Help save the Rio Gallinas!

Gallinas Village and Hermit's Peak | Photo Jacob Erickson, HPWA PR Director

The Rio Gallinas – suffering from drought, the largest fire in New Mexico’s history, and a lack of local input in watershed management – is in dire need of coordinated restoration efforts. The multiple state and federal agencies charged with managing the Rio Gallinas watershed will determine the fate of the river and the communities reliant on it. These agencies must overhaul their stewardship practices in watershed friendly, transparent, locally appropriate, and community driven ways.

Please join us in reaching out to representatives from the Santa Fe National Forest, Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) Forestry Division, and New Mexico Environment Department. Urge them to attend the New Mexico Fire and Water Summit in the summer of 2023, where all affected communities, decision makers, federal and state agencies can come together to create a long-term management and mitigation plan for the Rio Gallinas watershed.

**This action is only available for New Mexico residents.

About You

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Address

City

State

Zip Code

Personalize Your Letter

Forestry Division

Sarah

Cottrell-Propst

New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department

New Mexico Environment De

James

Kenney

New Mexico Environment Department

Santa Fe National Forest

Shaun

Sanchez

Santa Fe National Forest

Lt. Col.

Jerre

Hansbrough

Army Corps of Engineers

Army Corps. of Engineers

Mark

Doles

Army Corps. of Engineers

Federal Emergency Managem

Matt

Embry

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Dear {contact_data~salutation}{contact_data~lastName},

I am writing to request your commitment to participate in the New Mexico Fire and Water Summit in the summer of 2023. In the aftermath of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, the Rio Gallinas has been severely impacted, as has the local community reliant on the river. This led to the river being listed as one of the ten Most Endangered Rivers in the country. The Fire and Water Summit will allow all affected communities, decision makers, federal agencies, and state agencies to come together to create a long-term management and mitigation plan for the Rio Gallinas watershed.

Most pressingly, agencies charged with management and restoration of various aspects of the watershed must work with local communities and organizations to create locally-appropriate solutions. Robust community and agency participation in the Summit should result in a long-term management and mitigation plan for the Rio Gallinas that accounts for:

- Mandatory and improved public engagement protocols for prescribed burns, forest fuels treatment, and post-fire watershed impacts;

- Worsening climate change impacts, including severe storm events;

- The long-term health of the river and watershed in all emergency response activities; and

- Nature-based solutions to post-fire watershed and flood management (e.g., floodplain restoration, beaver dam analogs).

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

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