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Protect NM's land, water & culture
Donation protected
Dear Community and Friends,
Many of you have been involved in the Santolina development battle over the past two years through individual actions, organizations, nonprofits, and neighborhood associations. Santolina projects a massive housing development on the West Side of Albuquerque and has become the symbol for bad planning and unneeded sprawl development that threatens land-based traditions and the well being of our New Mexican communities. (Learn more about Santolina Master Plan).
Many of us have unified against Santolina not because we are anti-growth or anti-development, but because we understand that the Santolina development poses a huge risk to our community’s water resources, health, and tax base. At full build-out, Santolina would consume more than 14,000 acre-feet of water per year! This would not help our region that continues to face one of the worst droughts in the last 1,000 years.
The community has been avidly attending commission meetings and speaking out against the Santolina Master Plan for almost two years.
![](https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/6196178_1445972406.5607_funddescription.png)
To the shock of the community, the Santolina Master Plan Level A was approved in June 2015 by a 3 to 2 vote of the Bernalillo County Commission. But instead of giving up, lawsuits have been filed and we continue to work to protect our communities.
Marcia Fernandez and Rip Anderson, who have lived on a small farm in the South Valley for over 30 years, have personally invested several thousands of dollars in legal fees to protect the South Valley farming and acequia community from the negative impacts Santolina would pose. But their money for this fight is running out.
The legal record alone, over 86,000 pages was $2,700 to print. So far over $10,000 has been spent and we are only months into the legal suit.
![](https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/6196178_1445958598.6066_funddescription.jpg)
"We are in danger of having to withdraw the law suits for lack of funds to pay attorney’s fees and other costs. The public must not forget that Santolina is backed by Barclays Bank of London, England and has very deep pockets" (Marcia & Rip). Please see our story that was featured in the globally known newspaper - The Guardian.
![](https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/6196178_1445959790.7908_funddescription.jpg)
By making a contribution of any amount, you will help us in taking a stand against big developers and you will help us to continue the legal battle to protect our communities. No contribution is too small!
![](https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/6196178_1445958835.2113_funddescription.jpg)
Stand with us and local heroes like Marcia & Rip, in helping to save our farms, our acequias, our green valley, and our New Mexican communities! THANK YOU!
Keep connected with us - Contra Santolina Facebook
Other videos on the community's battle against the Santolina Master Plan:
Santolina Master Plan Video
Santolina WTF?
Santolina: Three Elephants in the Room
Many of you have been involved in the Santolina development battle over the past two years through individual actions, organizations, nonprofits, and neighborhood associations. Santolina projects a massive housing development on the West Side of Albuquerque and has become the symbol for bad planning and unneeded sprawl development that threatens land-based traditions and the well being of our New Mexican communities. (Learn more about Santolina Master Plan).
Many of us have unified against Santolina not because we are anti-growth or anti-development, but because we understand that the Santolina development poses a huge risk to our community’s water resources, health, and tax base. At full build-out, Santolina would consume more than 14,000 acre-feet of water per year! This would not help our region that continues to face one of the worst droughts in the last 1,000 years.
The community has been avidly attending commission meetings and speaking out against the Santolina Master Plan for almost two years.
![](https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/6196178_1445972406.5607_funddescription.png)
To the shock of the community, the Santolina Master Plan Level A was approved in June 2015 by a 3 to 2 vote of the Bernalillo County Commission. But instead of giving up, lawsuits have been filed and we continue to work to protect our communities.
Marcia Fernandez and Rip Anderson, who have lived on a small farm in the South Valley for over 30 years, have personally invested several thousands of dollars in legal fees to protect the South Valley farming and acequia community from the negative impacts Santolina would pose. But their money for this fight is running out.
The legal record alone, over 86,000 pages was $2,700 to print. So far over $10,000 has been spent and we are only months into the legal suit.
![](https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/6196178_1445958598.6066_funddescription.jpg)
"We are in danger of having to withdraw the law suits for lack of funds to pay attorney’s fees and other costs. The public must not forget that Santolina is backed by Barclays Bank of London, England and has very deep pockets" (Marcia & Rip). Please see our story that was featured in the globally known newspaper - The Guardian.
![](https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/6196178_1445959790.7908_funddescription.jpg)
By making a contribution of any amount, you will help us in taking a stand against big developers and you will help us to continue the legal battle to protect our communities. No contribution is too small!
![](https://2dbdd5116ffa30a49aa8-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/6196178_1445958835.2113_funddescription.jpg)
Stand with us and local heroes like Marcia & Rip, in helping to save our farms, our acequias, our green valley, and our New Mexican communities! THANK YOU!
Keep connected with us - Contra Santolina Facebook
Other videos on the community's battle against the Santolina Master Plan:
Santolina Master Plan Video
Santolina WTF?
Santolina: Three Elephants in the Room
Organizer and beneficiary
Virginia Necochea
Organizer
Albuquerque, NM
Marcia Fernandez
Beneficiary