Members of the Rio de Chama Acequia Association (RCAA) spent Thursday afternoon at Hernandez Elementary School teaching second graders about Acequias. Rick Martinez, center, and RCAA Youth Leader Javier Vigil. is our youth leader and is following a model shared by the New Mexico Acequia Association.
RCAA Youth Leader Javier Vigil on Thursday afternoon at Hernandez Elementary School, teaching second graders about Acequias following a model shared by the New Mexico Acequia Association. Courtesy/RCAA
RCAA News:
The Lower Rio Chama Watershed Project, led by the Rio de Chama Acequia Association (RCAA), is an acequia- and community-led effort to improve watershed health and resilience in the lower Rio Chama region, from below Abiquiú Dam to El Guache.
Guided by community priorities, this effort aims to bring together acequias and neighbors from across the region to co-develop a shared plan and vision for a healthy watershed – from the uplands through the arroyos and down to the acequias along the Rio Chama. A key focus is on slowing and spreading destructive flood waters from arroyos to mitigate flooding for downstream communities, reduce sedimentation in the river and acequias, and prevent damages to already fragile acequia infrastructure.
The watershed planning process is designed to result in a living, action-oriented, watershed-scale plan grounded in community knowledge and priorities. Just as importantly, it is hoped to create opportunities to bring people together through discussion, planning, workdays, and resolana, with an emphasis on building connections and education for youth from the classroom to the acequias and the broader watershed.
In addition to planning, a pilot restoration project is being developed in the Arroyo del Toro watershed to demonstrate low-tech restoration approaches that can slow runoff, reduce erosion and sediment transport, and enhance watershed function. This pilot reflects the kinds of practices that could be implemented more broadly throughout the watershed.
As part of this process, the RCAA has been hosting community listening sessions to identify challenges across the watershed, map areas of concern – including flooding, sedimentation, and river health – and identify opportunities for restoration.
Two sessions remain, including one this Saturday, from 3-5 p.m. at Chamita Community Center to address Lower Acequias: Acequia de Chili y La Cuchilla, Acequia de Chamita, Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh, Acequia de Hernadez, Acequia Salazares.
The session is open to the community, and all are invited to participate. The most important aspect of healing our watersheds and ensuring traditional water management practices are carried into the future are the youth. Youth interested in participating are strongly encouraged to attend. Families are also encouraged to attend and to bring their children of all ages.
The community’s insights are essential to identifying key concerns and priorities, and to ensuring that community voices guide future decision-making in the lower Rio Chama watershed.
