Mission & Values

Our Mission

We endeavor to protect and preserve the doctrine of prior appropriations (first in time, first in right) while working to create partnerships to secure the health of the Rio Grande watershed for generations to come.

Core Values

Recognize the central role of water to the health of the land and surrounding communities.
Honor good stewardship of land and water.
Promote sustainable agricultural practices.
Support and grow local food systems to feed our communities and nation.

Landscape

Colorado’s Rio Grande corridor is the backdrop for the daily lives of the San Luis Valley residents and part of the beauty that attracts so many tourists to our area.   The San Luis Valley receives less rain than the Sahara desert, but with the Rio Grande flowing from the mountains, irrigation creates an oasis in this high desert valley.  The Rio Grande corridor is rich with bio diverse riparian areas and meadow habitats.  Along the corridor are beautiful farms and ranches that depend on reliable irrigation to raise their crops and animals.  Through irrigation, a wider corridor of riparian wetlands exists today then when the narrow ribbon of river flowed undiverted.  Though irrigation has undeniably changed this landscape in the last 150 years, this new, water dependent habitat is home to many species of plants and animals, both common and rare.

Legacy

Many of the senior water users come from families who have been farming and ranching in the San Luis Valley for many generations.  For nearly 150 years, irrigated agriculture has been the back-bone of economic life along Colorado’s Rio Grande corridor.  These working lands and the families who manage them are part of our shared heritage.  The continuation of these farms and ranches for generations is a heritage we are proud of.  Our dedication to agriculture has kept food production more local and sustainable at time when ranching and farming in the United States is a dying occupation.  Many of our farms and ranches are protected through conservation easements, ensuring that they will never be developed.  Just like water, food is a vital resource to us all, and we are dedicated to protecting and preserving our agricultural way of life not just for ourselves but for the common good.