Sunday, December 3, 2017
Thursday, August 30, 2012
RE: http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swqb/Galisteo/Proposal/index.html
and Public Input Response by Thor V. Sigstedt.
Dear Deby Sarabia, James Hogan and To Whom It May Concern,
As I indicated when I
met with you, it is my belief that the
Galisteo Creek, especially the reach between Canoncito and the end of the gorge
with the two large waterholes and waterfalls that I took you to, which I am
calling” Spirit Gorge”*, can be restored to a cold water status and attain it
on a fairly regular basis or is already within the scope of the protocol, being
a microclimate area that is colder than many parts of Santa Fe County including
Santa Fe itself. This year and last year
were drought years and it has been established (I noticed in the NY Times
today) that the US has not been as warm since 1936 and your measurements were
taken during a heat wave in this area***.
The point is that special drought circumstance should not determine the
status of a body of water, for one thing or even its occasional status of being
a dry/damp creek bed (which is a chance for the riparian area to invigorate and
expand). The other point has to do with
the possibility of bringing this stretch to a point where it is already
classified. I suspect that the
classification may have been done in the 70s (and if 1975 or later, it is not
possible to change the classification by EPA rules. I read) with, perhaps, some casual approach, but I
also suspect that the classification was done with some solid basis also. Having known this creek intimately since 1979
I can attest to the status from my own perspectives and observations.
I co-authored the
WRAS (the Watershed Restoration Action Strategy) that is part of the
documentation for this watershed and is comprehensive in its outlook, I
attended the numerous “Vista Clara” meetings that helped direct the Sustainable
Land Use Code that is being written as we speak, I was on the boards of Galisteo Watershed associations and I have been active in many
aspects of this river and watershed in numerous capacities. I do have a solid background in terms of
understanding this river and the possibilities it has and the power it
has. That knowledge is and should be
invaluable for the NMENV to have a fuller understanding of this river and the
dynamics involved and the changes that have and will occur over time.
I know that there is an emotional component which is hard to
explain and a component that is poetic and intuitive. I was thrown off guard when you guys states
that my property was “an oasis” and I nodded my head. Now I see that there was a rhetorical element
and a hint of your thinking that patted our property on the back and
denigrated, so to speak, the others
around me. I regret having nodded and
enjoying your “thesis”, not realizing that it was shades of
what was to come. I do not think this is
an oasis in that sense and believe that the whole reach can readily achieve the
same status over time. An oasis is a
place that is surrounded by desert; this place is surrounded by other varying
degrees of oases. These components coupled with so many years of observation
begin to paint a picture that describes this area in, perhaps, a more holistic
way and also suggest what the potential is for this area. I am still haunted by that
scene where you (Deby) shook my hand and congratulated me (and the creek as it
bore witness as it coursed past us) on the perennial status that it clearly
has. It remains as one of the moments
that will remain with me for the rest of my life and I went inside the
house afterwards and wept slightly as I let that moment waft over me and as the
result of a long day of being, perhaps, the strongest advocate for the beauty
of our creek that you will ever meet and fulfilling an obligation to the body
of water that goes beyond the vagaries of the thermometer and a quick visit to
a beautiful place. I know this creek
inside and out and have put it at the center of my world and my world view, in
many respects. Many “ things” that I know I “know” are because of my “confluence” with the Galisteo
Creek. Think of it like John Muir and
Yosemite or Aldo Leopold and the Sand County experiences. It is not clear to me how their science and
their observations and heart combined and influenced their projections of how much better their
areas could be, but I suppose that they did know about these projections into
the future.
“As the forbears of
our children we are called to transmit to them a joyous and sustainable vision
of their future – meaning that we are each called to develop such a vision. “ -Ursula Goodenough
Because I have seen
this creek bed evolve so much in the last 32 years, as I discussed with you
when you were here; this ranch and the
surrounding areas up and down the creek from here evolved from an overgrazed
area with huge dying cottonwoods and almost nothing else, to what you see
today, which is a place with the awesome beginnings of a real solid bosque
(which to me suggest tall overarching trees giving shade to the whole area and
an active biodiverse ecosystem with mature cottonwoods and wildife activity and
the soil acting like a sponge for moisture).
I see this bosque growing daily into a fantastic area full of coolness
and shade and habitat. As it is now (as
was not 30 years ago) there are
huge patches of willows, both pussy willows and streambank willows; also native
maples, green ash trees, tree willows, gambel
oak, narrow leaf and wide leaf cottonwoods, ponderosas, native douglas firs, olive, tamarisk, elm, rocky
mountain juniper, cattail, watercress, mint, horsetail club mosses, sweet pea,
currants, tree willows, alfalfa, yellow clover, dozens of grasses and much more. I have seen this basic upward evolution scenario be played out
upstream from the waterfalls (oh yes, to those who have not been here, there
are waterfalls and cold swimming pools) all the way to Canoncito. To me, with some real attention paid to
caring for the watershed above us (all the tributaries such as Deer Creek,
Apache Canyon and Billy’s Gulch), the area is only going to go upward in terms
of shade to the river, evapotranspiration (which adds to coolness), the
“drawing up” of the waters, protection of the numerous springs, etc. One
look at the area (like that sweet spot
in your logo; right between the snow capped mountain and the mesa, high and at
the beginning of the river image) suggest that it has all the potentials that I
am describing; it is not a secret. T
Areas like Billy’s
Gulch* are now perennially wet with cattail and constant water showing, which
is a shift from the past; an upward one.
