June 2013 Green Fire Times

Vol. 5, No. 6June 2013 New Mexico’s FiFth Largest circuLatioN Newspaper

News & Views FroM the sustaiNabLe southwest

Keeping Wildlands Connected and Wildlife AliveWildland Network’s TrekWest

2013 Greenbuilt Tour: The Green RevueMora County Community Rights Law

Green Fire Times • June 20132 www.GreenFireTimes.com

June 2013 • GreenFireTimes 3www.GreenFireTimes.com

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people, elected officials, mayordomos, indigenous

people, lawyers, hydrologists — all talking about our water

situation in New Mexico and what can be done about it.

SEED ORDERS CALL: 800-788-7333 www.plantsofthesouthwest.com 6680 FOuRth St. NW 3095 AquA FRiA RD. ALbuquERquE, NM 87102 SANtA FE, NM 87507 505-344-8830 505-438-8888 Mon-Sat. 8aM-5:30pM • Sun. 9-5

SiNCE 1976 ExpERtS iN DROught tOLERANt NAtivE & ADAptivE pLANtS

WILDLIFE ECOLOGY SPOKEN HERE!


Vol. 5, No. 6 • June 2013Issue No. 50Publisher

Green Fire Publishing, LLCSkip Whitson

ASSoCIAte PubLISherbarbara e. brown

MANAGING edItorSeth roffman

Art dIreCtor Anna C. hansen, dakini design

CoPy edItorStephen Klinger

CoNtrIbutING WrIterSJuan estévan Arellano, Phyllis Ashmead,

bryan bird, Pete david, Kathleen dudley, Katherine eagleson, Susan Guyette, Jan-

Willem Jansens, earl James, Charlie o’Leary, Joanna Prukop, Seth roffman, Kim Vacariu

CoNtrIbutING PhotoGrAPherS

Kristen M. Caldon, Katherine eagleson, Anna C. hansen, Jan-Willem Jansens, billy

Johnson, Laura robbins, Seth roffman, david M. Solis, brenda Strohmeyer,

Kim Vacariu, Mark L. Watson

WebMASter: Karen ShepherdPubLISher’S ASSIStANtS

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AdVertISING SALeSSkip Whitson 505.471.5177

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© 2013 Green Fire Publishing, LLCGreen Fire Times provides useful information for anyone—community members, business people, stu-dents, visitors—interested in discovering the wealth of opportunities and resources available in our region. Knowledgeable writers provide articles on subjects ranging from green businesses, products, services, en-trepreneurship, jobs, design, building, energy and in-vesting—to sustainable agriculture, arts & culture, ecotourism, education, regional food, water, the healing arts, local heroes, native perspectives, natural resources, recycling and more. Sun Companies publications seek to provide our readers with informative articles that support a more sustainable planet. To our publisher this means maximizing personal as well as environmental health by minimizing consumption of meat and alcohol.

GFT is widely distributed throughout north-central NM. Feedback, announcements, event listings, ad-vertising and article submissions to be considered for publication are welcome.

wiNNer oF the 2010 sustaiNabLe saNta Fe award For outstaNdiNg educatioNaL project

ContentsWildlife Corridors . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .7refueling stations along fly Zones and PathWays. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .9Wildlands adventurer’s 5,000 Mile “trekWest” inCludes northern nM . .. 11keePing Wild lands ConneCted and Wildlife alive . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 13neW MexiCo’s reneWable energy transMission Corridors iMPaCt Wildlife . .. 15del are llano: hunting in nM’s aCequia CoMMunities goes Way baCk .. . .. 17everyday green: all My relations .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 19reneWing a landsCaPe in the southWest JéMeZ Mountains .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 20beaver and their daMs . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 23tiMing is everything .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 252013 greenbuilt tour: the green revue . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 27Chill faCtor: Cool roofs.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 29oP-ed – Mora County CoMMunity rights laW: self-deterMination . .. . .. 31neWsbites . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 37What’s going on . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 38

COVER: ThE BOsquE, OnE Of fOuR panEls Of a COmmuniTy muRal in plaCiTas, nm. Hundreds of children and adults worked on the mural at the Placitas Recycling Center over a period of four years. The project was spearheaded by Laura Robbins and Cirrelda Snider-Bryan.

Green Fire Times is not to be confused with the Green Fire Report, an in-house quarterly publication of the New Mexico environmental Law Center. the NMeLC can be accessed online at: www.nmelc.org.

