Associated Press - May 23, 2009 5:35 PM ET

ZIA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) - After years of drought and livestock grazing, a spring sacred to an American Indian tribe in north-central New Mexico has dried up.

So Zia Pueblo, an ecologist and volunteers are trying to turn back the clock to get the spring flowing again.

They began their mission Saturday morning under cloudy skies and spitting rain - something the area hasn't seen much of in a long time.

As the rain came down, tribal administrator Peter Pino smiled. He says when people come together for a good cause, these kinds of things happen.

The volunteers are building rock structures above the spring that are designed to catch runoff, spur the growth of native grasses and recharge the soil with moisture. In a few years, they expect the spring to flow again.

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