The springs on our land have become more prevalent over the years (in
fact I had never noticed the one near where you put your thermograph before
this). It was suggested in the meeting
the other night that air temperature was the major factor in the temperature of
the creek. I can attest to the fact that we are easily 5
to 10 degrees colder than Santa Fe area on any given day (for instance, the
temperature for Santa Fe right now is 82.4 and I read between 71 and 77 on my
thermometer in Canoncito) and, especially, at night. The deep freezes where Santa Fe talks about
–20 degrees; we record and observe –30 degrees and colder! So the myth that we are warmer here is just
that and needs to be addressed somehow.
I would like to see the data that
suggests that we are any warmer than the other riparian areas in this
zone. The reason that the creek is
warmer is that it is still recovering from the devastation by overgrazing and
the railroad activity over the years, whereby it is still working on finding its
“natural” flow and water banks and vegetation which takes decades to come into
maturity. To come out here during a heat
wave and then make these statements about this area is understandable but
suspect; it is a little like the blind men describing an elephant and each one
coming up with a description based upon the limitations of their immediate
experiences. The time frames were wrong
and the duration was short. Similarly, I
suspect that the other measurements were also truncated in one way or another.
******
This is what is said about preserving riparian buffers (vegetation
and natural shade):
These factors, above,
are what we need to be talking about in very clear and historically
demonstrable terms; i.e., the history of this area and the change in natural
riparian buffers is extraordinary and only points the way towards what we can
expect in terms of lower temperatures and Galisteo river health. I believe that this has not been taken into
full consideration and that the statements that people like I have made have
not been fully acknowledged. A clear
look at before and after pictures of this area show that the trend is toward
better thermal pollution (and other pollution) buffers. I am including here a
link to a Picasa Web album that shows an extensive portrait of this area and
the changes that have occurred. https://picasaweb.google.com/105515847940899444953/GalisteoCreekSpiritGorge# and
The first two
photographs of “Spirit Gorge and Spirit Valley” in the web album above show
before and after pictures of the same area on our creek,as do others in the
slide show. The old postcards of the
railroad in the gorge show the water as a main feature and the natural
historical beauty of the gorge.
There was loss of
coolth due to the pinon die off of the early 2000s and that ground cover is
being re-vegetated as we speak. The
flooding, which is mostly the result of needs in the upper watershed (Valencia
and the Billy’s Gulch area needs more erosion control, for instance.....which
is doable…and there has been a lot done in this respect over the last few years). Deer Creek and the upper watershed need to be
attended to in terms of fire mitigation.
The I25 infrastructure needs mitigation to deal with the impact it has
had on runoff and temperature, which I am sure comes up in these discussions
often. More water collection systems
need to go into effect to help the water flow increase during times of drought
(introduction of beavers, for instance, as stated in the WRAS, which I helped
author). All of these things are
doable. Places like our ranch get late
eastern sun and good shade in the early morning, as does the effect of Glorietta
Mesa on the insolation from the
waterfalls to Canoncito. Other areas get
good shade from the western sun, being on the eastern slopes of the hills.
If the Lower
Canoncito, the Glorietta pass and the Spirit Gorge cannot be immediately
attained, then it must be put on of 303(d) list and a TMDL should be developed
and implemented, as per the rules that I have read about.
If you all talked to
the neighbors and look around, you would begin to get a picture of an area that
is only going to get better unless higher density development is allowed. The value of our cold water riparian area
supersedes other values that threaten it.
This area, like other high quality areas demands protection and a chance
to upgrade just the same as other areas, such as the Santa Fe River as it
course through the town or the waterways in Placitas. The areas around our properties are basically
doing the same thing; increasing shade, maturing bosques, careful stewardship
by the landowners, almost no overgrazing, the “sponge” is being created. We have, though, of course, been subjected to
various spells of drought, specifically around 2000 and then they have lasted
two years, more or less. The smaller
snowpacks have been contributing factors.
So, since you have been watching this river, you have seen unusual effects
of drought coupled with an improving bosque.
The flash floods that come through here are amazing and they are also
affected by either curable erosion situations and/ or properly managed forest
lands around the top of the watershed, including the introduction of beavers. These are good signs and point us clearly as
to courses of action that are reasonable and helpful.
The various predictions of high temperatures and drought,
such as The Great Aridness, by William DeBuys, point to some dire possibilities
and they describe a sort of feast and famine scenario, not just pure drought,
but they do not predict with any accuracy the actual realities and thus it
would be a mistake to take a drought like ours and project that into the
future. I have seen too many small
droughts to think this way and it would be bad science to get into a mental
stampede and dire scenario when there
may not be one. I would prefer to
err on the side of optimism and that is based on my own experience and
witnessing of this area. That is my
thesis here.
I do not know the clear history of the temperature testing
and observations in this particular area.
I can imagine a scenario whereby you saw the property above ours and it was either dry at the time and/or a thermograph was set and then was disturbed
or washed away fairly soon by a flash
flood (such as the record flood of July 3, 2010). This scenario is very possible, depending on
the time of year of tests and visitation.
