NEWS
ARTICLES AND COMMENTARY
 June
3, 2022 - Wishing the Gila Wilderness a Happy 98th Birthday. CounterPunch
Related reading: First & Wild West. Torrey
House Publishers May
13, 2021 -
The Gila River Indian Community innovates for a drought-ridden
future. ... Through partnerships and exchanges, the community is ensuring that
its members have long-term access to their own resources while helping solve broader
water supply problems. HCN
March 22, 2021--
Meditations from the Greater Gila: On the Possibility
of Wolves, the Actuality of Dark Skies, and Actualizing the Possible. CounterPunch
March
21, 2021-
Legislation to End the Gila Diversion for Good Passes the Senate!
House Bill 200 passed the senate by a tally of 25-16 on March 17 after passing
the house of representatives by a tally of 43-24 on February 25. It now heads
to the governor's desk and awaits her signature! RELATED: What is the Gila River
Project? Wiki
February 24, 2021 - From NM Wild:
Tell Your Representative to End the Gila
Diversion for Good!. House Bill 200, which is sponsored by Reps. Matthew McQueen
and Nathan Small and Sens. Mimi Stewart and Siah Correa Hemphill, would fast-track
NM Unit Funding to priority water projects, creating long-term water security
and jobs in southwest New Mexico. ... Last June, nearly 9,000 messages were
sent to the to the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) and convinced its members
to finally defund the costly and wasteful Gila diversion plan. Many of you also
helped HB200 pass the House Agriculture & Water Resources and Judiciary committees
this month. ... Now, HB200 authorizes the more qualified Water Trust Board to
recommend how the remaining $80 million in the NM Unit Fund will be spent on water
improvement projects in Catron, Grant, Hidalgo, and Luna counties, replacing the
group behind the failed Gila diversion - a group that still wants to pursue a
diversion. ... The legislation is necessary because it prohibits spending any
of the $80 million on a future diversion! ... The bill will be up for a vote in
the full House of Representatives this week. Help us make sure it passes and goes
to the Senate! tContact your
Rep. February
11, 2021-
Tell Legislators to End the Gila Diversion for Good. Download.pdf
from NM Wild. December
2, 2020 -
Federal Grazing Fees: the Hidden Subsidy. CounterPunch June
25, 2020 -
Thank
New Mexico's Leaders for Ending the Gila Diversion!
Download
Press Release  See
also June 16 below June
16, 2020 -
The New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) will
hold a vote on Thursday, June 18 to decide whether or not to continue funding
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) evaluation of the harmful, wasteful
Gila Diversion Project. Please send a message to ISC commissioners urging them
to VOTE NO and kill the project for good. Vote
here  Download
Press Release May
12, 2020 -
“M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River
Act” - Introduced in NM Legislature by Martin Heinrich and Tom
Udal April
11, 2020 -
Comment by April 16 to protect river segments in the Gila!
Click here April
11, 2020 - A Compendium of Questions & AnswersRelating to Wild & Scenic
Rivers (May 1997) Click
here
March
31, 2020 -
From New Mexico Wild March 31, 2010
Comment by April 16
to protect Wilderness in the Gila! The Gila National Forest is currently revising
its forest management plan for the first time since 1986. The final version of
this plan will determine how Wilderness, wildlife, water, and other natural resources
are managed within the Forest for the next 20-30 years. Download
announcement
March 7, 2020
-
Wild and Scenic bill opponents out in force at meeting. Silver
City Daily February
20, 2020 -
Reforming
Expectations to Save Western Rivers. ... Recently, former Interior Secretary Babbitt
proposed an alternative to the highly controversial yet difficult-to-kill Gila
River diversion project, which would dam and divert water from the last free-flowing
river in New Mexico CounterPunch
Related:
Damming the Gila a vampire proposal Santa
Fe New Mexican February
20, 2020 -
How
the Military is Raiding Public Lands and Civilian Spaces Across the Western Front.
CounterPunch February
5, 2020 -
New
Mexico deserves wild, scenic Gila River - Howie Morales, NM Lieutenant Governor.
Chieftain
Letter Download
August
27, 2019 -
San
Carlos Apache Leader: Proposed Oak Flat Mine Is an Environmental Injustice
Phoenix
New Times September
26, 2019 -
Grant
County Passes Wild & Scenic Resolution!
