Army Corps, Pueblo project designed for restoration

This past week, the Biden-Harris administration hosted a Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, D.C., to continue its robust and meaningful engagement with tribal leaders on critically important issues facing Native communities. The summit continues President Joe Biden’s strong commitment, made during his first week in office, to engage Native leaders on a nation-to-nation basis with the goal of better fulfilling federal trust responsibilities to Native people.

Last month, on the banks of the Rio Grande near Española, I had the honor of representing the U.S. Army Civil Works program in signing an agreement to actively initiate a first-of-its kind environmental restoration project specifically benefiting Santa Clara Pueblo and Ohkay Owingeh.

While the Army Corps of Engineers has worked with tribal nations on small infrastructure and restoration projects, this $100 million initiative takes the Corps’ work with tribal nations to a new level. The project is a blend of the Pueblos’ vision, the Corps mission and an exchange of knowledge that will restore the hydrologic function of the Rio Grande floodplain and bosque on the lands of both pueblos. The goal is to bring back a more naturally functioning ecosystem that benefits all, especially native vegetation and habitats that are invaluable aspects of both pueblos’ cultural heritage and identity.

The pueblos have been working with the Corps for many years in developing the project. As noted by Santa Clara Pueblo Gov. Michael Chavarria at the signing ceremony, trust with the Corps began to build while working together in the aftermath of the 2011 Las Conchas Fire. That work, which reduced the risk of post-wildfire flooding and debris flows, also addressed Santa Clara’s desire to incorporate concepts that

integrate engineering with nature.

Now, with funding made available by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and appropriations secured by New Mexico’s congressional delegation, this project is on the cusp of breaking ground. The results will be a strong advancement in tribal interests; a breakthrough in the Corps’ use of its programs to advance those interests on a large scale; and the environmental restoration of an important section of the Rio Grande to benefit all New Mexico communities.

Given the accelerated impacts of climate change and weather extremes, a restoration project of this magnitude, incorporating Indigenous knowledge with state-of-the-art modeling, will demonstrate resiliency and help to design and implement similar projects across the country.

Moreover, as important as the project itself is the collaborative process being used to secure a successful outcome. In recognition of tribal sovereignty, expertise and Indigenous knowledge concerning important cultural and natural resources, the pueblos will be integral to designing and implementing the project, including nature-based features. This unique partnership is exactly the type of action President Biden has called for, and the Corps is leading by example in building new relationships with tribal nations

and using its authorities, capabilities and resources to advance tribal interests.

Equally as important, restoring New Mexico’s rivers sustains New Mexico’s culture and its precious water resources. The Army appreciates the trust demonstrated by the pueblos in inviting the Corps onto their land as a partner to work on this important resilience and restoration project. As a New Mexican and a citizen of Taos Pueblo, I am particularly proud that this project is leading the way in demonstrating how the Army Civil Works program can broaden its partnerships with sovereign Native governments in New Mexico and beyond.

Michael L. Connor serves as the assistant secretary of the Army (civil works) and is the principal adviser to the secretary of the Army on all matters related to the Army’s Civil Works Program.