SAWC upcoming events

The San Augustin Water Coalition will have a Board of Directors meeting on January 13th. At 6:00 p.m. at the Datil Baptist Church.

The public is invited. Agenda items will include an overview of the SAWC presentation to the Interim Water and Natural Resources Committee of the NM Legislature on December 2nd., a report on the NM Water Dialogue annual meeting (see next item), and planning the SAWC annual meeting.

The NM Water Dialogue will host its 21st annual meeting on January 8th at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Affairs Center in Albuquerque. Please go to their website for further information. Everyone is encouraged to attend, and it will cover a wide array of water issues in New Mexico.

San Augustin court hearing cancelled

We have received word that the the hearing tomorrow (August 21) for the San Augustin Water grab is cancelled. Details are as yet not known, but R. Bruce Frederick, Staff Attorney with the New Mexico Environmental Law Center has just let SAWC know.

Stay tuned for more info as we find out more!

San Augustin Plains water grab decision appealed

Augustin Plains Ranch LLC (filing as Kokopelli Ranch LLC et al) has filed a Notice of Appeal against Judge Reynold's decision on the the January 3, 2013 Order on Protestants' Motion for Summary Judgment regarding the San Augustin Plains water grab. The Notice of Appeal was filed in the 7th Judicial District Court in Catron County, NM on January 22, 2013.

This is the first round of the next phase of appeal, which is in the Court of Appeals in Santa Fe.  The San Augustin Water Coalition's attorney, R. Bruce Frederick, with New Mexico Environmental Law Center,  should be briefing the Court of Appeals beginning later this spring.
CLICK HERE for PDF download of Notice of Appeal

Text of Augustin Plains Ranch flyer

Here is the text of the Augustin Plains Ranch flyer.  If anyone has a better image than I was sent, please email it to me, or post the text I can't read in the comments section below.  Thanks.

text here I can't read

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Augustin Plains Ranch

TOWN HALL

MEETING

Augustin Plains Ranch, the water project,

will hold a Town Hall Meeting in Magdalena -

to update the project status, answer your 

questions and take your comments.

6:00 - 8:00 PM

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Magdalena Senior Center

500 9th Street - Magdalena

Augustin Plains Ranch has put forward a proposal for a water

project to withdraw 54,000 acre-feet per year from under the

Augustin Plains, transport it to Socorro by pipeline, then north 

to the Albuquerque area.  The project could provide water for 

drought relief to the state while protecting existing water rights 

and providing benefits for Catron and Socorro Counties

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information call xxx-xxxx [and more text I can't read]

Augustin Plains Ranch: THEY'RE BACK!

Opinion
Lif Strand

Just when you thought we'd won... Augustin Plains Ranch is starting their next round.  They've learned a lot from their first venture - we protesters have shown them exactly what we've got, and now they've tuned up their attack and they're coming at the water again.

This time they're going to come at us as "friends".

There's a flyer going around announcing a Town Hall Meeting (see image below) - called for by the LLC.  Don't you find it a little insulting?  To me it is incredibly patronizing for them to be playing the local card, telling us that the water could be used for drought relief (not for us, of course, and most certainly not out of any kind of generosity and helpfulness since they'd be taking public property and selling it for a BIG profit).

Personally, I find it incredibly insulting to have a business PR meeting and label it "Town Hall Meeting", since such meetings are an honored American tradition where community members gather to discuss issues and concerns among themselves.  Since when is Augustin Plains Ranch LLC part of our community?  Do you really think they are interested in our concerns except to learn what to aim their weapons at?

This meeting is to "update the project status, answer your questions and take your comments".   They were denied their water grab application with the OSE and they lost their court appeal of it.  But that doesn't bother them at all - they've STILL got a project and they're coming at us again.

And they're coming with lots and lots of money that will buy lots and lots of power - power we've only seen the tiniest bit of so far. Personally, I would say about a thousand people should show up at this meeting and refuse to say anything but the word NO.

Let me just add this:  If you were worried before, you should be scared spitless now.