I can tell you that that property has been involved, for various
reasons, in hosting out of scale meandering efforts for a few years, only to be
disappointed by the results because they misunderstood the power of this river
and there were many good plantings of riparian buffer and stream bank
stabilization. Nonetheless, that stretch
of bosque is impressive and worthy of note.
The area above the next couple of properties is pretty good shape, but
needs more time and then there is a short stretch where a lot more work and
time is needed and the creek is spread out and not very shaded. This is being improved and was partly damaged
by restoration mistakes. The area up to
within a half mile or so of Canoncito is pretty good, but needs more time. Then there is another stretch that is patchy
and needs time. All of these reaches are
improving year by year. There is very
little livestock grazing or overgrazing; the tree sizes and shade are
increasing; the stewardship is ubiquitous around here, except for the possible
developments that take water out of this watershed and put them into another. I am
guessing that because this area is almost entirely private, that the only
properties that have been looked at were mine and Cummings’ and that it is a
little daunting to approach those private owners to check out the areas, so
that a complete investigation was not conducted. Similarly, the investigations into the higher
watersheds of Deer Creek and Apache Canyon would have been simple and
freewheeling because they are on National Forest lands and more accessible
(less intimidating) in that sense. Those
feelings can be transferred to the agency and thus Deer Creek is a cinch and
our area is not. I am not casting
aspersions, but I do think that all aspects need to be considered as we move
forward here.
The importance of shade to rivers is, like most things,
hotly debated. One of the best sites I
ran into in terms of clarity had also touted it’s “experiment” whereby they
draped black plastic, elaborately, over a creek and measure the temperatures,
suggesting that the shade did not lower the creeks temps. They entirely neglected the reality that the
black plastic, hung low on the creek would have increased the temperature due
to increasing the heat because of the black plastic; we all know that! That is an example of people not having a
hands -on, common sense, practical working knowledge of an area. I
got the impression that some of the thinking about air temperature versus shade
had colored the thinking of your investigations and were, perhaps, affected by
this crazy experiment. I can give you the
links for this. What I am saying is that
your basic assumptions may have some holes in them. It reminds me of a hydrologist who suggested
that the best way to keep a body of water healthy was to cement it’s channel or
the self styled expert who stated that “water really wants to go in a straight
line”. I think it is important to be
careful of the assumptions and to pay attention to the need for a more
practical and, also, “holistic” approach.
It is important to
note and recognize that I have stocked the creek with trout twice over the 32
years here (and could have done it many more times had I had the funds and time
to do so) and that the fish lived and thrived here for varying periods of time;
some ending up at the waterfalls above the “convent” or “Apache Canyon”, others
migrating upstream towards and eventually to Apache Creek and Deer Creek, so
they. The trout, by all accounts, did live here for upwards of a year and show
that this is good habitat, if only ephemeral at the present . When this occurred people were able to enjoy
the benefits of doing this by 1)celebrating Galisteo Creek, 2)teaching the
children about the wonders of the creek and helping them bond with the
potential future of this reach, 3)other wildlife was activated, such as the
hawks who swooped down and gathered fish, 4)proving that this river is trout
friendly. Fisherpeople fished on the
Galisteo for extended periods of time and at points upsteam and
downstream. Other trout have been found
in the creek over the years in various states of health, some recently washed
to shore. It is not possible to deny
these events or downplay them more than is necessary; they are and were real
and have become a part of the heritage of this area.
Also, the geology and hydrology of this area is very
complex, but can be characterized by large amounts of sand and gravel to
varying depths, which tends to clean the water, but pockets of this feature as
well as the faults themselves that run throughout this area in large quantity
and highly complex and the main feature is that
the Rocky Mountains, as such, end right here where the waterfalls and pools are
and that (west and north) side has numerous springs that feed the creek (which
is actually a spring in and of itself).
On the east side of creek are the tilted up (tilted to the east and
sloping to the east) layers of limestone, sandstone and other sedimentary rock
formations, which have few, if any, springs.
The wells in the area show a great deal of complexity also ranging from
high volume (20 gpm) wells to low producers of varies kinds. Many of the wells are shallow wells (20 feet
deep plus or minus) because water is sketchy, costly or sulfurous below those
levels. The water has incised some over
the 32 years I have been here, perhaps dropping 12” or so over that time, in
places. But, basically, the water is often close to bedrock, such as in the
gorge (we could call it Apache Gorge, or Cougar Canyon or Spirit Valley or Spirit Gorge) and is clearly
perennial and cooler (no temperatures have been taken there as far as I
know).
After the “gorge”, the
valley opens up to a great basin that is quite different in character from the
gorge north to the Canoncito reaches.
Now the creek is past the mesa, past the rocky mountains and wending its
way through much more flat and dry, exposed country through Lamy, Galisteo,
Cerrillos ( some with fantastic bosques and perennial reaches and cold water stretches) and finally to the Rio Grande. Those areas should be divided into
the “pre-gorge” reaches and the “post- gorge” reaches, if there is a need to
divide. The Galisteo tumbles down the
mountainous terrain at nearly 7,425 feet in elevation at Glorietta, to
Canoncito at Apache Canyon (7,093 ft.) careens through a magnificent gorge
(probably the best canyon and creek scenery viewed from the train from Chicago
to San Diego, from my experience) (at 6,200 ft.). That
means that the creek falls 1,000 ft. in less than 8 miles! This is obvious upon
inspection and there is nothing subtle about it.
