Water officials hoped that the depleted water stores and severe drought situation last summer would be resolved  this year with modifications in MRGCD operations, a strong fall rainy period, and better snowpack in 2021.

Although the MRGCD made the intended modifications to its operations, the rest of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 continued to be dry, leading to further water supply concerns this summer. To make matters worse, the San Juan-Chama Rivers’ water supply has decreased in recent years.

New Mexico began 2020 with a water debit of 40,000 acre-feet, meaning the state was meeting its water sharing obligations, but that 40,000 acre-feet of Rio Grande water would need to be stored upstream before any water could be stored for later release to the middle valley.

But the severe drought last summer and subsequent debit water release yielded an increased water debit for 2021 of 96,000 acre-feet.

No snowmelt runoff was stored in New Mexico during the 2020-2021 winter because Elephant Butte remained low, New Mexico had a 96,000 acre-foot accrued debit, and the 2021 snowmelt runoff was poor.

So New Mexico began summer 2021 in a drought with little water storage. Schmidt-Peterson says that New Mexico has not experienced this kind of water scarcity since the early 1980s which makes the recent drought unprecedented in modern times.

Despite the recent droughts, there has been little discussion of revising the water sharing provisions in the Rio Grande Compact.

In general, water shortages lead to litigation over the terms of preexisting interstate compacts, not the adoption of new water agreements. Schmidt-Petersen suggests that such litigation is the more common negotiation strategy because renegotiation is difficult: the current Rio Grande Compact was adopted into state law by New Mexico, Colorado and Texas before also becoming federal law.

This long legislative process makes it unlikely that water agreements can be completely reworked and replaced in times of water shortages because different parties will disagree about the terms of the renegotiation.

The Rio Grande Compact has come under litigation in three cases during its history. First in the 1950s, Texas pursued legal action against New Mexico over the operations of El Vado Reservoir. Then in 1966, New Mexico and Texas took legal action against Colorado because that state had not adhered to its water-sharing agreements.

The third case began in 2014 when Texas filed a lawsuit against New Mexico, claiming that New Mexico had misused the water released from Elephant Butte that was supposed to be delivered to Texas.

The ISC plans to continue to navigate the Rio Grande Compact for the foreseeable future.

Instead of revising the Rio Grande Compact, agencies like the ISC, MRGCD and ABCWUA try to implement strategies to protect farmers from droughts, reduce water usage among New Mexico residents and within the river system, improve water deliveries to Elephant Butte, and protect endangered species and the environment that depend on available river water.

Last fall, the MRGCD and ISC notified farmers of the ongoing drought crisis, and advised that farmers in the Middle Rio Grande District refrain from farming. These early notifications provided farmers with time to plan their 2021 growing season accordingly.

According to MRGCD Chief Engineer Mike Hamman, a Corrales resident, the agency has implemented an annual fallowing program in which farmers can choose to fallow their land for a payment instead of planting during drought years; through this program 1,000 acres of farmland have been left fallow.

More generally, it was announced earlier this fall that the MRGCD has been awarded $2.9 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund improvement to water infrastructure throughout the district to improve water efficiency. The money will be spent on  improvements to the district’s primary canals and laterals as well as for farms, including conservation easements.

Other efforts to confront climate change are also underway. The MRGCD has helped fund the Upper Rio Grande Basin Study that aims to address the impacts of climate change on water resources.

Carlos Bustos, the program manager of water conservation at the ABCWUA, said the authority is doing its part to mitigate the risks of water shortages in the Albuquerque area.

Given the ongoing drought, Albuquerque residents are no longer using surface water to meet the water needs. Instead, the City of Albuquerque is drawing on water in the aquifer.

Bustos explained that water usage per capita in the region is below the water target set by ABCWUA, meaning that Albuquerque residents are using the groundwater resources responsibly.

As a result, ABCWUA has not observed reductions to the aquifer greater than their models predicted.

Even so, water conservation efforts can be further improved. According to Bustos, the ABCWUA has adopted strategies to further reduce water consumption in Bernalillo County. The ABCWUA focuses its efforts on community outreach and education about water usage in the community.

First, the Authority does frequent outreach to the top 5-10 percent of residential water users in the city and encourages these residents to cut back their usage.

Second, the authority provides free consultations and 40-50 audits each week to help residents become more water efficient. Third, the authority provides an online educational training course that informs residents about ways to cut back on their water usage. The course includes lessons on how residents can repair and re-landscape their yards to be more efficient. The class has had more than 600 participants by this summer, and the ABCWUA records that the residents who have attended the class have cut down their water usage.

