Stephanie Russo Baca
Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District Director at Large
Albuquerque, NM
October 28th, 2025
Standing next to a drainage ditch in Los Chavez New Mexico, our group of westies met with Stephanie Russo Baca in the bosque, the area surrounding the Middle Rio Grande River full of cottonwoods, willows, and notably lots of invasive species. After getting her degree in Agroecology from Prescott College, with minors in history and policy, Stephanie moved to New Mexico where she continued to grow her passion for water and agricultural policy. As a result, Stephanie attended law school, and eventually ended up at the Utton Transboundary Resource Center at UNM. She is currently the water rights adjudication ombudsman where she told us she is essentially “the neutral third party” that people can turn to for advice and information about legal issues concerning water rights in New Mexico.
Like many of our speakers, Stephanie holds a lot of responsibilities and roles, one of which is being Director at Large for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. At its conception in 1925, irrigation along the Middle Rio Grande was the MRGCD’s main concern, but climate change and other environmental factors have inevitably affected the amount of water in the river and thus how much and to who that water is distributed. Since then, flood control, drainage, and recreation have been incorporated into the district’s missions. People are allowed to walk, run, and possibly even hunt along the acacias, but no motorized vehicles other than district trucks are allowed on the dirt paths.
With the river completely drying up this year and the lack of flooding already stressing the river ecosystem’s previous configuration, the bosque is struggling. This area is changing and will continue to change as we keep our firm grasp on the water. Water rights in New Mexico are very different than prior appropriation laws in Colorado and instead they operate on a more equal basis with everyone sharing in the water, even during drought. So as climate change reduces flows, the district is making necessary adjustments to ensure that no one is left behind.
by Allee Garver