Do We Need UnderGround Water Piping for irrigation use
Kenny L Bird
Santo Domingo Pueblo
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Kenny Bird SHP Presentation .webmSummary and MLA Citation
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Research log 1
The article that we read is “Sharing one Skin” by Jeanette Armstrong. In this article Jeanette talked about her different sides of her family and where she is from, which is Okanagan. One main thing she also says is how she cannot be separated from her land or place. Another thing she mentions is her people and how they pray. She goes on to talk explain that when they pray they say “this is my clan” to identify themselves and where they come from
Some connections that I have are My Dad and moms side of the family. For example I spent most of my life with my dads side of the family. But Sometimes I see my moms side but she don't really like to talk about them. Knowing most of family we would carry on tradition that involves everyone I hope to see this carry on.
Armstrong, Jeanette. 1996 “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community.” Pp. 460-470 in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds.), The Case Against the Global Economy, San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books.
The second article is How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape by B. Toastie. In this article it talks about how many different places have names as the ones that they should have.It talks about how some places in the US are named after colonizers, like former president(s), washington,jackson,and jefferson. Here in the south west we have “san” and “Santa” for most of the pueblos located in New Mexico. Laura Tahoe grew up knowing the places of names by the colonial names and the dine name that her people had used.
A connection with this is that all the pueblos have a saint that represents there pueblo as there name in it. For example Santo Domingo, the saint is called saint dominic. But the original name was called kewa. But that was when the spanish came and entered are pueblos who knows, Did we dance for the saint or for traditional ways.
B. Toastie Image credit: Tony Abeyta May 1, 2022 From the print edition. “How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape.” High Country News – Know the West, 1 May 2022,
Research log 2
The indigenous tribes of the area were the first to use gravity-powered ditches for agriculture. As early as 1400 AD the Pueblo Indians had created complex systems of irrigation lines fed from the area’s rivers and tributaries to grow corn, beans, and squash. With the Spanish colonization of the area in the 1600s the term “acequia” as shared watercourse began to be used. The Spaniards noted the similarities to the native watering systems to those brought to Spain during the Moorish occupation.
The first indigenous tribes were the first to dig up a sort of path that will allow water to pass there and this will be used for irrigation. These complex structures are unique in a way of native people doing construction without any numbers or lines. But when the Spanish came they made laws in which the pueblos had to obey these conditions. That's when the Spanish made “acequias” to use for the access water to travel to other main lands that need water to irrigate.
The dam Created a lot of issues for pueblos downstream affecting agriculture, language and traditions. “Congress authorized construction of the dam as part of the Flood Control Act of 1960, and over opposition from many tribal members, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Cochiti Reservoir between 1965 and 1975. The lake inundated sacred lands as well as fields the tribe had tended for centuries.” Congress passed the act telling tribal members how the dam was going to be built. This was done without their input and consent. “They spoke with a deep sense of hurt that they had failed as the stewards and the protectors of this incredible, beautiful, and sacred place to our pueblo people. It was the heart of what gave meaning to our lives. It was very painful for me to witness this helplessness. All my life I had seen these same men with a sense of wisdom and vision, strong spirited, always acting with a sense of certainty and assuredness.” From regis Pecos
The elders saw how this was built and they felt very emotional and helpless. This was painful because the dam was built on Cochiti’s homelands and sacred sites. The dam led to problems with agriculture and stopped many farmers from harvesting any crops.
Research Log 3
Bird,Kenny"Dried Up acequia" November 20, 2022
My current state issues is that there is not enough water like for instance drought has hit new Mexico for the last 50 years impacting the downstream of the rio grande. Not enough water means no irrigation so water would be the main source as if we want to go about installing piping.
Bryan Montoya Susan, Irrigation innovation: Drought challenges water traditions in New Mexico, Albuquerque journal, Saturday, September 18th, 2021
Bird,Kenny”Irrigation for corn”July 14, 2020
Another issue is water pollution which comes from the fires we have had in the last 5 years like the hermit's peak And calf canyon fire and the black fire. When it rains and all the ash mixes with the water and the chemicals will be contaminated and then the water will go into fields of crops and larger fields. I would rather have clean water to produce a good crop for the vegetables.
Another issue is water pollution which comes from the fires we have had in the last 5 years like the hermit's peak And calf canyon fire and the black fire. When it rains and all the ash mixes with the water and the chemicals will be contaminated and then the water will go into fields of crops and larger fields. I would rather have clean water to produce a good crop for the vegetables.