When these outreach efforts fail to reduce water usage by some residents, the ABCWUA may issue warnings and fines. Bustos explained that the authority tries to avoid these punitive actions and restrictive measures by promoting outreach and education as much as possible.

The authority has also previously entered water-sharing agreements with the MRGCD before in which stored water is released in the Albuquerque region to extend the irrigation season for farmers. Bustos says that more of these agreements may be implemented in the future to supplement the region’s water vulnerabilities.

In the short term, Bustos is hopeful that the rest of the year won’t see further restrictions. But water officials fear that New Mexico will experience ongoing water concerns in the long term due to climate change.

To better understand the challenges posed by climate change to water resources in New Mexico, the ISC is conducting a 50-year plan that assesses the impacts of climate change, determines the resiliency of New Mexico communities to these changes, and proposes adoption strategies, where needed.

There are four phases of the 50-Year Water Plan.

Phase 1 began in January 2021 and ended by March 1. This phase involved assessing the process with the New Mexico Water Dialogue, coordinating experts with the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR), and building approaches to the plan.

Phase 2 of the plan, the “Leap Ahead Analysis,” began on March 1 and ended June 30. The purpose of the analysis was for experts led by the NMBGMR to compile scientific information about the impact of climate change on New Mexico communities and water supplies over the next 50 years.

The planning effort is now in Phase 3, the outreach and assessment phase, where the ISC intends to host meetings with citizens of New Mexico to explain the findings of the “Leap Ahead Analysis” and to interview citizens to determine the degree of resilience New Mexico communities have to the challenges posed by climate change.

The ISC’s other partners in the effort, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, and the N.M. Indian Affairs Department, will play a role. This phase will continue through January 2022.

During Phase 4 of the plan, scheduled for spring 2022, the ISC and collaborating authorities will produce, review and finalize a 50-Year Water Plan that will contain guidelines for preparing for climate change, adopting efficient water usage strategies, and improving water resiliency throughout the state.

The water shortages in New Mexico are driven by both a multi-decade climate cycle and a warming climate. In the coming half-century, the NMBGMR reported the average temperature in New Mexico is expected to increase by five to seven degrees Fahrenheit, while average precipitation is expected to stay relatively constant.

The warmer climate will accelerate processes such as evaporation and transpiration that remove water from the ecosystem and environment. Therefore, a hotter climate, even with constant levels of precipitation, will further strain New Mexico’s water supplies.

But the hotter climate will impact the environment in further ways as well. A warmer climate will strain vegetation and allow fires to proliferate, thereby harming plant cover in New Mexico biomes. This biome damage makes the environment less resilient to erosion and flooding, meaning that storms will cause greater environmental damage.

That damage could disrupt normal drainage systems and damage water infrastructure, further straining water resources. Water quality will decrease as well with the increase of water temperature and potential growth of bacteria in water supplies.

The analysis demonstrates the need for the state to continue to assess its vulnerabilities to climate change. The ongoing drought in the state causes short term water shortages that strain farmers and New Mexico residents alike.

Water concerns are unlikely to go away as New Mexico becomes hotter and drier in the coming decades.

A friend of mine at college pointed out that the UN does not have a robust mechanism to create enforceable, binding agreements that hold countries accountable. Instead, the UN operates through consensus building and pledges, and these pledges may be broken. For example, at COP-26 activists complained that developed countries had failed to uphold their agreement to provide billions in climate financing to developing countries to address climate change threats. This kind of broken promise undermines the capacity for the United Nations conferences to generate significant change.

Instead of attending the COP sessions, other young people engage in protests. Protests and marches are effective means of generating engagement with young people because these forums appear to speak in their understanding of enacting change through collaboration and people power. Yet here activists must still work to generate long-term political coalitions. This kind of engagement can be difficult for young people to pursue due to a lack of knowledge on how to get involved as well as a lack of available time.

In Glasgow, I, too, found the United Nations conference to have frustrating moments: speakers at the presidency presentations would give overly broad promises about reducing carbon emissions by 2035 without providing details; at some negotiation sessions representatives appeared to offer small edits and revisions instead of settling the major disagreements; and the conference was full of people calling on the creation of climate solutions, leaving one to wonder what solutions already exist and what steps we could take to implement these preexisting solutions today.

Yet despite these shortcomings, I think COP26 had important developments. In particular, the broad commitments made to end deforestation and to drastically reduce methane emissions were positive developments. And by the end of the conference, the United States and China agreed to work together on climate efforts.

So upon reflection, COP-26 was messy. But I think that this reflects the reality of the climate situation and the participation of young people in the climate crisis: such a large concern like climate change offers no easy solutions or conclusions, and young people will participate in the climate conversation with a wide diversity of perspectives and approaches.

