The Next 50 Years:

Envisioning New Mexico's Water Future

New Mexico’s climate is increasingly variable, hotter and drier. How do we respond? What steps can we take to improve our resiliency? Many changes will be expensive, and some may increase competition between users and communities. And some problems may remain unsolvable.

New Mexico has successfully completed a number of local, regional, and statewide water planning efforts. To ensure that decisions about policies and projects are effective, the first step is to complete in-depth analyses of supply and demand. The second step is to develop economic and policy decisions that will improve our water future by relying on the best available scientific data.

The framework for making these decisions is the 50-year water plan currently being developed under the leadership of Governor Lujan Grisham and the State Engineer and Interstate Stream Commission.

Please join us for our 27th annual meeting on January 13 and 14 to participate in this effort.

Due to public health restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's event will be hosted online. We hope the online format makes it easier for more people to join us! To make the online format more enjoyable and easier to fit into your schedule, we have split the conference into 2 consecutive days, with a short, 3-hour session on January 13th (9:00-12:00) followed by two, 2-hour sessions on January 14th (morning and afternoon sessions, with a long break in the middle).

We will kick off the conference on Day 1 with welcomes from New Mexico Water Dialogue president Jason John as well as Governor Lujan Grisham, followed by a keynote by Eric Perramond, Professor of Environmental Sciences and Southwest Studies at Colorado College. We'll end Day 1 with a panel discussion (see full agenda below for details).

On Day 2, the morning session will include a keynote by Rolf Schmidt-Petersen, Interstate Stream Commission Director, followed by a panel discussion. The afternoon session will include a selection of "Table Talks," during which you will have the opportunity to participate in small group discussions.

For full conference details, you can review and download the agenda HERE.

By registering early, you help us plan facilitation needs for breakout rooms.

If you would like to pay by check, or if you are a government agency or other organization needing to generate a Purchase Order, please contact Virginie@photonimbusconsulting.com for registration assistance.

Scholarships are available to full-time students; email Consuelo for more information: consuelobokum@gmail.com.

The online format makes it possible for us to offer this conference at a lower rate this year. However, your generosity helps the New Mexico Water Dialogue meet basic expenses to keep our work moving forward year-round. Please consider making an additional donation if you're able.

When you register, please also select ONE "Table Talk" small group discussion. You will have the option to move to different discussion groups during the Table Talks.