Download
August
3, 2019 -
“Voices of the Gila” – local community members
who love the Gila River and believe it should be protected for generations to
come through Wild and Scenic designations. Voices
January
30, 2019 -
Board Member Harry Browne OpEd on the Gila River NMELC
March
2019 -
NM Environmental Law Center Green Fire Report
Mt. Taylor Mind;
LANL Consent Order; HB 220; HB 255 - Legislation
update October
22, 2018 - PROTEST COPPER FLAY MINE -
The New Mexico Mining and Minerals
Division (MMD) is holding a public hearing October 23
-24 on the Permit Application Package and Draft Environmental Evaluation
in consideration of issuing a new mine operation permit for the Copper Flat Mine,
5 miles northeast of Hillsboro and 30 miles southwest of Truth or Consequences.
More information: Action
Network
or NM Enviromental Law Center
or Michael Jensen at (505) 362-1063 or mjensen@nmelc.org Download
flyer September
4, 2018 -
Senator Heinrich: Gila not appropriate for flyovers.
NM
Wild June
26, 2017 -
Attend a rally in opposition to the Gila River diversion and then
join us to make public comment at the NEPA scoping meetings scheduled for 4pm
to 7 pm. More
info New
Analysis Demonstrates Importance of Gila National Forest-Northern Arizona Wildlife
Corridor for Mexican Wolf Recovery. NM
Wild
Or PDF
file June
4, 2018-
Importance of Gila National Forest For Mexican Wolf Recovery. Wildlands
Network Standoff
Over Mexican Gray Wolf Continues in Southwestern U.S. NatureNow
New
Analysis Demonstrates Importance of Gila National Forest-Northern Arizona Wildlife
Corridor for Mexican Wolf Recovery. New
Mexico Wild January
7, 2018 - Though New Mexico's national monuments appear to have avoided the sweeping
acreage roll-backs happening in Utah, the Interior Department's recommendations
for Rio Grande del Norte National Monument and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks have
many worried. Taos
News
The
Gila National Forest has released their Draft Wilderness Inventory maps, and the
public is invited to submit comments. The draft maps total more than 1.2 million
acres. New Mexico Wild volunteers have worked for the last four and half years
helping to influence these draft maps. Public input is critical to ensure that
these areas make it into the Final Wilderness Inventory, and your personal experiences
and comments are essential to making that a reality.The
Wilderness Homepage for the Gila National Forest June
20, 2017 -
Defending New Mexico’s Public Lands.
ProgressNow
NM June
19, 2017 -
Stealth Logging in the National Forests.
Counter
Punch June
11, 2017 -
Nature Conservancy puts hold on Gila River diversion project.
... The Gila River diversion project has run into a snag: The Nature Conservancy,
which owns the land at the proposed site, won’t grant access to the property.
Abq
Journal April
2016 -
Legislative
update from NM WIlderness Alliance:
Senate Bill 340, which would require
legislature approval and a showing of feasibility before money is spent on large
diversion projects like the one proposed for the Gila river, was passed by the
Senate Conservation Committee but was tabled (and dead for the Session) by the
Senate Finance Committee. We expect this bill to be reintroduced in future Sessions.
July
25, 2016 - several articles at the New Mexico WIlderness Society website on the
Gila
River Project May
4, 2016 - The
Gila River - the last free flowing river in New Mexico (Video) January
7, 2016 - The
Battle to Save New Mexico's last Wild River
(Artile on TruthOut) July
25, 2014 - Groundwater
in SW (Colorado basin) disappearing
Sept
27, 2011 National
Geographic article: Still Wild and Free, New Mexico’s Gila River is Again
Under Threat NM
Unit Fund Stream Commission Actions
SPECIFYING THE PROCESS FOR APPROVING ENCUMBRANCES AND EXPENDITURES FROM THE NEW
MEXICO UNIT FUND AWSA
Update: NM CAP Entity’s Financial Capacity Called into Question as Deadline
Looms
Fiscal
Impact of HB 301 Natural
Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Section - State Bar of NM 2011 Report How
federal dollars are financing the water crisis in the West - Killing
the Colorado Central
Arizona Project - 2002 UCB Report Groundwater,
Drought, California/Arizona, and Miscounting Water Inside
the power plant fueling America’s
drought Farmers
in the Gila River basin have already sucked down $500 million in government pork....
rest of the story available
here Udal
Releases Report on How to Handle Droughts in NM Related
to the article:
April
5, 2013 -
Drought
Tests the Rio Grande
March
28, 2013 - Plains designated a ‘most endangered place’
(Letter - D Chieftain)
Arabian use of non-renewal Aquifers
UN water agenda risk of being hijacked
by big business
Texas files water suit against NM (D Chieftain)
National Geographic Water Currents
Global Water Policy Project
IATP - Institute for Ag. and Trade Policy
USGS Augustin Plains search results 
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