Young people may care about climate change, but that care does not immediately precipitate clarity. I expect that we will continue to contend with the full consequences of climate change for some time to come. And eventually, solutions, decisions and plans of action will emerge.

As I left COP-26, I was filled with both hope and frustration. Frustration that the conference had not been more fruitful, but hope that actions would be taken. As Obama concluded in his remarks to young people in Glasgow, now the hard work begins.

A team arrived promptly and first tried to insert a wedge between the door and the safe frame. Hammering and wedging failed, so finally the jaws of life was put to work. Even then, opening the time capsule was not easy.

Finally the mangled door lay open and the contents exposed: basically a soggy mess. If the time capsule was meant to be air-tight, is certainly was not water-tight.

Virtually everything inside the safe was soaked, so that any attempt to lift any paper would have torn several. So Mayor Jo Anne Roake quickly decided the best course of action was to let it all dry out. She described the contents as “two very water-logged albums, a rusted beverage can and a VHS tape. It did not look good.”

The mayor said the items would be entrusted to archivist Ann Van Camp and Corrales Historical Society Archive Committee member Kitty Tynan who offered assurance that eventually some of the enclosed print material will be readable.

“This preservation project is ongoing and will be documented and made part of a Corrales Historical Society file memorializing the great effort put into assembling the time capsule 25 years ago,” Roake said in consolation.

Actually most of the time capsule contents have been  known for 25 years since Corrales Comment reported on the project at the time. On July 4, 1997, villagers gathered to place the time capsule which was to be opened  September 22, 2021. (See Corrales Comment Vol.XXXIV No.9 June 20, 2015 “Creepy, Crumbling Concrete  Case Contains July 1997 Time Capsule.”)

Reported to be inside the safe were at least the following:

• A 1971 group photograph of the Village of Corrales’ first mayor and Village Council;
• a group photo of the 1997 mayor and council;
• a list of all Village elected officials serving from 1971 to 1997;
• group photos of the Corrales Volunteer Fire Department, Police Department, the Corrales Library staff and patrons of the Corrales Senior Center;
• a postmark from the days when Corrales’ official name was “Sandoval;”
• a photograph of the then-young Corrales Growers’ Market;
• a videotape of the celebration of Corrales’ 25th anniversary at the Old Church;
• photos of Corrales horses;
• a message written by then-Mayor Gary Kanin;
• a copy of Pauline Eisenstadt’s book on Corrales’ heritage;
• a copy of Corrales Comment’s special edition on the 25th anniversary;
• photographs by Jim Findley of Corrales’ first municipal election;
• photographs of Corrales’ historic homes and structures; and
• documents about the community’s early history.

It is likely that most, if  not all, of those items can be assembled again if the soaked items cannot be restored.

Although relatively new to the council, Parker’s term ends in March because he is filling out the term for former-Councillor Dave Dornburg, who resigned. Incidently, Dornburg had filled the term of John Alsobrook who also resigned, in 2016.

The municipal election will be held March 1. Early voting will start with the Village Clerk in the Village Office February 1, when requested absentee ballots will also go out.

Whoever is elected in March, major decisions likely will be needed for the following questions:

• should Village government take over Corrales Road which is State  Highway 448, as the N.M. Department of Transportation would like?
• should Corrales relax or abandon its restriction against more than one dwelling per acre (or one home on two acres in the southern part of the village?)
• should the commercial growing of marijuana be banned or restricted in residential neighborhoods?
• what, if anything, should be done to make Corrales more “business friendly?”

The two Audubon organizations said they support much of the assessment produced by the bosque advisory commission. “This report uses peer-reviewed, scientific studies to evaluate the role trees play in supporting native wildlife and the overall ecology of the Corrales Bosque, along the levee. We endorse the following CBAC recommendations:

“•  We do not see the necessity of thinning the entire 20-foot strip. Thinning should be accomplished in areas where fire access is most necessary, rather than thinning within a uniform width along the entire levee.”

“•  All small Elms, Tamarisk, and Tree of Heaven should be removed, when possible, without damaging stands of New Mexico Olive and willows.”

“•  Healthy Russian Olive trees within the 15-foot strip should be left in all areas where they don’t interfere with access needed for fire personnel… dead Russian Olive may be removed within the 15-foot strip where access or levee maintenance is required.”

“Most significantly, we endorse what the CBAC refers to as their most important recommendation, which is for transparency in the activities of the MRGCD and Chief Martinez in what they ‘intend to do, and where’ as part of Wildland/Urban Interface Hazardous Fuels Reduction projects.

