School's first video in the Feast Forward series, includes a diverse cross-section of people reading an adaptation of T'filat HaGeshem and the themes of the poem are connected to contemporary issues related to clean water, sustainable agriculture and climate change.
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Below is a music video of one of the most CLASSIC songs
about rainstorms ever composed. "Cloudburst" from
THE GRAND CANYON SUITE by Grofe.
One
of the major sacred places of Hopi Tribal origins
and
religious beliefs is the Grand Canyon,
known to the Hopi as Öngtuvqa,
including the area of the
confluence. It is believed to be a
place where many Hopi
ancestors lived and their spirits
still dwell there including
many
cultural resources that support its
revered status for Hopi
people.
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From the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer
For Rain. O God, heavenly Father, who by
thy Son Jesus Christ hast promised to all those who seek thy
kingdom and its righteousness all things necessary to sustain their life:
Send us, we entreat thee, in this time of need, such moderate
rain and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth, to our
comfort and to thy honor; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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LITANY FOR ALL CREATION IN A
TIME OF DROUGHT AND FIRE
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God of all creation, of rain and fire, of ponderosa and pinon, we your people lift our prayer to You. Lord, hear our prayer.
For rain in this thirsty land, and for hope in this hard time.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the people who are dealing with a water shortage and its effects- both financial and personal - from Magdalena to the Plains, from the Rio Grande Valley to Elephant Butte Reservoir. Lord, hear our prayer.
For
firefighters on the front lines, for pilots and crews, and all who are
working across the State of New Mexico at this time to contain fires -
for their safety and stamina. Lord, hear our prayer.
For
the animals and birds that have lost habitat or lack water sources, for
the plants and trees, rivers and lakes, and all creation that is
suffering because of drought and fire, and often because of human greed
or human carelessness. Lord, hear our prayer.
For
the farmers and ranchers, and others of our rural communities whose
lives and livelihoods are threatened by fire, drought, or water theft. Lord, hear our prayer. For
the just and wise use of the water You have given us, to be gracious
stewards of Your creation and good neighbors with all people. Lord, hear our prayer.
For
the wisdom to conserve resources, and the grace to share them, with
common sense and a dedication to protect what is a sacred trust - to
understand that we are not so much owners as we are custodians of land, and to know that water is life. Lord, hear our prayer.
For
the local, state, and federal authorities and leaders - to have Your
courage, O Lord, and Your vision, to make hard decisions for the common
good,and the will to stand up to financial and political powers that would rob the state's citizens of what is theirs. Lord, hear our prayer.
For
a peaceful resolution to the difficulties that people face on the San
Augustin Plains aquifer water project, and a fair, just, and timely
answer from the New Mexico Court of Appeals. Lord, hear our prayer. Gracious God, You who hear the prayer of every heart, hear now the prayers we lift up to you now.
(A moment of silent prayer.)
Hear all of our prayers O God, spoken and unspoken.
Remind us that You are the One who listens and Who hears.
Grant us the wisdom to love one another, and this God-given earth, as You do.
We pray in Your name, and offer the prayer that Christ taught us:
Our Father, Who are in heaven, holy be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give
us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen
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The litany above was written by Rev. Talitha Arnold of Santa Fe, NM. Permission is allowed to reproduce and adapt for worship services or church education. Publishing rights are reserved.
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ORAL ARGUMENTS BEFORE APPEALS COURT SCHEDULED
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August 21 at 10 am is the tentative court date for oral arguments to be heard in the Augustin Plains Ranch LLC case. The location is the Albuquerque Court of Appeals Pamela B. Minzner Law Center, 2211 Tucker, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.
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"It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power,
Above - The Truchas Peaks in northern New Mexico, part
of the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountain Range.
Insert - The village cemetery at Truchas, NM . These mountains, running from north of Santa Fe across the state line into Colorado, are a major source of runoff for the Rio Grande.
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From the Las Cruces Sun-News
Mediocre snowpack shapes up in Rio Grande, expert says
Irrigators hopeful winter will bring more water to district
Las Cruces - After what Doña Ana County irrigators said was a mediocre start to the winter, snowpack levels in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico will be closely watched in the first quarter of 2014.
That's after a historic low irrigation year in 2013.
Phil King, water engineer for the Elephant Butte Irrigation District, said the season is shaping up better than a year ago, "which isn't saying much," because last year was a record low irrigation year. But neither is the forecast stellar.
"It's certainly not going to be a good one," he said. "It won't be anything close to a full supply."
A federal snowpack report Monday showed that the Upper Rio Grande Basin -- a key water source for the Rio Grande -- sat at about 90 percent of normal for this point in the season.
And while that might seem positive, experts said the figure is on a downward trend.
After the season began Oct. 1, there was decent snowfall in the watershed, experts said. But that changed.
"It was actually up over 100 percent (of normal) through early December, but then it quit snowing," King said.
Wayne Sleep, hydrologic technician for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said the snowfall "pretty well shut down in December."
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