Rural and Rooted
Documenting Water Justice in Cuyama
RAINBOW OVER CUYAMA PHOTO BY RAE GARRINGER OF COUNTRY QUEERS
Writer, oral historian, and goat farmer Rae Garringer spent three weeks in the Cuyama Valley earlier this year as the first Cuyama Water Justice Fellow. Garringer, whose podcast Country Queers highlights the lives and struggles of LGBTQ+ people in rural America, focused their time in Cuyama gathering oral histories from residents whose lives are shaped by the region’s worsening groundwater crisis. Their podcast episode, “The Battle Over Water Rights in Cuyama,” aired May 7 and captures the heartbreak, grit, and humor of a community in the crosshairs of climate, agriculture, and policy.
Garringer’s work is part of the Cuyama Water Justice Fellowship, a new program supported by Quail Springs and Blue Sky Center with funding from the California Environmental Protection Agency. The Fellowship brings artists into the Cuyama Valley to collaborate with locals on inclusive, intergenerational programming that helps residents process and participate in conversations around water access and environmental justice.
The episode features voices from across the Valley: farmworkers, ranchers, high school teachers, and multigenerational residents. One resident, Alisha Taff, described a spring on her ranch that had never run dry until recently, saying, "Nobody in memory could remember that spring ever going dry. It was always full of water." Another noted that during the fall, the river flows again, not from upstream rain, but from moisture rising up through the dry riverbed once nearby crops stop being irrigated. It is intimate, community-centered storytelling that shines a light on rural people too often left out of environmental conversations.
BTS OF BROWN AND HUNTLEY’S DOCUMENTARY
Garringer’s episode is the first in a yearlong series of creative projects happening in the Valley. March brought documentary filmmakers Sean Huntley and Alex Brown, who are producing a short film about local water stories to be screened later this year. May will see the arrival of PlaceBase Productions, who are developing a community play and water-themed parade in collaboration with residents.
PLACEBASE PRODUCTIONS PHOTO BY LIZ FISH
Meanwhile, local efforts are ramping up. Blue Sky Center continues to host programs for kids and families. Cuyama Buckhorn has launched a new slate of events, including outdoor movies. Climate organizers have kicked off a new round of investments in infrastructure and resilience projects. And neighbors are still showing up for each other, even as they brace for another dry year.
About Blue Sky Center
Blue Sky Center is building models for resilient, thriving, and inclusive rural economies in the Cuyama Valley. As a place-based nonprofit organization, our creative team prioritizes projects and collaborations that celebrate Cuyama's abundance. Learn about Blue Sky Center at www.blueskycenter.org.
About Quail Springs
Quail Springs is a leader in water advocacy and community education. It has a strong history of working with artists, teachers, students, and the local community. Quail Springs is developing water and land stewards from local residents of all ages, providing education and practical training in water conservation and sustainable agriculture. Learn more about Quail Springs at www.quailsprings.org.
Cover photo by Liz Fish