New mexico Environment department, Water Resources, water Pollution and management,November 29th 2022
Research Log 4
There are many different ways for irrigation, such as Drip irrigation, which keeps moisture levels at an optimal range. Drip irrigation is an efficient and economical way to water your yard and garden. It reduces runoff and evaporation and allows plants to use the water applied. This technique is very unique in a way that very little water is being applied and that plants are able to grow at a faster rate. Drip systems prevent disease, allow rows between plants to remain dry, reduce weed growth, and increase effectiveness on uneven ground. And this is not as expensive unlike other irrigation systems.
Lateral move irrigation systems are periodic-move systems that use one or more laterals to supply flow and pressure to sprinklers on the operating laterals. These systems reduce system capital costs and pump cost as compared to solid set irrigation systems. New well-designed machines have many benefits, such as precise application, reduced variability, and improved application efficiencies. They are able to apply a prescribed volume of water to match crop water requirements, reducing the opportunity for surface runoff or deep percolation. Application efficiencies are generally in the 80-95% range, compared to 50-90% for surface irrigation systems.
Molly and Drew put together this podcast because they care about the water. Drew” water is precious and people need to take better care of it.” He has been in the irrigation system for 23 years and he has seen technology evolve through the years for irrigation and mandates are even more strict with their policies. This is placed in Oregon where it is known for desert country. This is more about elevation for these high places. They depend on the melt of the snow to irrigate their lands for the year. They say not as much precipitation is coming in the mountains. You think that it will be good since you're in the mountains. Sometimes they don't get any rain or snow which results in drought. Compared to other places like Florida, North Carolina, and Seattle. They are more worried about the way water is being used and how it is being managed. All connect to water rights. I think that in some ways he irrigates it by the sprinkler system. Molly and Drew are advocates of clean, potable water and talk about how the use of irrigation systems for landscapes often waste water and create other problems.
Action Plans
Action Plan Fall
Action Plan Fall
My First Action Plan is about an interview with the new project manger that was started back up in 2022. My overall question were based on how this underground water piping is efficient and how it can benefit the farmers. The project manager is an older man named Fred sickler, and owner of his own company. He has been do this types of projects for over 10 to 15 years now. Not only working with Santo Domingo he has worked with other communities like cochiti, San felipe, Pircuis, ohkay owingeh. Asking if this project is guaranteed for a life time, he responds was they should be able to last up to 20 to 25 years until pipes start to rot.
Action Plan Spring
Action Plan Spring
Irrigation projects were known as "reclamation"projects. The concept was that irrigation would "reclaim" arid lands for human use. In addition, "homemaking" was a key argument for supporters of reclamation. Irrigation's supporters believed reclamation programs would encourage Western settlement, making homes for Americans on family farms. President Theodore Roosevelt supported the reclamation movement because of his personal experience in the West. This act Let workers construct an irrigation system, but the water users had to pay back the workers in order to use the system.
Out somewhere in another state there was this project that installed an irrigation system for farmers. These projects before were called Reclamation Projects which the concept was that irrigation would "reclaim" arid lands for human use. These projects would support the western in building a strong profit for their crops for many generations. This was supported by President Theodore Roosevelt because of his personal experience in the West. But in return The farmers would have to pay for their installation by how much they make for producing their crops.
“Newlands Act of 1902”, oregon encyclopedia. Web. 12-3-22
Bibliography
Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” in Jerry Mander and Edward
Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club Books,
1996. Pp 460-470.
Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see landscape.” High Country News: Know the West, 1
May 2022,
Accessed 27 August 2022.
Acequias in northern New mexico. “Maxwell museum of anthropology” web. 12-3-22
Root Mike,Acequias A Centuries-old Tradition of Water Sharing, Sotheby’s international realty, January 25, 2023.
Paskus Laura, New Mexico in depth” A dams ‘painful’ History, January 25, 2023
Drip irrigation, University of Rhode Island, February 16, 2023
Grabow Garry, Lateral move systems, March 23, 2022
Molly and Drew Podcast Irrigating the Desert December 23 2022
Fall Action Plan was completed on November 23, 2022. Interview with Project Manager on Santo Domingo land.
Action Plan was completed March 1, 2023 with Howard Caltron Raymond with recording at SFIS.
Bryan Montoya Susan, Irrigation innovation: Drought challenges water traditions in New Mexico, Albuquerque journal, Saturday, September 18th, 2021
“Newlands Act of 1902”, Oregon encyclopedia. Web. 12-3-22
Bird, Kenny. “Acequia “. Nov 20th,2022 Personal photo.
Bird,Kenny. “Irrigation for corn”. 7-14-22
Bird,Kenny,”Canyon” October 29,2022
Bird,Kenny”Field of crops” ,August 3 2022
Bird,Kenny. “Color Changing and Environment changing.” 10-29-22
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