If all this is not seen and digested, then it
seems possible that there are other factors involved here, perhaps political,
perhaps economic, perhaps some connection between the water greediness of some
person or developer who has designs on the water that we can only guess and
that this mystery person or group has some influence in the governor’s office or something like that. It is
hard to juxtapose the beautiful Spirit Valley and Gorge with its fantastic
pools, waterfalls, springs and obvious grandeur with someone whispering in some
office or some supervisor dictating terms without having spent the time and the
care necessary to see what is so obvious to me.
That represents, to me, a disconnect of some sort. Perhaps there is a fear that the state would be
showing favoritism for the higher reaches and that the real target is the lower
reaches and we become collateral damage.
Perhaps the push to pipe water into this area has set the stage for this
drama. If this is the case then the
investigations will bear this out. If it
is not, then, so be it, but history of water in this country shows otherwise. I have been talking about this with Frank
Clifford who was the environmental
editor for the Los Angeles Times for over 20 years. I described that scene on the creek bank to
him, excited by what I had experienced and wanting to tell people like him who
might appreciate the beauty of it. He
said, ‘Thor; be careful ; you have to watch these people carefully……many bad
things happen behind closed doors,do not be surprised if they change their
minds; watch them very closely and do not trust them…..I have seen too much
over the years in my work and I know how things happen’. I was taken aback by these words but
remembered them and when I came into the last meeting late and it slowly dawned
on me that exactly what he had warned me about was happening in reality. I talked with him again last week and he
suggested that we collaborate and do an op-ed piece to address the possible
dynamics of this situation. That is what
we are anticipating to do. You do your
examinations and make your judgments and we do ours and try to air out the
dynamics in the interest of truth and justice, for the people and for the
river, which can only keep being itself.
The Galisteo Creek is being singled out, if I am not corrected, as the only river in Santa Fe County to be
reclassified when the Santa Fe River has obvious issues and that ARE not being
addressed (how about the reach through town, then the reaches south of town ). I
am sure there are other examples of lack of consistency. Perhaps the office can correct me on this.
Furthermore, the investigations into this creek have been
concentrated in a drought cycle in the last few years and should not be
considered “normal” for this area as it gives a tilted appearance. The creek often has cold water in it, often
is partly frozen or running very cold for the majority of the time, and often
has water in it all summer long in quite a few reaches.
So, from my point of view and experience I would have to say
that the future of this reach as a cold water creek is attainable and the trend
is towards more perennial action and colder water with more shade, lower
temperatures than much of the county and a growing healthy bio diverse body. I cannot predict the future, but can predict
that the trend is cold and not vice versa, global climate change
notwithstanding. If the climate change
and drought cycles were the norm then many rivers in the Midwest and southwest
would have to be reclassified as hot water (100 degrees in some places; with
dead fish) or warm or whatever, but this should not be done.
It is unclear to me what the political, economic and various
other pressures are that would tilt the creek towards a warmer classification,
but I suspect there are some, such as identifying bodies of water that are a
waste of time and money to try to restore, allowing development that can denude
the area, allowing more development, avoiding environmental impact statements,
transferring water rights**. I can only
imagine who has access to the governor’s office with a favor to ask. A
quick walk through the reaches that I am describing should be enough to see
that it would not be a waste of time, money or resources to attempt to upgrade
this river/creek and/or just let the property owners continue to do what they
are doing. The aesthetics, tree sizes
and variety, the fantastic geology, the fascinating bridges and infrastructure
of the railroad, the cultural history, the long, long history of Native American reliance on this
river, the biodiversity, the supportive
stewardship by most landowners, the attachment that people have to this area
and the creek and the fact that people who live here want to stay and many
people would love to live here; all this testifies to the special nature of
this valley, canyon lands and the Galisteo Creek. It is, without doubt, a
special place, a querencia, a “place
of the heart”. I have hosted summer
camps for nearly ten years out here and
they would not have kept coming back if it were not for the perennial nature of
this stretch and they are living proof of the economic and recreational possibilities of this area,
due to its wild nature and aesthetic beauty.
I suggest that you reconsider your characterization of this
area and do not reclassify it just because it is a work in progress. If you could have watched it grow over the
years from a damaged wasteland to a young bosque, like I have and the neighbors
have, then you would know what I am talking about. Colder is the word that I would use to
describe its future.
Addendum to Thor Sigstedt letter to the State Environment
Department
-Policies such as Amigos Bravos have published reflect the
kind of thinking that we are presently addressing to the state. The idea that so called global warming is a
“natural” cause is not acceptable and so anything relating to that idea should
be rejected. Global warming should fall
under the category “human caused”.
