il-june-18

Lower Mekong Initiative Cross-Cultural Water
Resource Tour Comes to the Borderland
By Karen Ray
International Leadership Visitor Program visits Elephant Butte Dam.
On the eve of southern New Mexico’s monsoon season,
members of the International Leadership Visitor
Program (IVLP), sponsored by the U. S. Department
of State, spent the day with Elephant Butte Irrigation
District (EBID) Treasurer/Manager Gary Esslinger
and other water professionals learning about irrigation,
agriculture, and environmental and water law practices.
The IVLP works with individuals nominated by embassies
around the world who participate in professional exchanges
to the United States. The theme of this tour was the
Lower Mekong Initiative: Cross-Border Water Resource
Management. The Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) serves
as a multinational partnership effort initiated by the United
States, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in 2009 to
promote and to foster integrated sub-regional cooperation
and capacity building in the Mekong sub-region.
Mr. Esslinger said, “They were interested in the fact
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that the federal government was not as involved in how we
administer water in our area. The U.S. government built
our system, but farmers paid it off; this was unheard of.”
Also unheard of was Mexico’s million dollar repayment
contribution in return for the 1906 water delivery treaty.
The participants saw a variety of crops grown and
practices that are much different from theirs. They were
fascinated by the pecan orchards—a new nut to them—and
they were amazed to see field workers harvesting onions.
“Does the government hire those people?” one visitor asked.
Mr. Esslinger replied, “No, the farmer does.”
An Albuquerque-based nonprofit, Global Ties ABQ,
facilitated the tour. Spokesperson Destiny Logan explained
the organization’s goal to create connections between
visitors and New Mexicans. “This group’s objective was to
talk about water sharing for multiple purposes because in
that region, they are reliant on one river—the Mekong.”
IRRIGATION LEADER