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,till in p~uction ment Council, also is tasting to helpreinvi- gorate the San Luis Valley's snuggling eco- nomy by helping farmers form aco-op. The point: to keep agriculture and limited- use farming in business. But trying to rally support and get mem- bers has been difficult many local farmers in the area remember how money was mis- handled 20 years ago when the same thing was tried. Meanwhile, there are threats to the way of life of farnters in the valley. THE GALLEGOS farm is irrigated partly by the Rito Seco Creek, which runs rightthroughaminesite. stantworry for them is the cyanidelrradpgold mine run by Battle Mountain t`ofid Cd., lo- cared in the Rito Seco drainage three and a half miles uphill. Gallegos and other far- mer fear the cyanide used in the gold- leaching process could escape from the mine attd pollute their water supply. Two years ago, Battle Mountain Gold was lined nearly;<170,000 by a l;oloralo Mined Land Reclamation Bo~rd whetr c16' nide concenvations far above perTraittltl levels were found in a tailings pond. Sev- eral years before that Gallegos and othePs in the San Luis Vallev formed the Costilla County Committee for Environmental Soundness. Along the way, Gallegos gotah astonishing education. "Before, l didn't know much about cya- nide, [didn't know much about gold m~a- ing, 1 didn't know much about leaching," He smiled grimly. "Now, I seem to know quite a bit." Running the farm, keeping an eye tan the mining company, trying to forma oo- op - all of it keeps Gallegos running at full throttle. Which is just fine. "It's great to be tired. It feels good," he said. "1 t feels good to wake up in the morn- ing refreshed. A lot of people sleep be- cause [hey're svessed. 1 sleep because I'm exhausted." JOE GALLEGOS drives across his family's farm in the San Luis Valley earlierthis morkh. The Hrm is the oldest continual ly operated one in the state; five generations have farrrNtl the band between San Acacio and San Luis since 7852.