Other ideas, such
as this apply:
This shows the deep
interconnectedness of the Sangre de Cristos and the upper watershed, moving from the high mountains
Glorietta Pass, including the route 66 historic road, , the viewshed from I25 ,
the SFBN Railroad along the whole reach, the famous civil war bridge in
Valencia, the site of a Federal Historic
Place (the civil war site at Johnson’s Ranch), Deer Creek, Apache Canyon, the
main siding in Lower Canoncito, the famous Trestle Bridge above our property,
Adventure Trails Ranch (stocked with trout over the years) and other properties
below Canoncito, the “Spirit Gorge”, the famous “Three legged curved bridge ,
the waterfalls and pools, numerous archeological sites , Manzanares (apple
orchard town), the ruins of the Bishop Lamy “Convent” and numerous other important
and beautiful sites!
The plains open up pretty soon
after the gorge below Adventure Trails Ranch.
There are few point source pollutions, no complete devastation, no
factories or mills, no sewage treatment plants, hence this reach is an asset to
the Santa Fe Area as it is the gateway to Santa Fe (the historic opening of the
canyon walls and where the Galisteo Creek flowed was, reputedly, only 15 feet
wide! The Mesa, known as Glorieta Mesa
or Rowe Mesa, slants to the East and has little water of its own. The threat of people taking water from the
Galisteo Upper Watershed in a desperate effort to develop the mesa is a blight
on the people who already are taxed by water scarcity during drought periods.
After a very cold night, clear dawn brought the shivering
soldiers around their fires for a quick breakfast. During the night, both Pyron
and Chivington had sent small parties to search for their enemies. The Texans
were captured by the Federal party, giving Chivington good information on his
foe’s location. Despite the lack of reconnaissance, Pyron decided to continue
slowly east in search of the Union force without attempting to join or contact
the main Confederate column camped 12 miles to the south. He had approximately
420 men with whom to oppose Chivington – his own 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles
battalion, a four-company battalion of the 5th Texas Mounted Volunteers, three
small companies of locally recruited “irregulars,” including the Brigands, as
well as the artillery support of two six-pounder guns.
Chivington was also
anxious to locate his foe. With approximately 404 men of his advance party, he
left Kozlowski’s Ranch at about 8:00 a.m., about the same time the Rebels
started. His force included 170 Colorado infantrymen and 234 cavalry troopers
from the regular squadron and from Co. F, 1st Colorado, that regiment’s mounted
unit. After marching five miles, the Union vanguard passed Pigeon’s Ranch,
another major way station on the Santa Fe Trail, then crested Glorieta Pass and
descended into the eastern reaches of Apache Canyon. At the same time, Pyron
had halted less than two miles ahead, on an open, flat shelf north of Galisteo
Creek. Many of the Texans who had not slept during the cold night immediately
fell asleep, while their commander sent a small party of Brigands, with his two
cannons, ahead to try again to locate the Federals.
Colonel Slough’s strategic goal had been met; he had stopped
the Confederate advance on Fort Union. The Rebels soon retreated back to Texas,
never to return, and the Battle of Glorieta truly represented the high-water
mark of the Confederate invasion of Federal territory in the Far West, and, in
that context, although much smaller than the more famous eastern battle fought
a year later, it can easily be seen as the Gettysburg of the West.
(End of Addendum) ******************************************
All of the conditions
are there to continue the health of this magnificent and magical body of water; some scanty measurements, a hunch, an office
discussion or a walk on a hot day or an off year during a drought cycle should
not be the deciding factor of this projection into our futures. If nothing else, more study and thought is
needed about the status of the stretch from
Spirit Gorge, right above Manzanares (which is the area by the “Convent”
above Lamy, through Spirit Valley and up towards Canoncito and beyond to
Glorietta; joining with Deer Creek and Apache Canyon in a natural way.
Note: I recently went
on google earth and soared around this area which was photographed in June of 2011. This is interesting because June is always
our driest month and sets all of our teeth on edge until the monsoons start up
in July. It is also interesting because
2011 started a drought period that we are still in now, so the creek would have
reflected this. It is also interesting
to note that in 2010 we had the largest flood since I have been here (and
perhaps the biggest recorded since 1955; also the one that probably took out
your thermograph, on July 3, 2010) and the year before was very large also, so
the creek bed would have experienced a spread out look and some erosion damage
due to this extraordinary flooding activity.
I also noticed that both Apache Canyon and Deer Creek were actually
looking less moist than was the Galisteo Creek as it tumbled down from
Glorietta, which actually showed water during this drought. All of this can be seen on Google earth, so
do not take my word for it, but I found it informative. I also noticed that the creek along the
tracks and I25 was more beautiful a riparian area than I had expected to see;
knowing this area around Spirit Gorge much better than that. It suggests to me that, clearly, the high
quality cold water zone should extend all the way through the historic areas of
Johnson’s Ranch, through the historic bridge near Valencia and upward to
Glorietta.
It also occurred to me to mention some of the features of
this area that make it very special and interesting and worth preserving
because of its interest and beauty. If
you start at Glorietta, you can discover that there is still some stretches of
the old Route 66 that are somewhat intact, so it has deep history. There is a very historic bridge on the
Galisteo near Valencia that is related
to the Civil War here and is still intact.