COnnECTing TO WhERE yOuR fOOd COmEs fROm

“You are what you eat.” This popular statement holds true for humans and (other) animals. What animals eat connects them to their habitat. When there is not enough to eat they roam around in

search of better places. Therefore, connections between habitat areas are essential for wildlife survival. Similarly, our infrastructure of highways and rail lines is crucial to bringing us our food; electricity lines and optic fiber cables bring us our information, our Inter-net connections, our email orders and our money. So, “you are what you’re connected to” as well.

This edition of Green Fire Times explores the connections across the landscape that are crucial for the survival of wild animals. Through a variety of articles and stories we of-fer you a look into how the natural world “hangs together” through the connections between animals and places. The articles talk about pathways and fly zones which connect animals to their food, water, mates, nesting areas and winter shelter; and about the ecology of open space corridors for wildlife, the politics behind it, the conflicts with power lines and highways, the role of bea-vers and pollinators, and the ways Native people continue to live with wildlife. The focus of this month’s GFT is timed with the June trek of adventurer and activist John Davis through northern New Mexico. His TrekWest from México to Canada (page 11) aims to shed light on our need to be stewards of open space connections across the landscape, so that we can continue to say that animals and humans are what they eat and what they are connected to!

Jan-WillEm JansEns, guEsT assOCiaTE EdiTOR

COORdinaTOR Of nEW mExiCO WildWays and diRECTOR Of ECOTOnE


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When was the last time you saw a road-killed rabbit, porcupine,

deer or other wild animal? Or, when was the last time you saw a report on television of another bear-sighting in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Española or another New Mexico communi-ty? Each occurrence of one of these events is indicative of a wildlife habi-tat connectivity issue. Wild animals use travel corridors to move from one core living area to another in search of their basic survival needs: food, water, shelter and space in which to live and reproduce in their natural environ-ments. These habitat linkages are vital to maintaining healthy, viable popula-tions of all types of wildlife. Over time these important wildlife passageways and corridors in many parts of New Mexico have been cut off or severely restricted for many wildlife species.

In our state and across the US, wild-life habitat connectivity has become an increasingly serious concern. At its February 2013 meeting the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conserva-tion Council listed wildlife habitat connectivity—because it is especially impacted by the effects of climate change—as one of its top priorities. This council, to which I was appoint-ed in 2010 and reappointed in 2012, is a Federal Advisory Committee set up to advise the secretaries of the De-partment of Interior and Department of Agriculture on important policy is-sues concerning the future of wildlife conservation and hunting traditions

in America. Through its advisory role the council hopes to influence public policy- and management actions on federal public lands and in federal programs involved with wildlife con-servation. We are increasingly focus-ing our attention and advice on wild-life habitat fragmentation, especially on lands managed by the US For-est Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service (NPS), and federal programs managed by the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Farm Services Agency.

At the state-, national- and global lev-els, scientists of many kinds recognize and are trying to interpret the many signs and measurements that indi-cate our Earth’s climate is changing in ways that impact native plant- and wildlife survival and movement pat-terns. Wildlife scientists and habitat managers are striving to understand these changes and learn how to help wildlife adapt to shifting habitat con-ditions. Prevailing drought conditions in NM only increase the need to un-derstand why and how public and pri-vate land managers can help mitigate these impacts through on-the-ground management actions. Protecting and restoring wildlife travel corridors that connect pockets of wildlife habitat is an important strategy to support the resilience and adaptability of our na-tive wildlife species.

In NM this means state agencies like the De-partment of Game and Fish and the Depar tment of Transpor-tation being p r o a c t i v e l y involved in projects to ad-dress wildlife corridor con-servation. A specific tan-gible example that citizen involvement clearly helped

instigate is the Ti-jeras Canyon Safe Wildlife Passage project east of Albu-querque. In a state-wide assessment, Tijeras Canyon was identified as a high-priority wildlife cor-ridor because it con-nects habitats in the Sandia and Man-zano mountains, a travel route impor-tant to bears, moun-tain lions, mule deer and other wildlife. Through partnering, the Tijeras Canyon Safe Passage Co-alition, made up of organizations, agen-cies and individu-als, works to pro-vide safe crossings for wildlife, while also making travel safer for people.

Not quite so obvious are the needs that exist in core areas on the millions of acres of public lands that exist in NM, and where they interface with private lands and private land developments. As federal land managers like those in the USFS, BLM and NPS adapt to dealing with new federal policies be-ing implemented to address climate change impacts, these agencies will need to increase their focus on habitat connectivity issues. Old plans to pro-tect and manage certain key habitats for wildlife may no longer be adequate to protect and restore vital pockets of habitat and the corridors that link them. Existing agency tools, like travel management plans, and agency poli-cies, like those promoting adaptive management practices, will need to be applied with a more sensitive eye toward maintaining habitat viability, resilience and connectivity.

