Our second trip to Oaxaca has come to an end. Susan, arrived back in Bay area (CA) on 9 Feb. Stan arrived in Seattle on 17 Feb, and I arrived back in Seattle on 24 Feb, after getting some much needed R&R in la Manzanilla. Judith and I got to stay with our friends Dan and Heidi (who are building a house there, and donated a weeks stay at our Day for the Dead Auction last Oct).
We are now getting back in the swing of working remotely, and following up on all the loose ends from our time in Oaxaca. We are had at work researching funding opportunities, coordinating with our partner NGO INSO and our 1/2 time staff person Nelly. We are focusing our efforts on formalizing our relationship with INSO (formal contract) and opening a "case" with Instituto Estatal de Ecologia (IEE) [State Institute of Ecology] which will then trigger a case with the Federal Water commission. We are building political support for our black water solution to pressure Etla to step up to the plate and embrace a community wide solution.
