Make a date to see these fantastic programs while Water/Ways is in Florence!
Water/Ways Program Schedule
November 17
1:00 pm
Grand Opening of Water/Ways in Florence
McFarland State Historic Park, 24 W. Ruggles St.,
Downtown Florence
The public is welcome to attend the Grand Opening of Water/Ways in Florence! The event will include remarks by local dignitaries and light refreshments. After experiencing the Smithsonian Water/Ways exhibit, the public is invited to visit the Pinal County Historical Society Museum to view Florence’s local Water/Ways exhibit.
Except as noted, all programs will be held at the Florence Library and Community Center, 778 North Main Street, Florence, AZ, (520)868-8311
November 30
6:00 pm
Forced to Abandon Our Fields: The 1914 Charles Southworth Gila River Pima Interviews; Dr. David DeJong, Project Director, Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Project
The program will cover the period of the latter 19th and early 20th century, a critical time during which the economy of the Gila River Indian Community was decimated by upstream diversions from the Gila River. In 1914, Charles Southworth interviewed Pima elders who described these changes caused by upstream diversions and its impact on the economy of the Community. The program includes a brief modern history of events and recent efforts to restore the agricultural economy of the Community as exemplified by the Pima-Maricopa Irrigation District.
December 1
1:00 pm
Water/Ways Movie Series
Tthe library will feature a movie from the Water/Ways movie list. Contact the library for specific titles.
December 5
3:00 pm
Water in the Southwest: Where have we been, and where are we going? Dr. Jennifer Richter, Arizona State University, School of Social Transformation and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society
It has been said that, “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting.” This is especially true of water politics in the American Southwest, a region defined by its lack of water. The massive 20th century federal investments into dam systems controlled the great rivers of the West, allowing cities like Phoenix to “bloom like a rose” and grow exponentially. As we work for our future in the 21st century, many questions arise. Where does our water come from? Who benefited from changing water politics? How did moving water systems from one place to another affect different communities, and how have those effects been recognized through treaties and policies governing water? And perhaps most importantly, in the face of a changing climate; how sustainable are our present-day water policies and infrastructure? Join us for an interesting FRANK Talk on water in the Southwest.
December 8
1:00 pm
Water/Ways Movie Series
The library will feature a movie from the Water/Ways movie list. Contact the library for specific titles.
December 14
6:00 pm
Vision Realized: Ernest W. McFarland and the Central Arizona Project; Joanna Brace, Curator, Arizona State Parks and Trails
Known as “Mac,” Ernest McFarland had common sense and a common touch, but he was also a visionary. One of those visions was to bring water from the Colorado River to irrigate hundreds of thousands of acres in Central Arizona. It was a vision that had to overcome significant obstacles, but Mac had been preparing his entire life to lead the charge in the U.S. Senate. McFarland continued the fight as Arizona’s Governor in the 1950s until able to celebrate the passage of the Central Arizona Project bill in 1968. Today, water delivered by CAP impacts 80% of the state’s population, so remember to thank Mac the next time you turn on a tap.
December 15
1:00 pm
Water/Ways Movie Series
The library will feature a movie from the Water/Ways movie list. Contact the library for specific titles.
December 21
6:00 pm
Prehistoric Water Management Along the Gila River; Dr. Douglas Craig; President, Friends of Casa Grande Ruins