In the private sector, important tools and strategies are also available to help address habitat fragmentation and connectivity concerns. Con-servation easements and the role of land trusts in NM offer an important opportunity to protect and conserve

key habitats and special areas on pri-vate lands. While conservation ease-ments can be used to protect impor-tant wildlife travel corridors, such as riparian areas along streams and rivers, they also help support rural ways of life important to many communities in our state. State and federal laws and policies (e.g., tax credits) that support the use of conservation easements to maintain and conserve wildlife habi-tat, open space and agricultural lands will serve an even more important role as the effects of drought and climate change are manifested.

In keeping with many, many local cul-tural, social and economic interests of northern NM, concern for and coop-erative actions to protect and restore wildlife habitat connectivity—wild-life corridors—is essential to main-taining what so many New Mexicans enjoy: a diverse and healthy wildlife resource with the freedom to roam New Mexico’s unique landscapes. iJoanna Prukop, who lives in Santa Fe, is a wildlife biologist, former cabinet secretary of the NM Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and president of Prukop Consulting, LLC. 505.690.9962, [email protected]

WIlDlIFe CorrIDorS Connecting Wildlife with Human ValuesJOanna pRukOp

Interstate 40 cuts through the critical wildlife corridor between the Sandia and Manzano Mountains east of Albuquerque.

deer-crossing warning and flashing lights are triggered when wildlife get near the highway.

the tijeras Canyon deer crossing warning lights are solar-powered.


Generally, when we think of wildlife corridors, we think of

natural bridges joining larger habi-tats. The “bridges” allow mammals to move safely across, under or through human developments that have frag-mented wildlife habitats. There are other ways to think about corridors. Migratory birds need safe refuges and refueling stops on their sometimes thousand-mile journeys. Think of the rufous hummingbird, which ventures farther north than any other hum-mingbird and is the smallest long-distance migrant. I have seen them by the dozens in Có s rdova, Alaska in early May. They dive-bomb every other hummingbird at my feeders in August here in New Mexico. The rufous hummingbird travels from México up the Pacific Coast in the spring and migrates down the Rocky Mountains in mid- to late summer. They need plenty of refueling stops. When they come through NM after their short breeding season in the north, they will have added up to 72 percent of their body weight in fat to make the journey. They need to refuel in NM before making the final push to México. Hummingbird feeders can be an important food source during periods of low flower productivity. Our current drought not only affects flower productivity but also insect populations, an important food item for hummingbirds. Hummingbird feeders provide a kind of way-station along the corridor.

American white pelicans move through NM every spring. They mi-grate along river valleys, over deserts and mountains. They stop at aquatic

sites to forage and loaf along the way. Some have been known to stay all summer at El Vado Lake. Areas where I have seen them on the lake in the past are now completely dried up. A few years ago we were inundated at The Wildlife Center with American white pelicans and a variety of other migratory waterfowl that had become contaminated when they landed on brine ponds near Carlsbad, where they stopped to rest and refuel. We saved many of them and sent them on their way. Those ponds continued to be an attractive nuisance for migrat-ing pelicans. It is not only important to maintain healthy habitats essen-tial to successful migration but also to minimize hazards. In recent years the mine that owns the brine ponds has made considerable progress in discouraging waterfowl from landing. They found that cannon blasts were soon ineffective as birds got used to the blasts without consequences. Hu-mans now haze birds off of the ponds.

I need to give kudos to electric utili-ties that have made great strides in minimizing electrocution as a hazard to large raptors. The osprey comes first to mind. In Raptors of New Mexico, Dale Stahlecker writes that between 1920 and 1990 there were few reports of osprey nesting in NM. They have regularly migrated through the state, but only since the 1990s have we seen substantial nesting activity. We can now boast of a healthy breeding pop-ulation in Río Arriba County, regu-larly hosting 18 nesting pair. In NM, as in many parts of its wide range, artificial nesting platforms have con-tributed significantly to breeding suc-cess. Electric poles have long been an attractive nest site. We have a rescued osprey at The Wildlife Center that was burned as a nestling when its nest caught fire. However, in the last 10 years electric utilities have done a terrific job of retrofitting poles to eliminate large-raptor electrocution.

These safe poles near our water-ways now provide a kind of corridor. Continued suc-cess of osprey in NM will depend on adequate fish populations and man-made nest-ing platforms sufficiently dis-tant from human activities.

