WASHINGTON – On Thursday, Jan. 31, Arizona lawmakers passed the historic Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) — an agreement between California, Arizona and Nevada in the Lower Basin, and Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming in the Upper Basin — to reduce each state’s river use as a way to protect against catastrophic water shortages in Lake Mead and declining river flows across the Colorado River Basin. Maite Arce, President and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation, released the following statement applauding the actions taken by Arizona lawmakers to join the six other states that have approved the plan:

Water is the foundation of life. But as essential as it is, we often take it for granted and we treat it as a never-ending resource. With Lake Mead and Lake Powell, two of the nation’s largest reservoirs, and the states along the Colorado River basin in a chronic drought condition, the Colorado River is steadily losing its ability to meet all the demands placed upon it.

Poll finds overwhelming support for LWCF, concerns around water issues and the increasingly visible impact of climate change, optimism for outdoor recreation economies

In October 2018, after years of fitful effort, state agencies and water providers agreed on a draft Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) — an agreement between California, Arizona and Nevada in the Lower Basin, and Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming in the Upper Basin — to reduce each state’s river use as a way to deal with shortages in the water supply provided by the Colorado River. With a federal deadline of Jan. 31 for the participating states to forge a collaborative DCP, Maite Arce, President and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation, released the following statement encouraging Arizona lawmakers to take action and join the six other states approving the plan:

YUMA, ARIZONA – On Sunday, Jan. 6, Hispanic Access Foundation and Por la Creación Faith-based Alliance screened the film “Leche y Miel (Milk and Honey)” to 45 Latino youth, families and community members at Betania Church in Yuma. The future of the Lower Colorado River is especially important to the Latino community. One-third of the nation’s Latinos live, work or receive water from the Colorado River Basin. The importance of the river to Latino families’ faith, livelihood and future is showcased in the film produced by American Rivers and Hispanic Access Foundation.

Nowadays, video games or social media are some of the main ways kids entertain themselves. As a mother of three girls, I’ve made it a priority for them to stay active.

One of my first memories of Maryland was playing on the playground at Wheaton Regional Park. This is where I had my first horseback riding experience. It’s where a “middle-school me” spent afternoons ice skating with friends.

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New Mexico’s Permian Basin, located in the southeastern part of the state, is one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions for oil and gas development. However, it’s also on its way to becoming the most wasteful, too, which not only hits New Mexico taxpayers’ wallets, but also jeopardizes their health.

As a pastor and member of the Por la Creación Faith-based Alliance, it’s easy for me to understand the importance of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument to Los Angeles. This is why I appreciate the leadership of Rep. Judy Chu and Sen. Kamala Harris and their efforts to expand the monument and ensure this precious natural resource is protected for generations to come.