River Recreation
The primary rivers in the watershed, the Animas and San Juan Rivers, are major ways people in our communities connect with nature.
As New Mexico strives to support its recreation economy, the San Juan Watershed Group (SJWG) coordinates and implements projects alongside the River Reach Foundation, City of Farmington, and City of Aztec to develop and improve river trails, improve access to the rivers, and expand white water features for the local community and tourists.
Take, for example, the Riverside Park and Rio de Animas Park projects conducted by the City of Aztec and the SJWG in 2021. To save a threatened river trail, improve access to river recreation, and support healthy habitat, their joint effort removed several cars and multiple truckloads of hazardous debris.
Workers also installed J-hook river structures, stabilized several hundred feet of riverbank, and improved a major boat ramp along the Animas River. This project is just one of many over the past two decades that exemplify the community working together to protect the rivers and our connection to them.