Upcoming Conference in Tucson on Green Infrastructure and Low-Impact Development in arid environments

Not sure if I'll be able to make it to this one - a shame really, since it's so close to home.
But it looks like a great event, so if you're from Tucson or would like to come visit to attend the 2012 Arid LID Conference, March 27-29, check out the link for all the info you need.  The agenda includes several really interesting presentations, but the best part is there's lots of opportunities for hands-on learning.
Be sure to check it out.

The Failed Promise of Indian Water Settlements, Part II

Taking advantage of a sick day to finally get around to this thread again.

So you may remember from my previous post that it was the Arizona Water Settlements Act (passed in 2004, became law in 2007) that resolved a couple of the most significant Indian water rights claims in Arizona, as well as settling several other pressing issues in allocation of Central Arizona Project (CAP) water and costs associated with the project.  The legislation enacting those settlements allocated both water and money to help the tribes involved purchase their new water from CAP and put the water to use on their reservations, mostly in irrigation projects.

Water Marketing - Who Wins, Who Loses?

I just wanted to post a link to this commentary (that came to me by way of Aquafornia) about water marketing in California.  It makes the point that opening up markets can create unequal opportunities, when one one part of the supply chain is (functionally) controlled by a monopoly (the federal government).  Something that could be very prevalent throughout the West, where the Bureau of Reclamation controls access to much of the big water that goes to agriculture and might find its way into markets in the coming years.

This is also my way of introducing the upcoming Water Rights Trading Summit being hosted by American Water Intelligence and WestWater Research, in Scottsdale, AZ, in early Feb.

Should be an interesting conference.  And I'm hoping to re-connect with some contacts I haven't seen in a while at the conference.

Anniversary of a Tragedy

It was exactly one year ago that I posted something completely uncharacteristic for this blog.  It was an event that had a tremendous impact on me, but I'm still not sure it had the kind of impact it should have had on society-at-large.  This idea is well articulated in this piece by Jeff Biggers, posted on Salon today.

I don't want to initiate an ongoing discussion on this blog about these events, but didn't want to let the anniversary pass without at least mentioning it.  It's one of those events in our lives we should try to never forget because the lessons to be learned from them are just too important.  The most important of which is to be part of a community, know your neighbors, be nosy sometimes, and take care of each other.  Fear and suspicion are enemies of these ideas - they need to be fought.

I'm hoping to pick up the thread of my recent discussion of Indian water rights soon, so bear with me.