“In addition to supporting the above CBAC recommendations, CNMAS and ASW would like to point out that between 217 and 238 species of birds have been recorded at various birding hotspots along the length of the Corrales Bosque, demonstrating it to be an extremely important New Mexico bird habitat:

“•  While stands of ‘willows’ are mentioned generally within the second bulleted item above, we want to specify this refers to Coyote Willows (Salix exigua) and emphasize this should be among the species (along with Cottonwoods and New Mexico Olives) that are the highest priority to preserve due to their high ecological and habitat value. Coyote Willow stands provide nesting sites for a variety of native songbirds, for example Common Yellowthroats, Yellow-Breasted Chats, Blue Grosbeaks, and Spotted Towhees, as well as a potential habitat for the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. This diversity of native plant and bird species reflects the designation of this section of Corrales bosque as an Important Bird Area (IBA)  by New Mexico Audubon Society (currently Audubon Southwest) in May 2014. National Audubon Society | Audubon Southwest 3131 S. Central Avenue | Phoenix, AZ 85040/

“•  From the proposal, it is unclear whether the primary intent of clearing trees extending from the toe of the levee, is to create a clear passage for emergency vehicles in case of a bosque fire, or whether the primary motivation is to reduce potential fuel for a fire. If the former, then removing native trees  —and particularly Coyote Willows—  growing in and along the ditch banks, is clearly unnecessary and should be avoided, as they do not impede the passage of vehicles along the levee.

“If the latter, then we ask, before going forward with clearing the levees, the Village of Corrales make a scientifically informed assessment of the fire risk posed by native riparian trees (including Rio Grande Cottonwoods, New Mexico Olives, and Coyote and Goodings Willows) that are vitally connected to a continuous water source (in this case, the irrigation ditch that flows parallel to the levee year round).

“Historically, bosque fires only increased in frequency and severity once trees were disconnected from the river, due to dredging and channelization that effectively stopped annual flooding. If the aforementioned native trees are associated with the irrigation ditch, it is likely the fire risk they pose is minimal.

“We would finally draw your attention to the vital role of shade trees and vegetation in combating the impacts of ,climate change by helping to maintain lower stream temperatures, and reduce evaporation:

“•  Shade from trees and other vegetation along the irrigation ditch help to maintain lower water temperatures, which results in less evaporation. Climate change and drought make maintaining lower ditch temperatures and minimizing evaporation increasingly crucial. As the study ‘Effects of Riparian Management Strategies on Stream Temperature Science Review Team Temperature Subgroup’ points out, ‘the most efficient method to maintain low stream temperatures is to reduce heat loading from solar radiation. Shade prevents stream warming by reducing inputs of heat energy from solar radiation’ (Leinenbach, McFadden, and Torgersen).

“ Greater evaporation from the irrigation ditch would decrease water for farmers and water available to return to the river channel downstream.

“•  As climate change continues to reduce and periodically stop water flow within the river channel, many of the native riparian trees growing near the river will likely struggle to survive. This makes the preservation of habitat along irrigation ditches, including trees growing near the levee, increasingly crucial. Even as the Rio Grande has dried for many months each year in the Lower Rio Grande, irrigation ditches have continued to flow.

“If irrigation ditches become the only continuously flowing water through the Middle Rio Grande, then the future distribution and abundance of native riparian plants and trees —as well as the survival of the native animal species that depend on them— will be increasingly dependent upon our ability to preserve and even encourage their growth along irrigation ditches and levees.

“To summarize, CNMAS and ASW request reconsideration of the plans to clear trees along the Corrales Bosque levee detailed in the ‘Wildland/Urban Interface Hazardous Fuels Reduction’ proposal. We find the proposal’s fire danger estimate of the vegetation along the levee to be unsupported scientifically and likely exaggerated. It is also our position that the habitat and ecological value of the trees targeted to be cleared, and the project area’s designation of this section of Corrales bosque as an Important Bird Area , has been underestimated. CNMAS and ASW support several recommendations of the CBAC. In addition, we agree with the importance of transparency in the activities of the MRGCD and Chief Martinez in their objectives for the Wildland/Urban Interface Hazardous Fuels Reduction projects.

“CNMAS and ASW thank you for your consideration of this most important issue. We are available and willing to help continue the conversation and look forward to working closely with you for the betterment of our natural surroundings.”

The Village Council gave a go-ahead to Fire Chief Anthony Martinez and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District at its October 10 meeting where Martinez and MRGCD Planner Yasmeen Najmi convinced the mayor and all councillors to let the clearing project proceed. No timetable was given when work would begin, although it would have to cease, or pause, by April 15  to comply with the federal Migratory Bird Act.

In late November, funding for the clearing project had not been made available.

