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<br />from benClllh me I81lCh is opposed by
<br />virtUalJycveryorpnization ill the San
<br />Luis yelle)' as well 85 by Slale and
<br />fedMllqencies, YetAWDI is <:onfident
<br />ilSlcgal c1aimslO lhewaler will be
<br />upbeldbylbecowu.
<br />AWDI eamc to its water plans by an
<br />Indirect path. The firm's founder,
<br />Maurice Suong, discovered !he San Luis
<br />valJeyin theJate J910s, whcnheand
<br />several bllSifless associlllCS8cquiteda
<br />cOlUrollingintcrtlltlnllJcPhoenix.based
<br />Arizona Land and Callie ComVany,
<br />whOJenamcWlWJalUcnanged to AZL.
<br />During an interview, Slrong, 60,
<br />said AZL owned twO million acres of
<br />land in theSOlllhwcstUniled SUUe$as
<br />well as calde feedlots, a commodity
<br />trading business,s farm machinery
<br />bllSinessand otherintercsts.
<br />..It was a troubfed COIllpany, It had a
<br />!otofasselS but was 100inll money wben
<br />J blVesLed in it... The game plan was to
<br />grtridofllll tho land because nlnchlllld
<br />fannlllnddoesn'lproduceanysignlrlCAlll
<br />amount of income," Slrong said.
<br />"Therefore ii'S not the beslinVCSlmenl
<br />fora public company Ihathas 10 show
<br />incomeretum." .
<br />While Strong was slripping the
<br />cornpany'sasselSand placing minerai
<br />andoilrlghlSinsepamtesubsidiaries.he
<br />and his Dnnish wife, Hannc,decidcdto
<br />lool::atoneofAZL.'ssoulhemCo!orado
<br />propel'lies: the Luis MMaBacaranch,a
<br />l00,ooo.aClCCllltle ranch that includCls
<br />flat vallClY hay lands and at lunone
<br />mountain peak. The mounlaln, Kit
<br />ClUWn Peale, is part of the Sangre de
<br />C1iSIOr8nge, which forms the east waU
<br />of the San Luis valley.
<br />11ICI SllIIl.llis valley is 100 miles
<br />longall(t 60 miJes wide. llS C8S1 face is
<br />the Sangre de Cristo range; 60 miJes 10
<br />the west are the San Juan mountains,
<br />The IWO ranges convel'ge at the north
<br />cnd of the YBilClY. closing il in on t/Ute'
<br />sideswithhighpcaks.
<br />Altogether, the remote valley'
<br />suppons a popuIatlon of about 40,000
<br />sClIneredacrossacoupleofdozenSJ1'llli.l
<br />ianning towns, According 10 San Luis
<br />Valley Christian CommunilY SCJVices,
<br />lhn'.eofthesixcounticsinthevailcyaro
<br />~mOlti the poorest in the IlBUon, Fann
<br />JIlcome ifIlhc valley in 1986 Wllll $41
<br />:nillion: The 1i000's share of that went
<br />Into the pockets of a ,roup of rich
<br />~talO, barley and vegelllble farmus
<br />,yho own big plOlS of irrigaIed land.
<br />The valley is 200 miles llnd three
<br />mOlllll8ins passes south of Dcnvet. II is
<br />JJso high - lIIe lowest point is 1.soo
<br />~eel highez- than the milo-high city of
<br />Dellver.ltisalSO~ll'Cmolydry_the
<br />lvmgt rainfall is only SOVCll incbcs a
<br />,~,
<br />Bill runoff from the ptl8Ia; gives lhe
<br />lalley floor a high water tablCl and
<br />uassland that once sustained huge
<br />-"""-
<br />The valley does not offer typical
<br />{ocky Mountain viSlll$. The wide, flat
<br />
<br />'The Closed Basin Project is designed
<br />to pump about 1 OO,OOOacre-feetof water a year
<br />from more than 150 shallow wells
<br />andflush it into the Rio Grande.'
<br />
<br />
<br />Water spout IIeat' Saguache, COlorado
<br />land bclWeCln Ptll 111'0 abruptly rising. -.
<br />rBngesisdoucd with hugecentCIrpiYOl
<br />machincsllSCldtoirrigalC\pDIlIIOeS;inlhe .,
<br />spring, water pools on the fields and"
<br />......""....
<br />ThoIOWllSprcsentlitdllcharmwlbo
<br />visilor. The smaJler comm\lni~ics'
<br />downtowns 8rCl mainly boarded up:"
<br />Ncvcrtheless. SIfllIlS and his-wife feU in
<br />love wilh the area snd dccided thatthc:
<br />company would keep ~ Baca ranclt,
<br />"WilhmyenvUonmonlalintenlsll
<br />{ell Jhat, you know, it's.a very unique .
<br />valley. It's nOI a ski arca.It was
<br />eccnornically depmed. And bete was a
<br />blgpiecoof.landwberelluidkindofa
<br />S1ewanlshipmle.I bClgan IOlhirtk lhat
<br />rather than sell it we should have Ihc
<br />.company keep itand.aCCl whether we
<br />could find a betterfuture for Ihe area that
<br />
<br />'It gradually dawned on us
<br />that this was an ideal place for
<br />activities of a
<br />contemplative, spiritual, cultural
<br />and environmental nature.'
<br />
<br />
<br />would bCI' good for lhe comPany and
<br />good forlhe area as well."
<br />
<br />A$piritualretrealunJer
<br />
<br />StrongsaYS"~designedit
<br />as thouSJtit wttc: tlte suburb
<br />ofa big CilY. They didn'I'
<br />rea1Iydesign it 10 malre the bCst-useof
<br />theenvironmClnthere~. WeconU'8Cted
<br />the lkvelopmenl and at the same time
<br />It'led to find a ncw Iheme. And it
<br />gmdWIIly daWJ}Cd on IJ$ thai litis was an .
<br />iduJ place for aClivities of 8
<br />contemplative, spiritual, cultural and
<br />.envuoomentallllllllre."
<br />
<br />Before SlI'OJlg's invesunenl in AZL,
<br />lbo company bad split off 12.000 acres
<br />fl(lJJl lhe ranch and $p(Inl $30 million
<br />uying 10 Iwn il inlO a retiremCOt resort.
<br />AZL installed telC1)lhone, water. sewage
<br />and e1llCtricilylinesto lO,OOOJ01S~
<br />0111 of the mountainsides and plaiIJs.The
<br />company also built roads,a hotel,S1 golf
<br />course, le1Inis courts and SIBbie!. The
<br />JeSOltWlSlIflop.
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<br />San Luis Valkry ,
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<br />CosIma
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