Arizona Water Resource Volume 11 Number 4

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May - June 2003 Arizona Water Resource 3 WRRC Conducts Water Conference /Forum Aparticularly daunting critique of a con- ference is to describe it as experts talking to experts. Some kind of closed -door encoun- ter comes to mind, self - referential in its fo- cus, its sessions marked by an inbreeding of talent and ideas. It is the legendary smoked fill room without the smoke. Not so the Water Resources Research where the action is, where people feel most directly the consequences of a situation and, as a result, have a better sense of what needs to be done or not done. A number of conference participants told of their experiences at the local level; e.g. in local government or working to organize watershed groups. Basic to their plans of action was broad and varied public participation, to involve all interests. Along these lines, Barbara Litrell of the League of Women Voters Sedona /Verde Valley Water Committee told of work in Tom lY hitmer of the Aritona Department of Water Resources discusses water resource activities in rural areas. (Photo: Joe Gelt) Center's May 1 -2 conference in Prescott. Ti- tled "Local Approaches to Resolving Water Resource Issues," the conference was con- ducted as a forum, to bring together people actively engaged in resolving water resource issues in various, mostly rural areas of the state. Also varied was participants' focus of interest, to include the local, regional and agency view. Participants' expertise had to do with solving problems, as is indicated by the conference subtitle, "What's Working, What Hasn't Worked and Building on Exist- ing Efforts." Conference attendees included about 200 people from more than 40 Ari- zona communities. In opening the conference, Sharon Megdal, WRRC associate director, stated, `All politics are local politics. If it doesn't work at home, it's not going to work in the state, and it surely won't make a difference nationally." In other words, the local is organizing citizen groups throughout Yavapai County to create the North Central Arizona Regional Watershed Coalition. The organization is to ensure a broader public voice. The regional perspective also was considered, with regional variously defined to include an Active Manage- ment Area and Indian reser- vations. Attorney Lee Storey described the Santa Cruz Active Management Area as confronting different hydro- logic conditions, and there- fore different management challenges, than other AMAs within the state. Mary Thomas, lieutenant governor of Gila River Indian Community, discussed water issues of concern to her people. Herb Dishlip spoke from another regional perspective when he discussed Ar- izona's negotiations with California to limit its use of Colorado River water. The Colo- rado River basin is regional on a large scale. Dishlip, however, brought the focus back to the local by saying this multi -state affair can be understood in reference to issues con- fronting local watersheds. It is a watershed issue writ very large. The agency perspective was not ne- glected, with representative of state and federal agencies discussing their activities to resolve state water resource issues. The con- ference theme that cooperation pays divi- dends was evident when Karen Smith of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality described arrangements worked out between ADEQ and the Arizona Depart- ment of Water Resources. ADWR Director Herb Guenther, Sen. Tom O'Halleran and Arizona Corporation Commission Chairman Marc Spitzer made up the state officials panel. In what was an appropriate closing note for the conference, uonaanuea on