If the plan goes ahead as described in October, all along the entire length of the levee, non-native trees and other vegetation would be cut and removed at the edge of levee on its east, or river, side. According to Najmi, that is necessary to maintain the levee, although it was not stated what kind of maintenance would be needed that could not be done from the top of the levee.

However, she referred to retaining federal certification of the levee’s integrity, a concern raised 11 years ago the last time the Corps of Engineers and MRGCD proposed clearing trees from the toe of the levee.

Back then, the Corps’ Fritz Blake, since retired, explained that the proposed clearing probably would not be required after all because the federal requirement was an over-reaction to concerns about levees around the nation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. (See Corrales Comment Vol.XXIX No.3 March 20, 2010 “Corrales Monitors Corps’ Research on Levee.”)

The 2010 project was to have removed essentially all vegetation within 15 feet of the levee.

Blake said in an interview February 2, 2009 that trees along the Corrales levee might not need to be removed after all.

He said the new levee safety criterion of a 15-foot, tree-free buffer at the sides of the levee was being resisted elsewhere around the United States as well.

“We understand that this is a difficult situation for the Conservancy District and for the Village of Corrales, and we will continue to work with both to get it resolved. Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of the levee. But we’re not quite convinced yet that taking out a 15-foot swath of trees is the way to solve the problem.” Blade said.

Most of the trees of concern existed when the Corps rebuilt the levee in 1996-97. The design of the levee at that time did not require those trees’ removal. Even so, nearly 2,000 trees were removed when the levee work was done, but those that were retained on the river side were considered no threat to the levee. At that time, trees could be no closer than three feet to the toe of the levee.

Besides, Blake noted in 2009, if they started removing those trees, it might be determined a year later that it wasn’t really necessary. “It’s possible that a year from now, our technical people might say, ‘Gee, you don’t really need to do that.’”

When the current Corrales levee was dedicated after being built in 1996-97, it was touted as the best in the United States. “This is one of the best, if not the best, levee in the nation,” said Don Lopez, representing the State Engineer’s office and the Interstate Stream Commission.

At the October 12, 2021 Village Council meeting, members of the Corrales Bosque Advisory Commission tried to convince the mayor and council not to give the fire chief  and the MRGCD carte blanche to take out all non-native vegetation along the levee. They especially urged that Russian olive trees be retained as a crucial source of food for birds in winter.

Joan Hashimoto, chairperson for the advisory commission, warned that the wholesale removal of trees and thicket next to the levee could actually jeopardize its integrity. Bike tires, hiking boots and horse hooves predictably would cut new paths down the side of the levee channeling increased erosion.

And, she said, the project will “allow bikes, people and dogs to find a new place to reach wildlife. The native shrub and tree removal combined with the Clear Ditch drying, and also the river being almost non-existent, is like a triple-whammy for the animals of our nature preserve.”

Hashimoto pointed out that “levee toe thinning will cut a huge number of living trees and destroy valuable habitat, while a massive dead-and-down fuel load problem exists and indeed gets larger every year with cottonwood’ auto-pruning branches and trees dying.

“I understand regulations. Maintaining the levee is important. Ever since the current levee was constructed over 20 years ago, the east slope has been maintained from the levee road. Although the levee toe is not in strict compliance with regulations, which has been the case and well-known since its construction, the Army Corps of Engineers which has done the levee surveys, has said that the toe vegetation non-compliance would not affect future levee eligibility for federal funding.”

She insisted that the Corrales bird study corridors, or transects, not be destroyed by clearing next to the levee, pointing out that research in those corridors has been funded by the Corps of Engineers and Hawks Aloft, Inc. “It’s important to preserve the transects.”

She concluded by urging “Do thinning where it’s indicated, not monolithic clearing and thinning.”

Another bosque advisory commissioner, Joan Morrison, said she was discouraged by council’s approval of the Fire Department’s plan.

“This proposed clearing of all trees and shrubs including native New Mexico olive is horrendous, and although they say it is only three percent of the total bosque, my walk today revealed that it is likely the most important three percent. 

“There isn’t much New Mexico olive down in the middle of the bosque at all.  And you can bet that clearing a 10-foot strip (10 feet isn’t really all that wide, barely enough for any big machinery) will likely turn into a strip much wider.”

At the council meeting, Morrison said “Last month, I and other CBAC members presented our concerns regarding the proposed Invasive Species Clearing Project Work Plan.  Since our commission’s response to any work in the bosque will be science-based, we subsequently presented to you, on October three, our report in which we outlined these concerns, presented data that our members had collected on the number of trees potentially affected by this project, and offered recommendations and to collaborate with the Fire Department and Conservancy on this work plan.