The civil war activity and the property surrounding this history in right in this area; on the
Galisteo Creek at and above Canoncito and it will continue to be of interest to
the world and so will the looks of it (it should reflect the condition that it
was in at that time…there are numerous
accounts of the area by soldiers, etc. and it depicts an area of startling
beauty and “teeming with game and wildlife”, suggesting that this area is
naturally fecund, fertile and worth restoring…..). The
outcome of the war here was actually profoundly influenced by the coldness of
the previous night(s) and the people at the supply train were napping because
it was so cold they had all not been able to sleep and needed rest. That allowed Chivington and his troops to
invade them as they slept. Now if that
is not poetry as we talk about “the cold” in this area and whether it is or is
not; then I do not know what is! Then
there is the railroad, which has done some damage, but has also added great
interest and energy to this area, providing scenic views, deep history (note
the water in the Galisteo Creek in the postcards). There are a few real famous bridges including
the Trestle Bridge on our property and a famous curved three-legged bridge
right at the waterfalls. The way that
the railroad protected their infrastructure suggests, alone, the size and flow
of our river. The
need for a river to have a reasonable “flow” is inherent in its need to
maintain lower temperatures. When a
threat to this flow is present, it is the duty of the government, as dictated
by the EPA guidelines; to stop the preventable conditions that reduce the
flow. The ancient cottonwoods, some of
which are still alive, up and down the watershed here testify to the longevity
of this creek. The types of trees and
plants, of course, tell you the story about the temperatures around here
without needing a thermograph. If you
check that out here and then look from the Spirit Gorge southern end to Lamy
and beyond, it is clear that there is a great difference. The gorge I call Spirit
Gorge is stunning and cold and perennial and so it cannot be neglected as if it
did not exist as a major factor and a perennial cold water stretch. I was surprised that I had to dig deep into
your site to notice any mention of either the waterfalls (the most perennial
section on the whole Galisteo Creek !) or my property. No
temperature data has been collected for the gorge pools. I wonder why……..it suggests there is a
disconnect of some sort here. I
understand it, in some ways, as the author of The Down Country, which is a
fantastic volume describing every aspect of the Galisteo watershed has never
even seen our properties or the waterfalls, etc. Perhaps you have fallen into the same black
hole of observation priorities. If you
do not see these things clearly, then what do you see? This is not dream; it is real. As real as any cold shower can be. I am hoping that you can understand what I am
saying here; there is not enough
observation, knowledge of the area, good sound science or sense of history to
make the decision for our area that you are tending to make. This is not personal.
I like you guys. It is, though,
my business and part of the public input mandate that you have; to try to point
up what may be lacking in your vision and data.
I have blind spots, as do we all.
I want you to see more of what I see, just as you may want me to see
what you see. It is that simple; this
community will look at your thoughts and, in turn, you look at ours. We have long term experience and heart and
care and you have your degrees and a job to do.
Let us show each other how much we know and see it reflected in the
outcome.
AFTER THE FLOOD
AFTER THE HUGE FLOOD
I WALKED DOWN
THE RAVAGED CREEKBED AMAZED
AT THE VOLUME AND HOW THE FLOW SPREAD OUT OVER PLACES
WHERE I HAD NEVER SEEN WATER FLOW, MUCH LESS, GREAT AMOUNTS, ALMOST
UNTHINKABLE,
HARD TO WRAP THE BRAIN AROUND, TREES WRAPPED HIGH WITH
MUDDY GRASS AND STICKS, A COUPLE A SADDLE BLANKETS, TREE TRUNKS
FROM GOD KNOWS WHERE.
FURTHER DOWN,
NOW IT'S PURE ROCK,
THE HEART OF THE GORGE.
ROCKCLIMBING; HAND AND FOOT WORK,
THEN THERE THEY ARE; THE POOLS BECKON LIKE SIRENS,
SO UNPLANNNED; STRIPPING LIKE A
COWBOY, TENDER OF FOOT;
SUPER WHITE SKIN MEETS COOOOLD WATER, UNSURE
DEPTHS....FINALLY A BRAVE THRUST,
NOW SWIMMING, KICKING SO SPLASH MEETS SOLID STONE AND SKY (AND, OF
COURSE, THE RAILROAD TRACKS AND S SHAPED, THREE-LEGGED BRIDGE SNAKING AND
HOVERING ABOVE ME).
WHERE THIS MAN MEETS THE EXHALED FINAL PURE NECTAR OF THE FLASH FLOOD,
RESIDUAL POOLS,
COOL, CLEAN, CALM;
FREE OF RAGE,
POOLS WASHED.... CARVED DEEP,
FLOOD-SWEPT VALLEY CLEAN; LEAVING CLEAR WATER AND A THRILLED MAN DOING A TIMELESS THING,
ANOTHER DANCE,
ANOTHER SNAP SHOT..FILM CLIP IN ETERNITY;
FOOT, SPLASH, SKY
FRAMED BY FRIGHTFULLY
TALL, HARD ROCK GORGE;
THRILL OF BEING ALIVE AND KICKING
UNCOMMONLY WHOLESOME;
LIKE WE ALL , SOMEHOW, PROFOUNDLY BELONG HERE.
YET (SOME) FEAR SWIMS WITH THE "MERCIFUL GREAT SPIRIT",
SO MY HEART, BRAIN, MUSCLE
THOSE POOLS, CASCADING LIQUID
NEW MEXICO SKY....
