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1990 lecting data on the reservation to see which crops will thrive, says Mike Preston, the tribe's agricultural development coordinator. Because it hasn't been farmed with chemicals, the land could produce organic foods. "We've had people from wineries saying, 'How'd you like to grow grapes here?'" says Preston. Other plans include using the crops as the basis for industries like a fruit juice plant or a feedlot "The beauty of this settlement is it allows them to have an agricultural base, which is the key to this whole region," says Preston. "The non-Indian community has had the benefit of water and agricultural development over the last century. It's really the tribes' turn to have that opportunity." Whether the Indian tribes ever realize all their water entitlement, however, is another matter. Although the settlement of the Ute water claims was primarily responsible for reviving the Animas-La Plata Project, the fruits of its first phase will go mostly to non-Indians. ------....- ?IR,IoNI-\AS CAN 0Hl-'t W_,,~ peopu;;.. :I: ~~ ~ ~--- Anglo farmers will get 85 percent of the water diverted for irrigation. Furthermore, whether the $590 million cure is worse than the disease is challenged from Durango to Washington, D.C. "It's a solution in search of a problem," said a congressional observer. "They're trying to build a 19508 water project in 1990 and it can't be done." Whether the squawfish will prevent Animas-La Plata from being built remains to be seen. The project has developed formidable momentum, with millions of taxpayer dollars already allocated. Many proponents see the entanglement with the squawfish as the last in a series of hurdles the project has cleared. But the project's opponents are optimistic that the fish has bought time for the project's true col- ors to be seen. "Time is on our side," said Oldham, who points to the project's defects. "As the public becomes better informed, we'll be better equipped to beat Animas-La Plaia." . - c . ~ ~.. ~ ~ ~uAWA$H ,II!!l!f!!J -- ...iJffiii'---.......- ~ ~ -~~- HighCountry News (ISSN/0191/5657) is published biweekly In Paonia, Colorado, by the nonprofit High Country Foundation. High Country News reports on the West's natural resources, public lands and changing commun~ies. The articles appearing in this review of the Animas-La Plata Project first appeared in High Country News between 1990 and 1996. High Country News can be reached at P.O. Box 1090, Paonia, CO 81428, 970/527- 4898. Editorial and circulation staff can be e-mailed respectively at ed~or@hcn.org or cir- culation@hcn.org. ll'le Environmental Policy InstitutE called it 'one of tl1emost ill-conceived reclamation projects in the nation's historY C 1996 High country News - 31