The following paper, Paleohydrology of the Rio Grande: A First Approximation, by Neal W. Ackerly, from the 44th New Mexico Water Conference (1999), The Rio Grande Compact: It's the Law!, made the rounds on the Middle Rio Grande Water Assembly e-mail lists.

Download Ackerly

What struck me was the last part of Ackerly's paper:

As an anthropologist, I have spent considerable time studying past civilizations in arid lands that relied on surface water. Most of these societies failed. Analyses suggest that they failed for three reasons:





Worth heeding. Amen!

"We learn nothing from history except that we learn nothing from history." - Cicero