AND SUN ONLY A MEMORY HELD BY STONE'S WARMTH,
TRUE BLUE EXPERIENCE IN RUSTIC SKYSCRAPER'S FOUNTAIN
-THOR SIGSTEDT,JULY16,2007
This neighborhood along the reaches I am talking about have quietly
proceeded to enhance and protect their properties and the love this great
creek, asking for no help from anyone else so far. The help we have gotten by outside people,
even the “experts” has been dramatically dubious. The reason why is that they have continually
misread this river; finding the wrong
“high water”, for instance, which would throw all of their calculations
off. They went from handwork to backhoe
projects in the creek (wreaking havoc without even having a clue why). Others have been odd in saying things like:”
we environmentalists and restoration people don’t care about the aesthetics” or
calling in the Army Corps of Engineers because the restoration people damaged
the course of the river and then when we fixed it, they got tweaked. The county has put in culverts as road
crossings, right on our river, thinking it was a road crossing, and only to
have they washed out within weeks. The
people reenacting the civil war tried to follow the actual course and time of
the movement of the army up this saddle behind us, only to find themselves in
cold, cold, wet, wet circumstances as they crossed our property in the
night. So when people don’t think of
this creek as cold, then I can only assume they have only been out here on hot
summer days during droughts and not seen this body of water during the fall,
winter and early spring, when it is anything but warm or even cool; it is cold! So let us continue to protect the area in our
individual ways and help to support any enhancements that might be helped with
your willing help. Talk to theI25 folks
and ask them to find ways to mitigate the water flow that they affect (as they
should do anywhere in this country…..not just here) and talk to the railroad
about using materials and substances that are not hazardous to health. Then
just stand back and be amazed at what great things will happen; just as I have
been!!
This letter is purposefully not restricted to scientific data (but
wonders where the data is and I wish to see it, as do my neighbors), but to
introduce the notion that the decisions being made for this reach of the
Galisteo Creek are being misjudged and need further attention before a decision
can be reached.
*Note: as some of these areas are so wild and recently
become residential areas, I have given names to the gorge (Spirit Gorge), the valley (Spirit Valley), and the tributary along
the county road (Billy’s Gulch). Manzanares
is the name of the area right below Spirit Gorge. The name of Apache Canyon has been coopted for
the name of the highest reaches as you have already identified. I tend to dislike the names like Apache
canyon as the story is often about some apache that was chased into the canyon,
or some other disparaging scenario. This
is not Apache country, so the speculation is probably correct.
My vision is clear:
The Galisteo Creek and its tributaries are cold water creeks or will be at some
time in the next few decades, given the restoration trends already in progress
and the natural nature of this incredibly interesting, beautiful, historically
and geologically significant upper watershed.
It has been stocked with trout and they have survived for extensive
periods; it has waterfalls and cool pools that are perennial, numerous cold
springs along its course, and a naturally cold climate. (I have to pretend I live in Montana, it gets
so cold around here). This creek should
retain its high quality cold water designation from Glorietta on down to the
end of the gorge above Lamy.
“We have a vision of New Mexico’s rivers and streams running
so clear and clean that you can bend a knee to the water, cup your hands, and
drink without fear. Realizing this vision – which was a reality in northern New
Mexico only one lifetime ago – requires the wisdom, knowledge, and
participation of all New Mexicans in the effort to address social and political
pressures poisoning our waters”. –Amigos Bravos
**The government and Jeff Bingaman made a huge mistake when
they allowed a person recently to transfer a large (dubiously large) number of
water rights from this valley to the mesa above us (and which is on a different
watershed from ours. I am only beginning
to learn about this but it could affect us in a profoundly adverse way). I
was shocked when your office said that the use of water rights was of no
concern to your office as, in my opinion, the protection of a major riparian area and
protecting it’s flow has to supersede any other rights, as the value of the
watershed is more important to preserve; the necessity to keep flow as high as
possible and within the nature of its gift to the world, yes, the river is
the world gift to our world and the quality of our lives and the protection of
our rights to clean, cold, drinkable and swimmable water. I am not,
of course, referring to each landowners legal rights, but to some “developer’s
schemes”. This may, in fact, be the real
rub here and if it is, then it is necessary for the state to exhibit transparency
in this matter. For the state to allow
the creek to be sucked up onto the mesa for a private person’s gain would be
untenable, both economically (for our households along the creek) and for the
ecosystem and riparian area known as The
Galisteo Creek! It is the state’s
obligation through the mandate of the EPA to insure that our waters are “drinkable,
clean, fishable and swimmable”. That is
the bottom line, from what I have read. I am sure you know this already and forms the
framework of your decision making along with the unspoken “elephant in the room”, which is, “at what cost”. My answer is: we are doing our parts and the
state can do a little of theirs; our parts will be huge in scope and solid;
your part will be appreciated by the public at large as the beauty around here
continues to unfold and our economy, which is based on the aesthetics and
beauty in the Santa Fe area, will blossom into the county. Surely, the state does not want to help kill
the goose that laid the golden egg! This is, literally, the Gateway to Santa Fe
on the Santa Fe Trail, as the opening in the canyon was reputedly only 15 feet
wide, historically! That is
extraordinary!
