The Galisteo Watershed Partnership (GWP) was formed in 2005 as a voluntary network of private and public organizations, as well as individuals, with an active interest in the future of the 730 square-mile Galisteo Watershed.

Partners, Coordination and Collaboration

The GWP’s partner organizations include ranchers, developers, nonprofit organizations, and local, county, state and federal government agencies.

The GWP holds quarterly meetings, each one focusing on a specific issue of high concern to the partners and the communities within the watershed. Visit Upcoming Events to see the topic, time and location of the next scheduled quarterly meeting.

Stakeholders in the future of the Galisteo Watershed met in 2003 and 2004 to discuss a vision and long-term planning strategies for the area. These meetings helped to establish the Memorandum of Understanding that guides the Partnership’s actions.

The Partnership is coordinated by a steering committee, which meets monthly.

The Earth Works Institute is currently serving as the Partnership coordinator.

The Purpose of the Galisteo Watershed Partnership

The purpose of the GWP is to share information, organize public education initiatives, and serve as a coordination body for outreach and planning regarding landscape and resources planning, development and conservation initiatives in the Galisteo watershed. The GWP specific purpose is to:

• Continue an open dialogue about the future of the area.
• Educate the community about the watershed.
• Provide input on how different development and conservation activities can be initiated or improved.
• Collect and disseminate Galisteo watershed information.

The GWP does not yet request dues and is not incorporated. Funds are collected from partners for specific occasions.

Guiding Principles of the Galisteo Watershed Partnership

The GWP is shaped and guided by the following shared principles:

• Growth for commercial and residential development should be ecologically sensitive. . .

Open spaces and the sense of open space must not be destroyed by growth. Smart growth strategies should be encouraged, including cluster development and mixed use. Ideally, open spaces and villages will be interconnected by trails and public transportation. New construction and remodeling of existing buildings should utilize environmentally friendly designs and reflect environmental limits, especially the critical limit of water availability. Appropriate technologies – such as water catchment systems, recycling water, and high tech waste water systems – should be incorporated whenever possible.

• Strategies should be implemented to conserve important ecological and cultural areas. . .

The watershed should be restored so that the riparian areas are healthy, water flows in the river, and wildlife is abundant. Watershed restoration will require land management strategies such as rotational grazing, grassland restoration, and storm-water management. Archaeological sites should be protected. These resources should be a foundation for continuing environmental education, especially for youth, which needs to be a commitment of the communities within the watershed.

• The watershed community should be more self-sustaining. . .

There is a need for a healthy, local economy that fits the custom and culture of the watershed: small-scale, clean, and locally-owned. Residents of the watershed should participate in decisions likely to affect them. Local decision-making should be the product of regional cooperation reflecting a watershed orientation.

The Vision translates into four overarching themes of activities or scope:

• Water Planning Management
• Transportation Planning and Management
• Ecological and Open Space Conservation
• Urban Development Planning