I, too, have passion for the Gila River.

Its flows, large and small, bring me joy.

I grew up swimming and playing in the river.

It pains me to see it dry in the summer.

The river shows its anger in the floods.

We show our anger in words, written or spoken,
That cannot be taken back.

The calm flow of the water
Exemplifies the way all of us
Must work together to save
Our beloved Gila River.

I do not like to see
Dead and dying cottonwood trees
Along the river.
I want to return those areas
Into what you may call a bosque
And I call a healthy riverside.

I know the watershed needs help
To restore the streams and tributaries
That feed the Gila River.

Father God and Mother Nature have taken it
Into their hands to heal the river.

It would not have been my choice
To burn the old forests
Where I've hiked, camped and hunted all my life.

Sometimes the hand of Man is misguided;
Sometimes the hand of Man is beneficial.

You, too, enjoy fishing, rafting and swimming
On and in the Gila River.

I, with my older eyes, remember with joy
Doing all of those things.

Now, in my later years, I struggle to raise my crops.
God and Nature have not lately
Given me enough water
For you to swim in
Or for me to put in my ditch
To water my fields.

Do you want to eat?
Of course, just as I do.
Food and water are essential to life.
I like to eat, especially the beef I raise.
I love to fish
But there's not much to eat on a minnow.

The Gila River has fed and watered residents
For millennia, not only avian, mammalian and piscine,
But also human.
It continues to do so today.

My government, in many ways, has fought me
And failed me.
Before the intrusion by well-meaning humans,
I could take my dozer into the river.

I'm the reason the loach minnow and spikedace
Still live.
I gave them habitat.

I, too, gave the southwestern willow flycatcher habitat.
They like the riparian areas
Of return flow to the river.

Let's not forget the amphibians.
I have always loved listening
To the bullfrogs after a summer rain.

We don't hear them as much now
As when I was a kid.

I know snakes are part of the ecology,
But please keep them away from me.

Now my government and the well-meaning persons
Want to take away the bird and fish habitat
As well as my habitat  
By continuing to let the river dry every summer.

Yes, my diversions to feed you and me
And the beef we eat
Are sometimes the reason for
A dry river, but
The return flow again gives water
And life to our river.

The Arizona Water Settlements Act,
Of which water and funding for the Gila River
Are but one small portion,
Gives all of us, you and me,
Who enjoy playing in the river,
Eating fresh produce and local beef,
Bird watching and hiking,
Rafting and swimming,
A chance to store
And release a tiny portion
Of the damaging floodwaters.

You could enjoy fishing and swimming again
In a river that runs all year.

I could have enough water
To sustain my crops and cattle.

You could bird watch and hike
In a thriving riparian system
Living on the life-giving water
Fed slowly to sustain the river's ecology.

I could enjoy sitting beside the river
Fishing pole in hand,
Catching fresh fish for my family.

Storage of a small percentage
Of the raging waters
That God and Nature release
Will allow a slow release
To benefit all of us—human, bird, fish or mammal.

Floods will remain.
We, you and I, can benefit.
The "you" and the "I" should be the "we,"
Working together in harmony,
Without unkind words from anyone.

We all love the river,
We all understand the value
Not only monetary,
But also spiritual

Of the river.

Let's be we,
Instead of you and me.

We all have a passion for the river.

—Anonymous