Prevent our remaining rivers and streams from running dry

As a child, I grew up on a property in Taos that sat along the banks of the Rio Fernando, the stream that flows through Fred Baca Park. When I was very young — I believe 5 years old — the stream dried up for the first time in my family’s history.

They had watched this stream flow since about 1890, and around 1998, I watched it go dry. One of my first memories was my father buying plastic kids’ pools for us. We scooped fish out of puddles of mud and into them to save their lives. We were able to transport the fish to a friend’s pond, and I remember the excitement of saving their lives. However, that excitement quickly faded to sadness as, year after year, the stream went dry for longer and longer periods, only running water past my family’s home during the early spring run off.

A creek I had fond memories of playing in as a child is now a dry ditch, and when it does run, it is a stream of trash, filled with plastic bottles and diapers. It takes a toll on my heart knowing my son and nieces will never have the joy of playing in this once beautiful stream. The more development upstream, the more the Rio Fernando suffers: I have witnessed this firsthand, a flourishing stream of fish to a dry pile of garbage. This stark vision brings to light the need for us to think deeply about what is most important to our community. We must take into account the price nature pays for monetary gain and decide if further development is worth the actual cost our community will pay.

I hope this story brings to light the need to closely evaluate any development in the Rio Hondo watershed and prevent yet another beautiful stream from drying up and becoming a trash pile.

If this story has moved you to take action visit friendsoftheriohondo.com and follow the link on their home page to submit a public comment to the Forest Service. Share your story, use the pre-written letter provided or simply ask for an environmental study to be done before approving new developments on our public lands. Public comments must be submitted by Friday (May 6), so don’t hesitate, or it might be too late.