***An example of the
possible misreading of the data can be thought about just in the way that the
readings were done here at Adventure Trails Ranch. I am not trying to be critical, but the story
speaks for itself in some ways. The
thermograph was installed in a cool spot, which is appropriate as it was in the
shade and likely to not dry up very soon and seemed somewhat indicative of the
best conditions here. So the thermograph
would read quite cool at first and then a moderate flash flood came through
here within a few weeks and it was the first of the season and during a heat
wave time. So it would have registered
considerably warmer due to the specific conditions, including that it was the
first flood of the season so it was inordinately muddy by our standards, which
would have brought up the temperature.
Then there was another small runoff which was inordinately muddy for
some reason (depends on where the local source of the rain fell and which part
of the land, etc.), so it would have shown a large spike in temperature as it
was very thick with mud. Then the heat
wave continued and the thermograph area dried up mostly so there would have
been another spike. This all happened in
the course of less than two months in the middle of a severe drought and heat
wave, unprecedented in recorded history.
So then it was dry until last Sunday when we had a sizeable flood come
through here and I am not sure if the thermograph is even there anymore (I will
look soon), but if it is not there, then you would not get it’s information up
till then and that would be the entirety of your readings; not normal,
indicative or substantial enough to base any decisions on. I think it is important to see it from a
resident’s point of view that there is “something rotten in Denmark”.
Specific Questions:
Specific Questions relating to the Galisteo Creek
classification:
1.
When was the 1970s stream classification
actually made; what date?
2.
3.
Is it possible to see the data that was
collected over the last few years? Does
this fall under the freedom of information act? I just want to see as much
rigor as is reasonable under these circumstances and need to see some
accounting in this respect.
4.
5.
What responsibility does the government
(federal, state and county) have to assure or protect the flow of a river from
being usurped or overtaxed unnecessarily or by the introduction of development
or taking the water out of the watershed of the lower already existing users of
this resource?
6.
7.
Why have there been no air temperature readings
of this area?
8.
9.
Why have there been no thermograph readings at
“Spirit Gorge”?
10.
I wish to have more than just one person in the
office read this. I would like to know
whether the director or other supervisors have read this; it is important to be
sure that the information is filtered in more than one way. Will you do this?
(perhaps others have questions they wish to ask…… from all
sides of this issue)
A Final Bit of "Poetry" (inspired by reading some history about the civil war, among other things):
A Final Bit of "Poetry" (inspired by reading some history about the civil war, among other things):
Coldwater Creek-History of the Galisteo
They say the opening, the funnel
point, the waist at the foot,
Was fifteen feet across, there at
the bottom of Glorietta Pass
Armies passed through, too
But the supply train stopped on
the down side,
Stopped where pivotal things
always stop;
At high energy areas;
confluences;
And whether they know it or not,
they are “captured” by Indians, right there
In Apache Canyon, right there
where the truth and our wishes meet
Either Doom or Glory, Glory,
Glorietta
Where the truth is tested by the
temperature, if nothing else
Small wonder that the church is
there, two very cold creeks and one pretty damned cold one
The ponds are near there, the still pools are near there, the gorge is there, the wells are
there,
The scientists gather, the nation
pours itself through the bottom of the funnel
The vehicles; wagons from
Missouri, travois from the plains carrying bison meat
Before winter hits, the train
toots its horn day after day, year after year;
Surviving the derailment of 1975
or thereabouts,
The track that was built in a few
months from Trinidad to Albuquerque, through the
Fifteen Feet with no name and
then again through the other Apache Canyon,
Spirit Gorge
Same name, same principle; high
energy as the great Rocky Mountains thrust up the Great Plains;
Thrust up the ancient seabed,
tilting it away from the nexus, releasing some tension;
Leaving some tension……..
“The bottom of the funnel is ultimately where
conversions happen”
Like the form at the end of a web
page, where you see your cart and pay;
The Piper; fill out the form with
the important data
The form was, in this case, a
supply train. It lay there sleeping,
Cause the soldiers were sleepy;
Cause the nights were Very Cold;
Unsettled; fate indecisive in
the tents……
Despite the battles raging, the
rebels napped to make up for the sleep Deficit
Caused by the biting chill that caused them to toss
and turn all night
Despite the susurrous creek
wafting by, the flow interminable
Those sleepy guys slept while
Sibley sipped whiskey in Santa Fe
And Chivington of Sand Creek (de)fame
slipped up and across the mesa,
Looked down with his spyglass
only to see that the Sirens had done their work
And he traversed down the slippery
slope and destroyed the wagons and……….
All the dreams and hopes of half
of the nation; Freedom reigned; Slavery died
Right here amidst the "teeming
wildlife" of Glorietta Pass
Now the amazing part is that
again the coldness is being questioned (just ask the Rebels, I say)
And the trader has ambushed the
confluence one more time as the neighborhood slept,
Carrying the water up to the
fabled mesa where it will never be seen again;
Destroying our supply of Cold,
Drinkable ,Fishable and Swimmable……………Water!
And Sibley is still drunk in
Santa Fe, having never even really Seen the Creek !
But maybe the truth will out one
more time as the camel tried to be threaded through the eye of the needle.
Cold is the Key and the Gate, the cold slips through the gate into Eternity.
-thor sigstedt august 30, 2012
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