June 2024 – November 2024
Nexus of Land and Water: Southwest Initiative on Land Health and Water Resources, convened in partnership with the Mountain Studies Institute, is bringing together researchers, on-the-ground practitioners, professionals, and scholars in hydrology, agronomy, soil science, agriculture, range management, education, community leadership, and design fields, to generate creative solutions addressing the issue of dust-on-snow in the San Juan Mountains, and communities and ecosystems that depend on them.
Symposium (October 30, 2024):
Over the last six months, 21 researchers – scientists, artists, professionals, and community leaders from diverse fields – have been working together on applied research projects to identify implementable management practices that align with community values and reduce dust mobilization. Though centered on the San Juan Mountains, the issue of dust-on-snow and the insights of our researchers have global implications.
At this symposium, the project’s research teams will share their findings and discuss strategies to manage land health and water resources more effectively. Through presentations, collaborative sessions, and discussions, we will explore practical solutions and innovative ideas to address these pressing challenges.
Press and Reporting on the Symposium:
Climate change is driving much of western North America to a hotter, drier state, contributing to the increasing mobilization of dust. Loss of topsoil negatively impacts productivity of the land, and dust can negatively impact the health and everyday life of people in surrounding communities. Dust is produced from a multitude of anthropogenic and natural sources in arid lands, transported through the atmosphere, and eventually deposited onto the snowpack. Deposition of this dust on snowpack creates a positive feedback loop, as it contributes to faster, earlier snowmelt, exacerbating the impacts of drought and water scarcity for downstream communities. This is an applied research project which will work with communities to identify and implement management practices that may reduce dust mobilization while also aligning with the needs and values of those communities. Although the project is centered around a specific geographic area, the issue is of global relevance.
At the Wright-Ingraham Institute we envision a model of integrated research and field workshops that focus on complex interfaces between natural and cultural systems in order to open new paths to solving contemporary dilemmas. The issue of dust migration is of increasing concern, and we are partnering with the Mountain Studies Institute and their longstanding collaborators, from the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies, New Mexico State University, the United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Health Services, and the Center for Earth Theology, who have been actively engaged in addressing this issue for many years. Through collaborative efforts and interdisciplinary approaches, we seek to deepen our understanding of complex social-ecological systems and creatively explore solutions. Our aim is to develop collaborative pilot projects and secure funding sources to address this issue within the affected communities.
The primary objectives of this project are to:
June 2024 | Listening Sessions – Virtual |
July – Sept 2024 | Project Development – Virtual |
Oct 30, 2024 | Symposium – In person – Cortez, CO |
Nov 2024 | Evaluation – Virtual |
This project is funded by the Southwestern Water Conservation District, Colorado Water Conservation Board and the National Endowment for the Arts.