WSP05845

• File Number: 8507
• Description: Rio Grande Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Date: 7/1/1997
• Title: Water Management Study: Upper Rio Grande Basin part 2
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

Water Management Study: Upper Rio Grande Basin

Mexico from the rest of the nation. This amount does not include the value
that others-retirees and other nonworkers in New Mexico and residents of
other states-place on these amenities.5

It is impossible, given currently available data and analytical techniques, to
discern the value of New Mexico's individual amenities, including those that
are associated with the resources of the Upper Rio Grande Basin. Surveys of
in-state and out-of-state travelers (see, e.g., Thompson and Cordova 1995)
generally confirm that these amenities include the state's historical sites and
museums; its opportunities for fishing, hunting, and hiking; and its national
and state parks. Assessments by the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy
District, state agencies, federal agencies, and the general public (see, e.g.,
Crawford et al. 1993 and Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District 1993)
have identified a wide range of amenities associated with the Upper Rio
Grande Basin, including these broad categories:

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. The rare, if not unique, ecosystem, known as the Rio Grande bosque, that
embraces the river, its riparian forest dominated by cottonwoods, and the
dependent communities of plants and animals.

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. The visual aesthetics associated with the river itself, as well as the
associated vegetation, both uncultivated, e.g., the bosque, and cultivated,
e.g., irrigated lawns and fields.

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. River-related recreational opportunities, including those associated with
the network of open space, riverbanks, trails, and roadways where city
dwellers can find refuge from traffic and noise.

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. The river's role as a component of traditional cultures and lifestyles,
including Native Americans' use of the river for ceremonial purposes,
farmers' use of water for irrigation, and city-dwellers' use of the river as
the central focus for urban development in an otherwise desert
environment.

5 Retirees are footloose consumers who often base their Ioeational decisions on the
availability of natural-resource and other amenities, and on the cost of living. Their
expenditures, derived from pension and other non-wage sources of income, have a marked
impact on the structure oflocal economies throughout the West (Power 1996).

52

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