Natural Resource Management

People

Can traditional knowledge help manage the environment? Early residents of the river basin developed ways of living suited to the fragile natural resources of a desert environment. As new people moved into the area, they brought new ways and ideas. Knowledge for living in this environment grows through experiment and dialogue.

Science, Technology & Invention in The Rio Grande:
Natural Resource Management

Today basin residents combine traditional and Western knowledge to maintain a livable environment. Managing limited water resources is a crucial part of this. In northern New Mexico, centuries-old Native American and Hispano acequias (irrigation ditches) combine with 20th-century locks and canals to irrigate a diverse, interdependent landscape. In South Texas, rancher Lauro Gutiérrez uses modern watering systems in conjunction with a hand-dug, turn-of-the-century presa (dam) to water the livestock at Rancho Niño Feliz. Michael Blakeman of the San Juan/Rio Grande National Forest combines his attention to the natural and cultural resources of the region with an educational philosophy of "teaching to minds and hearts."