CWA provides information to the public on watershed issues via monthly meetings, a web site, and presentations given by group leaders at local and regional conferences.
CWA meets once a month, usually on the 4th Wednesday of the month. Meetings are open to the public and are announced by local newspapers and radio stations. Meetings are held in various locations in the county, typically in community centers of local communities or at the Philmont Scout Ranch south of Cimarron. See the Meetings page for the place and time of the next meeting.
CWA coordinates with private and public entities to get things done. For example, CWA worked with Colfax County to hold a recent workshop on ways to build and maintain roads that prevent erosion. CWA has worked with the village of Eagle Nest and Western Wood Products to set up transfer station in Eagle Nest for wood from forest thinning projects, so that landowners don't have to haul their wood materials all the way to Raton.
The Cimarron Watershed Alliance encourages the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs). These are practices that eliminate or minimize the impact of human activities on the environment.
Projects are an important way that CWA gets things done. The group follows a specific procedure for selecting and monitoring projects. Any watershed stakeholder, whether a CWA member or not, can initiate a project by submitting a proposal to the CWA Planning Committee. For more information, see the Projects page of the CWA website. The project selection process and criteria are posted there, along with descriptions of proposed, current, and completed projects. At the present time, most projects are funded through a Federal Clean Water Act Section 319 (h) grant from the State of New Mexico Environment Department: 319 Grant Contract Attachment A (Core Workplan).
Another good way to learn what we do is to look at what we are planning for the future: CWA 6 Month, 1 Year, and 5 Year Plans (PDF 43 KB)