Toward a Symbiosis of Ecology and Justice: Water and Land Conflicts in Frank Waters, John Nichols, and Jimmy Santiago Baca

M ayn ard D ixo n . L A ST LE A F A G E . 1935. O il. 25" x 30". C ou rtesy o f Br igh am Youn g U n iv er sity M u seu m o f A r t. A ll righ ts reserved. T o w a r d a S y m b io s is o f E c o l o g y a n d J u s t ic e : W a t e r a n d L a n d C o n f l i c t s in F r a n k W a t e r s , J o h n N i c h o l s , a n d J i m m y S a n t i a g o B a c a T o m L y n c h I t ’s sp r in g in n o r t h e r n N e w M e x ic o . W a t e r c r e e p s t h r o u gh a d it c h , fir st ju st a t r ick le su c k e d in t o t h e d r y so il, b ar ely d a m p e n in g t h e gr o u n d . W h it e fo a m a d v a n c e s b e fo r e d a r k b r o w n w ater . T h e n d r ie d le av e s, fa lle n in t o t h e d it c h la st a u t u m n , b e gin t o tu r n , flo at , d r ift a h e a d . St ic k s lift o n t h e su r ge . T u m b le w e e d s stir, st a r t t o r o ll w it h t h e a d v a n c in g w ater . Slu g g ish w o r m s, b e e t le s aw ak e n . O v e r h e a d , c o t t o n w o o d t r e es flare n ew gr e e n le a v e s fr o m b ar e b r a n c h e s. T ig h t st a n d s o f w illo w s sh im m e r w it h r e d a n d y e llo w tw igs. Sle e k , a r r o g a n t m a g p ie s glid e in , p e r c h o n t h e c o t t o n w o o d s, p e e r a n d sq u aw k fr o m t h e b r a n c h e s, assessin g th e p r o gr e ss o f t h e se a so n . W ar b le r s p a u se in m ig r a t io n , t w it t e r in th e b u sh e s, se a r c h w ild r o se b r a m b le fo r t ast y b u gs. T h e m a y o r d o m o — t h e lo c a l d it c h b o ss— st r o lls a lo n g t h e d it c h b a n k , r ak e flu n g o v e r sh o u ld er . F r o m t im e t o t im e h e b e n d s o v e...