Let’s Talk New Mexico 3/2 8am: People have called the Rio Grande a main artery, delivering life-giving water to — and through — our arid state. But year-after-year we see the river continuing to dry – and the ecosystems, communities, and industries that depend upon it are drying up too. There is no end to the desiccation in sight and the plants, animals and people who depend on the river are becoming more and more desperate for its steady flow to support life, lifestyle and tradition.
Climate change plays a significant role in the river’s transformation, but so do the centuries of use by people who have diverted the river for farming and drinking, built dams and reservoirs along its path and commodified and divvied up the river – creating owners of the water with legal rights and the legal disputes that go along with them.
On this episode of “Let’s Talk New Mexico” we’ll discuss the poor health of the Rio Grande and what’s at stake as it shrinks. Do you depend on the Rio Grande for your livelihood? Do you have family stories that show how important the river is as a place of recreation, refuge, or spiritual healing? What does the river mean to you, and how should we protect it? Email us at LetsTalk@kunm.org or call in live during the show.
GUESTS:
- Danielle Prokop, freelance environmental reporter
- Diana Cervantes, freelance visual journalist
- Dr. Phil King, Elephant Butte Irrigation District
- Phoebe Suina, High Water Mark, owner/hydrologist
RELATED READING:
- "Crisis on the Rio Grande," Source New Mexico
- Climate Change in New Mexico Over the Next 50 Years: Impacts on Water Resources, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
