Jan Haley's photographs in Free Flow: The Gila River in New Mexico illustrate the Gila's journey from its high mountain source to the arid canyon lands where it leaves New Mexico. Riverscapes, aerial views, and intimate close-ups expose secrets of a river environment, bringing the Gila to life in the pages of this book.
The inspired verse of New Mexico poet Carol Sinor offers perfect punctuation to these uncommon photographs. Gila River aficionados and those who have never been there will find themselves returning time and time again to the journey contained in Free Flow: The Gila River in New Mexico.
"The Gila River is under attack from people who want to divert its water and channel its wildness. Buy this book. Contemplate its images. Write your own poem. We are all called upon now to engage with beauty and with what threatens beauty."--Sharman Apt Russell, author of Standing in the Light: My Life as a Pantheist and Hunger: An Unnatural History
"As New Mexico's last free-flowing river, the Gila continually amazes me. Its ancient waters and abundant wildlife are a gift to the people of our state. Dragonflies, wildflowers, cottonwoods, the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, the threatened Loach Minnow, all combine to create a mystical atmosphere that has been celebrated for centuries. Jan Haley's emotional photographs catch the Gila in moments of time that will forever remind us of what we have--and what we will strive to always protect."--Diane Denish, Lt. Governor of New Mexico