Topic: History of Acequias, Acequia Culture, and Local Farmers
Participants: William Gonzales (Chairman of the Rio Gallinas Acequia Association, local farmer and rancher), Daniel Hern (President, Tri-County Farmer's Market), Mark Hawney (Arielle's Dad), and Naomi Montoya (Vice-President, Tri-County Farmer's Market, via phone from SynergyFest)
Co-Hosts: Pat Leahan, Arielle Hawney
Summary: William provides us with a comprehensive overview of the acequia culture and the history of acequias, starting with the Las Vegas area. The term "acequia" means "irrigation canal" or "water conduit." It took about 50 years to develop our local acequias, approximately somewhere between 1835 and roughly 1880. Many have since been engulfed by community development. There are approximately 800 acequias in NM, with the majority located in the northern part of the state. An important component of the acequia culture is that it is a communal system, bringing the community together to maintain it. The annual Tri-County Farmer's Market starts up next month. Daniel talks about the need for a permanent, year-round, local farmer's market, a cold-storage unit, and a community kitchen.
Pat'sExtraNotes: Today is SynergyFest. Arielle's father, Mark, is visiting from WA. The UWC ad runs. Arielle runs the board. We learn that William's Sweet Pears usually come to the Farmer's Market in July.
Thank you, David, for our CPR intro music: http://www.DavidRovics.com/