“In reading the work plan submitted to you for tonight’s meeting, I was dismayed to discover that not only were none of our concerns or recommendations considered or even acknowledged, but that in some ways this new work plan proposes to be even more harmful to our bosque.

“May I remind council members that the Corrales Bosque Preserve is designated as a protected area and an Important Bird Area, and the Village of Corrales is tasked with maintaining it as a natural area and wildlife preserve.  Council has also approved the Bosque Management Guidelines which are meant to foster data-driven decisions and collaboration with the goal of protecting and preserving a variety of habitats in our bosque.

One concern about this proposed work continues to involve process: the CBAC was not informed of the initial proposal until three days before the September council meeting, CBAC members present and past who have extensive scientific background were not consulted or even informed, and our concerns were not considered in this new proposal despite our stated willingness to coordinate on this project with the Fire Department and the Conservancy.

“Our primary concerns remain the potential impacts to wildlife habitats from the proposed work.”

Morrison was critical that “No justification is given for the need to completely clear a 10-foot strip out from the toe along the entire length of the levee.  In its over 20 years of existence, the levee has never required such vegetation clearance despite multiple inspections.  The levee’s east slope has always been maintained from the levee road on the top, so why the need now for complete clearing out from the toe? 

“During the September 23 field trip, Chief Martinez indicated that limited fire access pathways into the bosque could be cleared rather than clearing along the entire length of the levee.  Thus we see no justification for complete clearing. 

“Non-native vegetation within the ten feet should be cleared only at the points where access is needed into the bosque for fire equipment and personnel or where a specific levee maintenance activity is required.  Large scale clearing of vegetation along the levee sides and out ten-20 feet from the toe will encourage people to make new paths down the levee sides, causing even more subsidence and erosion.

“There is an extensive amount of dead and down wood along the levee toe that has been left from former clearing projects.  This material constitutes a large and dangerous fuel load.  It is important that all cut trees and other dead and down material generated by this project and from previous projects within the 20-foot area from the levee toe should be removed out of the bosque.  If left, this material only adds to this already large fuel load, increasing fire risk.”

Morrison is professor emerita of biology and environmental science at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

She emphasized that “Any clearing or thinning work in the bosque must be completed by the start of migratory songbird nesting season, April 15, 2022.  However, some hawks and owls known to nest in the bosque begin nesting as early as February and March.

“If this work is to move forward such nests must be identified and appropriate buffers designated.  Disturbance or destruction of these nests resulting from the project would be a violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

“Council members, Corrales is advertised as a village with a lovely and natural bosque, and people come here to enjoy it.  Do we want to be known as the Village that cut down prime bosque habitat?

“If you are inclined to accept this proposed work plan, I request that you do so only with commitment to assign and be accountable for the following modifications:

• Leave all New Mexico olive untouched within the entire 20 feet from the levee toe.
• The Hawks Aloft transects should be left untouched by this project.
• Do not clear the entire ten-foot strip along the entire length of the levee but only where needed, at identified intervals where access into the bosque is required for fire equipment and personnel.
• Remove all cut trees and other dead and down wood generated by this project and others within the 20-foot area from the levee toe, and remove it out of the bosque.”

A former member of the advisory commission, ornithologist Janet Ruth, said the project should avoid taking out standing dead  trees since such “snags” provide crucial opportunities for cavity-nesting birds.

“I would prefer to see those left standing except if they posed a real risk.”

Ruth’s submission to the Audubon Society resulted in its designation of the Corrales bosque as an “Important  Bird Area” in 2014.

The sewage treatment plant has operated with a discharge permit to send effluent to the river through a pipeline that runs along the flood control channel. When the plant is operating correctly, those millions of gallons of wastewater will be cleaner than stormwater coming down the channel in the Montoyas Arroyo.

A grader, two front-end loaders and dump trucks worked the riverbank area  between the Jones channel and the river in mid-November to create two paths for stormwater to follow on its way to the river. During major storm events when large quantities of water are pouring through the arroyo, the water would be directed more or less immediately to the river, while during lesser storms, the water would go to a more meandering, distributive channel.

Once the earthwork is completed, trees and other vegetation will be planted, probably in early spring.

Hurteau said the stormwater diversion in the wetlands area uses the power of nature to filter and mitigate pollution as the last of a series of stormwater quality improvement sites, expanding the effectiveness of features already in place upstream. 

Water quality features upstream will capture floating trash and sediment for later removal. The new wetland area will allow water to slow down, spread out across the river floodplain, and sink in using natural channels, with care being taken to maintain flood protection to homes nearby, she said. 

