Proceedings for the

Rio Chama Congreso 2019

February 23, 2019 Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM

Hosted by the San Juan – Chama Watershed Partnership

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONGRESO SUMMARY ...... - 1 - TABLE DISCUSSIONS...... - 2 - POSTER FEEDBACK ...... - 4 - SPECIAL THANK YOU ...... - 5 -

San Juan – Chama Watershed Partnership PO Box 5701, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 sanjuanchama.org | www.facebook.com/sanjuanchama Congreso 2019: Proceedings

CONGRESO SUMMARY

This year’s Congreso was held at Ghost Ranches’ Education & Retreat Center from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Over 60 people were in attendance to discuss the Infrastructure Challenges on the Rio Chama including the identification of acequia irrigation challenges and the Corrective Action Study on El Vado. These people are representative of the diversity in our watershed from Durango to Socorro, residents to agencies to non-profits, and recreationists to irrigators to professionals.

The Master of Ceremony for this year’s Congreso was Mary Stuever who emphasized the vision of what is wanted for our watershed and ways for us to work together to accomplish the vision.

The first presentation was given by four UNM students (Emma Kelly, Griff Nuzzo, Michaela Jones, & Adrian Marziliano) whose presentation was followed by a panel of individuals who represented entities from Abiquiu Dam and below. The UNM students provided a background on the resilience of the Rio Chama below Abiquiu Dam as well as context for the problems facing the acequia communities. More information about the UNM study can be access at acequia.weebly.com.

Chavela Trujillo (NMAA), Austin Kuhlman (USACE), Tim Seaman (RCAA), and Steve Harris (RGR) comprised a panel that discussed Acequia Rehabilitation below Abiquiu Dam and identified problem areas in the Rio Chama such as channel capacity and flow problems and presented work that has been done to create a base line for acequia health which includes a mapping report. The mapping report is an interactive map that identifies problem areas and where resources need to be directed to. In this report is a re-photo project that has before and after photos of locations after infrastructure has been restored in those areas. Additionally, this panel discussed habitat improvements for the aquatic and riparian ecosystems below and to build resiliency in these systems while involving as many user groups as possible. It was all brought together about how acequias, habitat, and recreation is interconnected

Students from Escalante Middle High School presented on the results of preliminary sampling with two more sampling trips planned for the spring, with the goal of sharing water quality data. They described water pollution sources and the importance of water health, followed by the preliminary sampling that included turbidity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen with all these variables being compared to the flows below & . The students tied the presentation together by discussing connectivity, quality and quantity, and how field experience is important for the development of future stewards. Following Will be doing river bank restoration through willow planting

Chris Stageman and Mary Stuever presented the Water and Fire Forecasts, respectively, for the San Juan Chama Watershed region. The Water Forecast showed that temperature and precipitation had equal chances of being below average and above average. The Fire Forecast took a look at seasonal precipitation & temperature, weather patterns, drought, fine fuels, and monsoon predictions. Based on previous and current conditions, there is an expectation for

- 1 - Rio Chama Congreso 2019: Proceedings higher temperatures and average water. Those interested in keeping up to date on forecast developments can access the information at https://gacc.nifc.gov/swcc/predictive/outlooks/seasonal/Fire_Season_Potential_and_Outlook. htm

Mary Stuever discussed after wildfire impacts to rural communities in . She discussed some strategies at the Federal and State level for recovery assistance. Key resources from this presentation can be found here: https://afterwildfirenm.org/

The US Bureau of Reclamation presented an overview of the upcoming Corrective Action Study on El Vado Dam which was then followed by a panel of representatives from the Middle Conservancy District, El Vado residents and recreationists, Reclamations field office and the Village of Chama. The Corrective Action Study presentation detailed the various options that are being considered for updating El Vado Dam as well as the possible consequences to downstream users and to the users of the road across El Vado. The panel of representatives

PowerPoint presentations and resources provided by the speakers are available on the San Juan – Chama Watershed Partnership website at www.sanjuanchama.org/congreso-2019 and at www.sanjuanchama.org/resources.

TABLE DISCUSSIONS

Workforce Development – Jobs/Education/Skills 1. Connecting Youth with STEM/STEAM education with agencies/organizations 2. Connecting young people to culinary arts, traditional knowledge/foods – culturally appropriate programming. 3. Creating internships where young people work with mentors and learn research skills, critical thinking skills, problem solving while learning job skills. 4. How to create opportunities while promoting learning and job skills a. Mentoring with an agency b. Hourly pay model c. Stipend model 5. Partnering on programming and funding 6. In school supported versus extra-curricular activities 7. Connecting to community partners/mentors 8. Field experience, field trips, connecting youth around the state on issues related to water 9. ISSUES: funding, time, transportation

Chama Flow Project 1. 4 participants – MRGCD, OSE Watermaster, Acequia Mayordomo, Flow Project a. Audubon, TU Purchasing water rights for rivers