In the last three weeks I have spot-ted American avo-cet, Forester’s tern, Franklin’s gull, and this morning, snowy egrets on or near Abiquiú Lake. Most of these birds are only passing through to more northerly desti-nations to breed. NM is an important migratory corridor for a wide range of bird species that include warblers, hawks, shore birds, gallinaceous species (curlew), long-spurs and sparrows. They have already made impressive journeys and need our protected habitats to manage the rest of their trip. The Wildlife Center has partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers to erect a platform for osprey at Abiquiú Lake. Citizen sci-entists are monitoring this and other nests at this important habitat along the Chama corridor. We have also partnered with the Corps this spring to place American kestrel nest boxes at the lake, and have another 20 boxes scattered throughout Santa Fe and Río Arriba counties. We also have plans to protect areas of the lake from disturbance during nesting season. The Corps is developing a plan that includes having The Wildlife Center construct a wetland on the Chama below the dam. Engaging the com-munity in science-based activities is our best chance of protecting and im-

proving habitats essential for breed-ing and migrating species.

We will be challenged as deepening drought conditions shrink riparian habitat, and energy exploration and development render landscapes un-suitable for wildlife, and as human activities siphon off more water and further fragment habitats.

So, keep your bird feeders full until the bears show up. It does get com-plicated then. Every time you turn on a faucet, think about how you can minimize water use. And think of your yard as both a refuge and a corridor—a refueling stop on a life-or-death journey. i

Katherine Eagleson is executive director of The Wildlife Center, located near Española, NM. The center works to protect NM’s wild-life and their habitats. 505.753.9505, www.thewildlifecenter.org

reFuelING STaTIoNS aloNG FlY ZoNeS and PaTHWaYSkaThERinE EaglEsOn

American white pelicans, snowy egret at Abiquiú Lake

rufous hummingbird

Wildlife Corridors

NM is an important migratory corridor.

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Wilderness explorer and outdoor adventurer John Davis is hik-

ing and biking this month through northern New Mexico’s highlands on the fourth leg of “TrekWest 2013,” a long-distance journey to promote the importance of wildlife corridors in maintaining human and wildlife com-munities. He will be trekking through our area with a major public presen-tation in Albuquerque at the South Broadway Cultural Center on June 20. His big goal: completing a 5,000-mile human-powered expedition from Hermosillo, Sonora, México to Fernie, British Columbia by October, 2013.

In 2011, during a similar “TrekEast” adventure, Davis became the first per-son to continuously hike, bike and paddle 7,500 backcountry miles from the Florida Keys to Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula. His TrekWest journey once again finds him enduring extreme weather and terrain and spending more than 10 months outdoors in the wild. His trail is taking him along the spine of the Rocky Mountains, fol-lowing the “Western Wildway,” a sci-entifically mapped North American habitat corridor.

Davis will reach northern NM’s high-lands in mid-June after spending the previous 30 days trekking through

southeastern Utah’s canyons and paddling the Green River with his partners from Grand Canyon Wildlands council and Wild Utah Project. Previously, Davis has rid-den horseback in a traditional cabalgata (cavalcade, procession) with partners from the North-ern Jaguar Project and Natura-lia through the Northern Jaguar Reserve, crossing the sierra into Chihuahua via trails and bike, ex-plaining along the way the need for connected, restored land-scapes. His journey continued through the new wolf reintroduc-tion area near the Sierra San Luís and on to Cajón Bonito and the borderland ranches of Cuenca Los Ojos Foundation. The Méxi-can portion of the trek culminated in an eye-opening border crossing at Naco, Sonora, where a 150-foot banner depicting a traveling jaguar was paraded through the streets. The crossing event drew media attention to the problems posed to wildlife passage by the heavily fortified border wall.

The northern New Mexico por-tion of TrekWest is co-sponsored by Wildlands Network and New Mexico Wildways (NMW)—a recently formed group of conserva-tion organizations working to imple-ment wildlife habitat connectivity across the Galisteo Basin. NMW is a member of the Western Wildway Network, a collaboration of 22 of the West’s most respected conserva-tion organizations—all with a focus on protecting and restoring regional wildlife habitat corridors that, once connected, will represent a continen-tal pathway for wide-ranging wildlife called the Western Wildway.

Often described as a “John Muir meets triathlete,” Davis is a man of conservation passion and what has often been described as extraor-dinary stamina. “My dream is for a connected and protected West-ern Wildway™—a true lifeline for

animals that need safe passage across large landscapes,” says Da-vis. “If we’re successful, our chil-dren will be able to gaze out at our western wildlands, silently observe the elegance of a wolf or smile just knowing the West is still wild in the way nature intended. It all starts with logging onto trekwest.org and signing our pledge saying ‘yes to wildlife corridors!’”