Those constructed features in the Montoyas and Lomitas Negras Arroyos will capture floating trash, and slow-moving water will allow plants and soils to act on pollutants such as automotive chemical residue along roadways. Those would be broken down through bioremediation, so pollutants from roadways are removed before they end up in the river. 

The wetland is designed to reduce bank erosion along the river.  

Many months of planning have gone into ensuring the design resolves existing flow issues, preventing mosquitos,  and maintaining flood control capability.  Hurteau said more than 5,000 postcards were sent out seeking public input and hearings were held in February and March 2021. The team met with relevant agencies and environmental groups to review the conceptual design. 

The Jones Channel in the Montoyas Arroyo and the Dulcelina Curtis Channel in the Lomitas Negras Arroyo are named for the pioneering work those two Corraleños did to control damaging stormwater in a wide territory west of Corrales. They were early members of the Corrales Watershed Board, which was subsumed by SSCAFCA when it was established by the N.M. Legislature in 1990.

(See Corrales Comment Vol. XXV, No.13, August 19 & October 21, 2006 “Corrales Battles Historic Flooding, Threat at Jones Channel.”)

Back in March of this year, the Corrales Bicycle, Pedestrian Advisory Commission recommended that the  wetlands plan include a trail connecting bosque areas north and south of the Jones Channel outfall. “Our commission recommends that potential pedestrian use in the area be considered in the design,” Commission Chairperson Susan Zimmerman wrote to Village Administrator Ron Curry.

“We are concerned that walkers and possibly bicyclists will make their own unofficial trails in the area if they are not designated. Simple, meandering dirt pathways are what we envision.

“We understand that the conservancy has assumed pedestrians would use the existing connection with the acequia trail from the west end of the area. We are concerned that folks would want to get closer to the river, and that this could create a potential problem if not considered in the overall plan.”

It is difficult to find any reasoning for combining Corrales with Placitas and Bernalillo, unless it is to group Corrales with other principalities that share political leanings. Or, possibly, Adair forgot to account for the Rio Grande in his map, or he thinks Corraleños are using boats to do their daily shopping.

Another broader, and perhaps more serious issue with Adair’s maps is the packing of all indigenous populations into one, enormous, district. This action was loudly lambasted during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Several tribal leaders were present, and each spoke to the fact that the commission had not reached out to their communities for their input on the maps, and their opposition to being grouped together.

Governor Jerome Lucero from the Pueblo of Zia, Mario Atencio, vice-president of the Torreon-Star Lake Navajo Chapter, and Governor Anthony Ortiz from San Felipe Pueblo were among the members of the public to speak up.

All three of these leaders mentioned Sandoval County’s history of violating the Voting Rights Act and spoke to the disrespect they felt at being left out of the process so far.

Chavez argued that the various Native American pueblos and tribes of New Mexico might have more in common with the neighbors that share their streets and bridges than they do with each other. His map reflects this idea, for the indigenous lands as well as for Corrales.                 

This idea of throwing all the indigenous people into one district, giving them one commissioner to fight for them and their very different geographical concerns, is seen by many as deliberate under-representation. If the November 18 meeting is any indication of how the commission treats those with differing opinions, one commissioner trying to speak for all of the pueblos wouldn’t have a chance.

After the public comments, the commissioners weighed in on the proposed maps. Commissioners Michael Meek and Kenneth Eichwald both expressed concern for the ideas and opinions put forth by the public. Commissioner Meek read out notes he had taken, adding a promise to take all the ideas into consideration.

Commissioner Katherine Bruch spoke out next to clarify her involvement with Chavez’ plan, saying she was surprised and alarmed to have been given credit for making it. On the Sandoval County website, Chavez’s plan is still labeled as the “Chavez/Bruch” plan. Commissioner Bruch clarified that while she was in support of Chavez’s plan, she was due no credit for its making.

Chairman Heil invited Adair to come up to the microphone yet again, presumably to have a chance to respond to the public comments. Adair did so by spending several minutes accusing the public commentators of all having an agenda, “giving cookie cutter arguments,” and “not knowing what they are talking about.”

Perhaps displaying his own agenda, the defensive Adair did not wear a mask and refused to comply with social distancing rules during the meeting. Chairman Heil closed his statements by speaking directly to Chavez to say, “We are in violent disagreement.”

Corrales Commissioner Jay Block called into the meeting on a cell phone, and did not offer words of encouragement for his constituents, saying “This is not a democracy, it is a constitutional republic, and elections have consequences.”

In spite of Block’s discouraging words, Corraleños have until December 9, when the commission meets again, to try to make their voices heard, or risk learning firsthand the consequences of gerrymandering.

