Upcoming Wright-Ingraham Institute Field Workshop — “Designing for Adaptation: A Symposium”
When: Saturday, July 25, 2026, 1:30 pm - 6:00 pm, reception 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Where: Adams State University | The Banquet room, Student Union Building | 1603 First St., Alamosa, CO 81101
Free admission, but please RSVP in advance.
Join us for a one-day symposium on designing for adaptation in one of the most water-stressed landscapes in the American West. This event is hosted by the Wright-Ingraham Institute in partnership with Adams State University and regional collaborators across the San Luis Valley and northern New Mexico.
This event is the culminating public gathering of the Wright-Ingraham Institute's 2026 Field Workshop, Designing for Adaptation in a Time of Prolonged Drought. Over three weeks, fellows have worked alongside farmers, water managers, land stewards, conservation practitioners, and community leaders to explore what drought adaptation might look like in the San Luis Valley and Taos Plateau.
The symposium will feature a short introductory keynote by Amber Pacheco of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, followed by presentations from three interdisciplinary synthesis teams, each of which explored a different facet of the San Luis Valley’s water systems and ecology:
Team 1: HeadwatersWith Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust, fellows are exploring how land and forest stewardship can reduce wildfire risk and protect water systems while remaining workable for ranches, farms, and fragmented ownership patterns.
Team 2: CenterWith Mosca-Hooper Conservation District and SECANACo, fellows are examining how Subdistrict 1 producers might move away from groundwater-intensive practices without worsening dust, economic strain, or the loss of agricultural identity.
Team 3: ConejosWith Conejos County Conservation District and CSU Extension, fellows are looking at how acequia and ditch systems can be maintained under deepening drought while sustaining water sharing, ecological function, and place-based knowledge.
Through presentations and open discussion, the symposium will offer a chance to connect across disciplines and communities, and to consider what adaptation might look like in the Valley.
The Wright-Ingraham Institute is committed to making this event accessible to all participants. Please contact us at admin@wright-ingraham.org if you have specific accessibility needs or requests, and we will do our best to accommodate them.
Due to the interactive nature of the symposium, we encourage attendees to join us in person. A Zoom livestream will also be available, and recordings will be shared after the event.
Speakers
Keynote Speaker: Amber Pacheco (Rio Grande Water Conservation District)
Regional Partners: Jocelyn Catterson (Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust), Madeline Wilson (Mosca-Hooper Conservation District / SECANACo), Angie Mestas (CSU Extension / Conejos County Conservation District)
Field Workshop Fellows: Angie Kaufman (Law, Environmental Management), Audrey Snyder (Regenerative Studies, Visual Art, Ecology), Cameron Blakely (Planning, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture), Euwan Kim (Hydrogeology), Kelsey Weeks (Water Conservation, Plant Pathology), Kethry Soares (Hydrology), Leah Coe (Geospatial Science), Moneer Ba-Ahmad (Landscape Architecture), Noah Silber-Coats (Geography), Stephanie McMorran (Environmental Planning, Water Management, Building Decarbonization), Xiaodong Yan (Applied Communication), Ximena Diaz (Landscape Design, Community Engagement, Visual Art)
About the Wright-Ingraham Institute
The Wright-Ingraham Institute is a nonprofit research and education institute founded in Colorado in 1970. For more than fifty years, WII has pioneered integrative, field-based approaches to exploring the relationships between land, water, and culture, helping people understand and navigate complex environmental change with greater care and clarity.
The Institute’s programs connect scientists, designers, artists, and community leaders to address the ecological and social pressures shaping landscapes across the American West. WII’s Field Workshop is its signature educational program, training graduate students and early-career practitioners to grow as integrative thinkers through field observation, systems thinking, participatory design, and direct collaboration with regional partners.
Read more about this year’s Field Workshop program, partners, and fellowship cohort here: https://wright-ingraham.org/field-workshops/fw2026/
The Designing for Adaptation symposium is supported by the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Gates Family Foundation.