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b. MRGCD relies on professional ditch riders to: i. Rotational delivery, trades & swaps between ditches, curtailment c. Watermaster monitors diversion in Rio Chama & enforces over-diversion, shortage sharing agreement between acequias Nortenas (~Chama) & RCAA (blow Abiquiu Dam) d. Mayordomo activity varies ditch-to-ditch i. Needs tools to measure flows, ensure water rights, water leases for cash ii. Irrigation efficiency 2. Keeping young farmers in production in Chama Valley a. Help move produce to farmers markets b. Instead on non-existent jobs, opportunities for next generation “value-added” may exist including: i. As chilis give way to pecans in LRG, production will move north ii. Legal hemp growing is growth market iii. Opportunity for entrepreneurs to create products

Integrating Biomass Utilization with Forest Restoration 1. Gives value to small diameter wood 2. Creates sustainable jobs 3. Provides dispatchable power when the sun shines less 4. Bio-char systems sequester carbon for regenerative agriculture a. A carbon negative energy source 5. Can provide feedstocks to replace petrochemicals 6. Provides heat and power locally a. Using local labor and local resources b. Keeping the money local, not exported 7. Many opportunities emerging 8. Excess hazardous levels can become the basis for sustainable support of forest communities

Oil & Gas Leasing 1. Education at all school levels 2. Help understand the basics of hydraulic fracturing a. Chemicals b. Water usage… millions of gallons 3. How to participate with a. BLM b. State lands c. Private Lands

Basin Study 1. How do we make the study result in a useful product with a continuing life? a. Widespread participation and buy-in from all segments of water community b. Online tools

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c. Outreach to decision-makers d. Recommendations that set group up for future federal and non-federal funding of recommended projects 2. Engagement a. State of NM is critical and is working toward participation b. Wild Earth Guardians has hired human ecologist to transition to working in water community rather than against it c. Who have we missed? – need to continue outreach.

Forest Announcements 1. El Rito Ranger District Conservation Clean Up Day – May 18th (Sat) a. Contact Angie Krall 575-581-4554 2. Capital Christmas Tree(s) coming from the Carson NF a. Need to send 10,000 ornaments from NM also need tree skirts!! b. If you/group want to participate contact Angie Krall 575-581-4554

Rio Grande Water Fund 1. Supporting (at least) 2 pieces of legislation this session a. HB266 – Recurring funding for forest restoration b. HM42 – Prescribed Fire Memorial 2. Collaborative Capacity at local level continues to develop in RGWF footprint. a. Still areas for improvement but progress being made 3. Funding 5-7 restoration projects – forest? a. Stream – in 2019-2020!

POSTER FEEDBACK

Climate Change & Drought Resiliency 1. Historic River Flow Stories (pre Abiquiu dam) 2. Willingness to adapt & change 3. Ecological services and our economies

Partnership Capacity & Ideas for future Congreso’s 1. Link on SJCWP web site to UNM student report 2. Resilience & Adaptation 3. Ecology

Forests 1. Cord Wood Construction 2. Bring together those who need firewood with those who need defensible space but can’t afford

Grazing

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1. Rotational grazing & carbon sequestration on private land within Rio Chama Watershed 2. Maintain the grounds health 3. Water retention – 1 rock dams, etc. 4. Economic grazing efficiencies 5. Let Ranchers manage the grazing

Infrastructure 1. Reauthorize reservoirs to be more flexible & integrated & more stored water should be held upstream to prevent evaporation 2. Ask questions upfront about multiple uses of infrastructure to avoid lost opportunities a. Ex using water to store electrical energy from renewables integrated in with water municipality b. Modular Pumped Hydro 3. Smart growth & green infrastructure 4. New road to El Vado 5. Create structure & regional planning groups

Water 1. The river needs to be at the table 2. Water sharing agreements with acequias, SJC contractors & government agencies 3. Regional water banks & conservation plans 4. Stabilize flow rates below El Vado Dam for Brown Trout Spawn in the fall 5. Improve irrigation – effective use of water 6. More involvement to water quality 7. Make flows less variable & more conductive to good fish & aquatic invert habitat

Miscellaneous 1. Bio Char Heating Revenue Positive Carbon Negative 2. the sun doesn’t shine at night when heat is most needed. Biomass energy is dispatchable whenever needed 3. biomass utilization jobs are continuous when landscape is thinned over 20 years there is new 20-year growth to be thinned again. 4. Involve youth

Special Thank You

A Special Thank You to our Speakers and Facilitators: Bill Clark, David Cooper, Billy Elbrock, Morgan Erikson, Don Diego Gonzalez, Collin Haffey, Mike Hamman, Steve Harris, Lakisha Johnson, Michaela Jones, Emma Kelly, Angie Krall, Austin Kuhlman, Dagmar Llewellyn, Jeremy Marshall, Adrian Marziliano, Griff Nuzzo, Claudia Reynoso, Victor Salazar, Lucia Sanchez, Rich Schrader, Tim Seaman, Chris Stageman, Mary Stuever, Chavela Trujillo, John Ussery, Marcos Valdez, Jasmine Vigil, Michael Vollmer, Margaret Wadsworth

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