From The Pueblo Chieftain (Matt Hildner):
He noted that the efforts of the ancients in both Peru and the Four Corners region were plagued by dry times and wet times, according to ice-core data. “Life in the Americas, including the Americas we live in, is flood and drought,” he said.
Hobbs’ slide show featured pictures of canals at Machu Picchu and the work of an archaeological crew that excavated the water collection systems that were found at Mesa Verde National Park. Moving to the state’s modern history, Hobbs noted that Hispanic settlers in San Luis, borrowing on centuries-old traditions from southern Spain, carved out the first irrigation ditch recognized by the state’s courts with an 1852 priority date…
“The priority system is a system of scarcity,” he said. “There’s no value to a senior right when you don’t enforce priority.”
More coverage from the Valley Courier (Julia Wilson):
“I think it went very, very well,” Lyons said. “I was busy making coffee and hauling garbage, but it looked like everybody enjoyed it, vendors and farmers.”[…]
There were around 70 vendors and between 300 and 350 people every day. “We did our head count based on how many lunches we served,” Lyons said. “We wanted it to be relaxed, so farmers could have plenty of time to visit and go enjoy the speakers. The educational part is very important.”