It is with both reverence and trepidation that I have identified the Rio Grande Return with the great horned water serpent known by the Tewa name, "Avanyu." Over the many years that I have lived in New Mexico, I have seen countless images of the great water serpent on rocks throughout the Galisteo Basin and along the Rio Grande. As I was developing a logo to represent this project (Rio Grande Return), which develops and funds conservation and restoration initiatives for the Rio Grande, it occurred to me that this representation already exists, and has existed for thousands of years, as the water spirit Avanyu.

Because Avanyu is a Native American deity, it has been a concern that allying this

endeavor with Avanyu would be presumptuous on my part. I am still concerned about this even though I have consulted with several Native American friends who have assured me that Rio Grande Return is offering to the spirit of the Rio Grande, to Avanyu, and not another abuse or form of taking.

I sincerely hope that the Rio Grande Return is recognized as a gift, and that the conservation donations collected from each purchase, is in turn a gift, or an offering of appreciation to the waters that sustain us all -- the springs, the aquifers, the thunderstorms, the Rio Grande -- the spirit of Avanyu.