LAW #7 of the ELEVEN LAWS OF WATER Fight to free our water. Fight to keep our water pure, and fight to keep water reserves free and open to all. Never allow natural arsenals of water to be privatized. Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem
"....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
.
.
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.
.
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.
.
.
.
.
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.
.
.
.
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.
.
LITANY FOR ALL CREATION IN A
TIME OF DROUGHT AND FIRE
.
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
.
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.
.
.
ORAL ARGUMENTS BEFORE APPEALS COURT SCHEDULED
.
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.
.
"It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power,
Here's the second page of the LLC website, titled .
THE NEED
.
New Mexico Needs New Sources of Water
The Rio Grande is dying. The river dries up totally in increasingly longer stretches and for increasing longer periods. Throughout New Mexico, cities, ranchers and farmers are forced to pump expensive and dwindling groundwater supplies. In the fall of 2012, the water level in the Elephant Butte Reservoir on the Rio Grande was only 100,000 AF — or 5% of capacity.
Elephant Butte Reservoir 1991
Elephant Butte Reservoir 2011
Saving the Rio Grande requires new approaches to water management in the basin. The Augustin Plains Ranch project will help alleviate this situation in two significant ways.
Global Warming will result in less snowpack, earlier snowmelt and more water lost to evaporation. Peak flow and total streamflow are projected to decline. Runoff from rain may increase and occur earlier in the season. By capturing and storing runoff and distributing it to the river evenly throughout the year, Augustin Plains Ranch will mitigate the impact of Global Warming.
The Greater Albuquerque Metropolitan Area and the Middle Rio Grande Valley currently rely on two sources for their water needs. The Santa Fe Group Aquifer, which is in large part being mined, and surface water from the Rio Grande and San Juan Chama (Colorado) rivers. Augustin Plains Ranch provides the basin with another source of water that would otherwise evaporate. To put it in context, it could replace the entire amount of river water currently taken by Albuquerque to the benefit of farmers, ranchers, habitats and endangered species.
We'll answer various realities here,
particularly "capturing and storing runoff and distributing it to the
river evenly throughout the year" and the eco-painting that
this can do a great service for habitats and endangered species
as well as farmers and ranchers.
I don't have time this minute to get into all the details now, but we'll gather up the arguments - (I have a hydrologist up for an interview about all of this a few weeks from now, upon his return from an overseas trip. Patience.)
But let me say this: anything that sounds too good to be true
is almost always a fraud, as attorney-generals from across the country can tell you.
Use your head. . OK, hold the science for a minute. Let's go to the economics. Michel Jichlinski, with a Masters in Economics from the Hebrew Uiversity in Jerusalem, should be a help here. But no,
NOWHERE is there mention of the COST of this water. What will people pay? What will you guys make? What's the taxpayers cut? There's no talk about it. It's shyster salesmanship at its worst.
It's all psuedo-science and saving the water from evaporation,
and this will save the day. "Just sign on the dotted line, sir. We'll take care of all the details." .
PROVE you can capture and store it! Prove the rainwater you'll be collecting is enough to make up for the pumping of 54,000 acre feet per year. Where's the STATS boys? You try to sell this crap without any evidence to back up your claims. You're a salesman with a poor portfolio Jichlinski. It's all a horrible idea. You need more than lies, bucko.
. They say they need approval for the project before any real testing could occur. If they get approval, it'll be too late to press the issue, they'll be off to the races - it's all nonsense.
It's all a scientific HOAX, put in a scare scenario.
(I made the maps bigger that they are on their site however.
Not to scare anyone, except myself perhaps. I love the Butte.) . But how collecting rainwater at their ranch will mitigate the massive pumping they envision, and how it is possibly going to mitigate global warming in the Rio Grande Valley is a "pipedream" of unbelievable proportions. These guys are quite possibly very familiar with some very dangerous hallucinogenic drugs. .
.
To get a perspective on the Rio Grande, I'm putting up a
radio interview that was broadcast last Friday, 7/5, on KUNM-FM in Albuquerque, on a monthly program called
New Mexico People, Places, and Ideas.
The interviewee is Dr. Fred Phillips,
Director of the Hydrology Program at New Mexico Institute
of Mining and Technology - "New Mexico Tech."
The title of this show is
"Our Growing Water Crisis," and it's a half-hour long.
It's good.
It puts a lot of things in perspective. Like, do we want to imitate Phoenix? Please Doc, tell us it ain't so.... IMITATE PHOENIX? THAT'S A CHOICE HERE?
the LLC as a solution to anything, although he's well
aware of the scheme. We'll have more on all of this.
.
.
. It rained a little around the area a couple of hours after the "Prayer Vigil for Rain & Blessing of the Waters" held at Montosa June 15. Then it stopped. Then it picked up around July 1, and has rained at least a little almost every day since. It's raining as I write this. [Update - July 13] The forecast for the next ten days across the state involves a lot of showers, flash flood watches, etc. Overall, there has been more mositure so far this July, (up to July 12), than there was for the first six months of this year, January - June. It's just ducky, as they say. We count our blessings. Gene Kelly had the right idea. .
. 
. 
.
