Will You Give-Away Your Water and Land?

Will You Give-Away Your Water and Land?

Our Senators Hendrich and Udall have publicly supported implementing The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act on the Gila, San Francisco and their tributaries.

Don’t be fooled by the camouflaged and pleasing name of this act. The facts are, if implemented, it will take your personal future and existing land and water rights away.

Our senators’ actions are compounding my frustration when you consider the importance of land and water in our state’s history. Prior to admitting NM into the union, the congress and both presidents Roosevelt and Taft required expanded use of our number one natural resource, water along with irrigation and improvement of our lands.

This government support has continued historically to the present day where The Department of Agriculture through the USDA energetically financially supports ongoing irrigation projects and conservation water use within our county through EQUIP programs, grants and funding.

That is a meaningful fact, unknown to our senators, who need only ask our county government to gain the knowledge. However, rather than spend time in our county to understand the importance our land and water, they allow special interest groups to write the very legislation that will take-away our water and land rights.

Why would the senators oppose our Agriculture Department’s ongoing positive efforts in our county?

If the senator’s special interest groups agenda is successful and the county loses our water, where will our lost water go?

It will flow freely into our neighboring state where it will be used to their financial benefit. We in New Mexico will be left to deal with poor conservation of our lands, visual erosion and loss of our agriculture producer’s tax base.

In thinking this through I find it disturbing that outside entities have more influence on the Senator’s positions, that will affect our county, than those citizens living within our county.

The senator’s legislation calling for designation of our water ways to be classified wild and scenic, without visiting the county, discussing the topic or learning of unintended consequences should be unthinkable. It is expected from our professional Senators to spend equal time within the county to be affected by their actions as with those single-minded outside influences.

You will hear from the senators’ “private land will not be affected”. Truth is; if you own land within ¼ mile of any tributary to our waterways you lose control of land maintenance and improvements.

You will hear “all water rights are protected”. Truth is; 1000’s of future acre feet of water will be taken away and any current irrigation water rights within that ¼ mile are at serious risk.

You will hear “the tax base will increase due to visitation on the river”. Truth is any documentation on that topic is thin at best. Any outside example of increased river visitation is actuality a result of business-friendly state benefits which result in increased populations.

The truths listed above are all backed up by the lawsuits handed to landowners, who live within the ¼ mile boundary, attempting to protect their private rights.

Our county government and conservation district are keenly aware of this coming threat and have asked our senators to take their opposition of the Wild and Scenic River Act seriously.

No doubt the county will welcome honest dialogue on the topic, however our senators continue to have that dialog strictly with those special interest groups behind closed doors.

I suggest our senators stop ignoring those NM citizens who will be most affected, and whom their oath was given to represent.

Sincerely,
Haydn Forward, Catron County

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If you would like to contact the two Senators pushing this agenda:

Senator Udall: melanie_goodman@tomudall.senate.gov

Senator Heinrich: Dara_Parker@heinrich.senate.gov