FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5th - NMHU Student Union Building

• 8:30 am - Registration and Networking
• 9:00 am - Welcome and Congreso Overview
• 10:00 am - Workshop Block 1
  • La Acequia es Nuestra Escuela: Place-based education for our communities
  • El Agua Se Defiende: Strategies for Acequias and Allies Protecting Water, PART 1: WATER RIGHTS
  • Acequia Governance 101: Overview for Commissioners and Mayordomos
• 11:30 am - Networking Break
• 12:00 pm - Lunch 
• 1:00 pm - Workshop Block 2 
  • Legislation to Create the Land Grant-Merced and Acequia Infrastructure Fund
  • El Agua Se Defiende: Strategies for Acequias and Allies Protecting Water, PART 2: WATER QUALITY
  • The Role of Soil & Water Conservation Districts in Supporting Acequias and Agriculture
• 2:30 pm - Networking Break
• 3:00 pm - Workshop Block 3 and Delegate Meeting
  • Youth Speak on their Experience with Community, School, and Youth Conservation Corps Projects
  • Growing Growers: Preparing the next generation with skills and land/water/seeds
  • Heavy Metals in Water following the HPCC Fire and Floods
  • Congreso Delegate Meeting
• 4:30 pm - Networking Break
• 5:00 pm - Film Screening "The Way We Carry Water"
• 6:30 pm - *Dinner and Teatro Acequiero at Plaza Hotel - Ilfeld Ballroom - Requires additional ticket purchase in advance.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6th - NMHU Student Union Building

• 8:00 am - Registration and Las Mañanitas
• 9:00 am - Welcome, Canción de las Acequias
• 9:15 am - Bendición de las Aguas
• 9:45 am - Roll Call and Recognition of Dignitaries
• 10:15 am - President's Opening Remarks
• 10:20 am - 2025 State of the Acequias
• 10:30 am - Poetry by Olivia Romo
• 10:40 am - Agua y Justicia: Defending water in our communities - A discussion by acequia legal advocates about the movement for justice for acequias for the past 40 years and the challenges that lie ahead.
• 11:20 am - Acequia Project Recognitions
• 11:40 am - Teatro Acequiero
• 12:00 am - Youth and Farmer Training Recognitions
• 12:20 pm - Food Sovereignty Award to NMAA
• 12:30 pm Lunch + Music
• 1:30 pm - Networking Break
• 2:00 pm - Workshop Block 4
  • Acequia Disaster Recovery from 2022-2025: Lessons Learned and Next Steps
  • Pathways to Funding: Funding programs for acequia infrastructure, financial compliance with the Office of the State Auditor.
• 3:30 pm - Closing Remarks and Music, Despedida

Breakout Session 1

La Acequia es Nuestra Escuela: Place-based education for our communities

Educators and advocates will share updates on their work to create more opportunities for youth in New Mexico's public schools to learn through place-based education through educational materials and curriculum that integrate acequias and land grants into learning about language, science, and other subjects. Panelists will include educators who have integrated acequias and place-based learning into their teaching and advocates who are building institutional support at universities and in state agencies for education that is culturally responsive in our communities.

El Agua Se Defiende: Strategies for Acequias and Allies Protecting Water, PART 1: WATER RIGHTS

This panel will include community leaders who are in active campaigns to protect water from commodification. This includes acequias fighting water transfers out of agriculture to commercial uses outside the acequia as well as communities resisting other types of commodification such as water transfers or appropriations for data centers, bottled water, etc. Participants will share their stories of organizing and strategizing to protect their water as well as an update on their struggle and calls for solidarity across different types of campaigns.

Acequia Governance 101: Overview for commissioners and mayordomos

This session will include acequia leaders discussing ways in which they have worked to strengthen their governance, including updated bylaws, financial management, communications with parciantes, etc. NMAA staff and other experts will also participate offering their insight into the common areas of need as well as success stories of acequias rising to the challenge of being effective institutions of local, democratic governance.

Breakout Session 2

El Agua Se Defiende: Strategies for Acequias and Allies Protecting Water, PART 2: WATER QUALITY

Grassroots leaders will discuss the problem of water contamination from various perspectives: fracking wastewater, PFAS, mining waste, nuclear lab waste, and heavy metals in post-fire landscapes.

Legislation to Create the Land Grant-Merced and Acequia Infrastructure Fund

This session will be devoted to the 2025 legislative priority of the NMAA, which is the Land Grant-Merced & Acequia Infrastructure Act. Panelists will include acequia and land grant leaders who have led the effort to create a recurring source for infrastructure funding. This will include more information about how acequia members and supporters can participate in the upcoming legislative session.

The Role of Soil & Water Conservation Districts in Supporting Acequias and Agriculture

The purpose of this panel is to highlight the important role that SWCDs play in supporting acequias, farming, and ranching in their respective communities. Some of the areas we would like to cover include local SWCD programs that assist acequias with infrastructure and the role of SWCDs in disaster recovery (specifically as EWP sponsors). We would also like to feature recent examples of Healthy Soils Program and Youth Conservation Corp efforts.

Breakout Session 3

Youth Speak on their Experience with Community, School, and Youth Conservation Corps Projects

This session will center youth voices about their experience with community-based or school-based learning that involves place-based education and hands-on projects. Youth from various community and YCC projects, the Acequia Youth Leadership Institute, and schools with acequia education programs will share their reflections in a roundtable format.

Growing Growers: Preparing the next generation with skills & land/water/seeds

Come learn about how we are preparing the next generation of farmers and ranchers. We will reflect on the experience with different types of farmer training programs with special consideration of how to support new generations with skills, land/water, and seeds while being steeped in land-based culture. A roundtable format will include a combination of mentors, apprentices, and providers of organizational support.

Heavy Metals in Water following the HPCC Fire and Floods

This session will feature Dr. Kate Zeigler and Dr. Edward Martinez in a discussion on current testing results for heavy metal contamination and ideas for ways to expand testing to include more wells and indicators of contamination of soils, surface water, etc.

Congreso Delegate Meeting

This is the official delegate meeting of the Congreso de las Acequias.

Breakout Session 4 (Saturday)

Acequia Disaster Recovery from 2022-2025: Lessons Learned and Next Steps

This session will include an update on Acequia Disaster Recovery. A panel of acequia leaders from various fires will share updates on progress or frustration, depending on their situation. Agency officials will be available to answer questions. This interactive session will be used to gather information to advocate for better disaster recovery funding and policies.

Pathways to Funding: Funding programs for acequia infrastructure, financial compliance with the Office of the State Auditor

This session will be a roundtable format. Acequias with completed projects will share testimonials about infrastructure projects and financial compliance. Agency officials will introduce themselves and explain their role in the process: ISC, OSA, NRCS, SWCD.