Gifts are also welcome and can be donated by emailing Commander Lattin at tlattin@corrales-nm.org. Families have submitted “wish lists” for essentials like clothing and bedding, and also for toys or gifts. Village families have asked to sponsor a family in years past, by providing a holiday meal or buying all the items on that family’s wish list.

Volunteers are also needed to help wrap gifts. Gift wrap and gifts can be acquired by emailing the Commander. Usually, around 50 families benefit from the annual fundraiser. Villagers can contact Commander Lattin if they or someone they know could use a little help this season. Food and gifts will be delivered to village families December 20-21.

Gutierrez quotes an unnamed  “close associate who has been heavily involved with the Cannabis Regulation Act,” who he asked to review ordinance 18-002. This associate found the ordinance to be in compliance with the Act, saying, “The Village of Corrales has the authority to prohibit the production of cannabis in certain zones so long as there are other zoning categories in which the production of cannabis is allowed, which is what the Village did when it adopted Ordinance 18-002.”

Looking at the issue from another perspective is a group of villagers who are leadership members of a small grassroots organization called Sandoval County Indivisible.

In their letter, Bert Coxe, Gary Sims, Terry Eisenbart and Nandini Kuehn voice their concern that a “vocal minority of Corrales residents, for a variety of reasons, is trying to push the Village Council to do something that it does not have the legal authority to do, and that in doing so the Council may be putting the village and its citizens in jeopardy to pay monetary damages in the future.”

The four authors go on to say, “Some people in the village are lobbying to have very extensive regulations of cannabis cultivation, and they essentially want the Village government to ban commercial cannabis cultivation in the village.  Some people are clearly very worked up about this, and a petition is being passed around.”

The third submission in the Comment this week is presumably from these “clearly very worked up” people and does include a petition. While vocal, this group certainly doesn’t seem small. Their goal appears to be similar to that of  Mr. Gutierrez, to ask councillors to pass an ordinance that would prohibit growing cannabis in residential zones.

People across our village are speaking out about this very contentious issue, and waiting to see how the Village Council will respond to their many appeals.

Bri Smith lives in Corrales with her husband Matthew and their two children, Estella, 15, and Jackson, 12.  In October, the vaccinated family attended a baseball game, sitting near another vaccinated family who were unknowingly infected with asymptomatic COVID. Since they were outside, and more than three feet apart, the families decided not to wear masks.

When Matthew started to feel fatigue and cold-like symptoms a few days later, the family decided to get tested. Matthew’s initial home test was negative, but the PCR test he took came back positive. Bri also eventually tested positive and had cold-like symptoms. 12-year-old Jackson was asymptomatic but also tested positive. Estella never tested positive.

When asked how they felt as parents, after having a positive diagnosis, Bri answered, “We felt devastated. Covid was something we have been trying to avoid for the last year and a half. We were very worried that even though we were having mild symptoms (runny nose, headache, dry cough, slight chest pressure, and loss of smell), that our son would become ill. We credit the vaccines for our swift recovery and his lack of visible illness.”

Bri also says, “Luckily, we don’t know of any close contacts that developed Covid from us. That was guilt and stress that we were very concerned about. We believe that our breakthrough infection was unfortunate but avoidable. I encourage all that can, to get vaccinated and keep masking indoors and outside when social distancing isn’t an option.”

Another Corrales family went through a similar COVID-related ordeal. Ashley Trebitowski and her husband have three children, Cayden, 12, Jackson, ten and Reagan, seven, all living in Corrales.

Cayden caught Covid at school, from a vaccinated, asymptomatic friend with whom he shared a lunch period.

Following his infection, the two other Trebitowski children also tested positive for the virus, and had varying degrees of symptoms.

Ashley says: “I was nervous about our oldest because his heart rate was elevated and he had the worst symptoms. The other two seemed to fight it much easier. The biggest priority was staying hydrated and taking our vitamins, get lots of sunlight, and extra COVID protocol supplements. I’m not sure if they helped but we did everything we could to fight it from the inside.”

seven-year-old Regan, the youngest of Ashley’s children, experienced some bullying from another child at school. A little girl in her class said, “She has COVID, don’t touch her,” a discriminatory comment which hurt the young girl’s feelings.

When asked what advice Ashley would give other parents, she responds, “I very much believe that masks help stop the spread. The child that tested positive and spread it to my oldest had been around tons of kids those few days, he was most likely shedding the virus.”

Whether or not kids have symptoms, they are most certainly catching and spreading the virus.

Parents in our village are faced with very difficult Covid-related decisions, and with Santa Fe schools moving to some remote instruction this week because of rising Covid cases, they are left wondering when APS schools, including our own CES, might follow suit.