Davis explains the urgency of his mission: “Development, climate change and highways are fragment-ing western wildlands, and are thus deadly threats to both the land-scapes and wildlife cherished by anyone who knows the West.” He hopes to experience firsthand—and share with his virtual followers on

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube—the issues that prevent wildlife from going the distances they need to find mates, homes and food.

Trekking a spectacular route through deserts, mountains and grasslands, Davis’ journey will provide a view of the wild as seen through the eyes of the animals that play an irreplace-able role in managing ecosystems and landscapes. Davis will tell the amazing and often heart-wrenching stories of cougars, ocelots, grizzlies, wolves, jaguars and other wildlife in their daily attempts to survive.

WIlDlaNDS aDveNTurer’S 5,000 MIle “TrekWeST” INCluDeS NorTHerN NeW MexICoJourney invites citizens to support wildlife corridorsKim Vacariu and Jan-Willem Jansens

Putting the ‘wild’ back in the West


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But Davis is not all about sharing bad news; he believes finding solutions is the most important component of his adventure. Says the trekker, “I will explore wildlife corridors that can be re-stored, connected and protected in order to save what we all love—our landscapes, parks and wild-life—into the distant future. And I will introduce the conservation heroes already connecting those landscapes.” He also hopes to expand a growing network of individuals and organizations com-mitted to connecting the West’s best wild places. “By connecting the interests of a diverse base of people who rely on healthy landscapes for their lifestyles, well-being and incomes, creative solu-tions that keep wildlands functioning can result,” he concludes.

TrekWest will be a group adventure in many ways. Supporters will join Davis as co-trekkers along the trail. Event sponsor Wildlands Net-work and its many regional partner organiza-tions in the Western Wildway Network, includ-ing Sky Island Alliance, also will be supporting

The SpiNe of The CoNTiNeNT Lyons PrEssMary ellen Hannibal offers a gripping and informative look at the founding of bioconservation, the scientists and controver-sies behind environmental science, and the ambitious, necessary extension of theoretical knowledge into practical application with the formation of connected wildlife corridors from Can-ada to México. Giving equal time to anecdotes and interviews, Hannibal supports her engaging and swift narrative with hard facts. This book is far more engrossing and dramatic than the title suggests; it goes beyond the politics of wildlife protection to present a real history of america’s habitat, the animals within it, the people who study them, and the disparate motivations behind responsible conservation. Deep dives into the ecology of species both native—beavers, wolves, jaguar, and pika—and

not native—cows—reveal the interdependence of humans and their wilder counterparts in the woods and plains. a thoroughly satisfying gem, readers will find themselves in the company of america’s best minds ( Jared Diamond, Michael Soule) and heroes (Sherri Tippie), as Hannibal travels through landscapes chronicling the efforts underway to keep North america habitable for the plants and animals that first lived here and the people who now call it home. This is what scientific writing should be: fascinating and true. – Publishers Weekly

960-C Highway 550 Bernalillo, NM 87004

y v o n n e b o n d t r a n s c r i p t i o n s e r v i c e sexperienced – literate – reliable – affordablespecializing in interviews, documentaries, oral historyRecommended by Jack Loeffler and William deBuys

5 0 5 - 4 5 4 - 8 8 3 1 y b o n d @ d e s e r t g a t e . c o m

his cross-country efforts, assisting him in collecting scientific data, photo-graphing species and showcasing their habitat protection projects.

Social media followers can access Davis’ observations in real time throughout the journey via daily blog postings, tweets, and other image postings of the sights, sounds, wild-life and people he encounters in the West’s most iconic—and wild—plac-es. In addition, maps of his trek, bar-rier locations and connectivity proj-ects will be easily accessible from the

Wildlands Network-hosted website, www.trekwest.org

To learn more about Davis, visit Island Press at www.islandpress.org to read Big, Wild and Con-nected, his soon-to-be-released e-book depicting the challenges and barriers he faced during his 2011 trek in the East, and the essential east-ern landscapes he recommends for urgent con-nection and protection. Trek followers can also visit Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to join the grow-ing network of people who want to put the “wild” back in the West! i

Kim Vacariu is western direc-tor of the Wildlands Network. [email protected]

Jan-Willem Jansens is coordi-nator of New Mexico Wildways and director of Ecotone, which offers conservation planning for landscapes in transition. 505.470.2531, [email protected].

Wildlands adVEnTuRE continued from page 13

John davis at the start of his 40-mile Chiricahuas trek.


Conservation

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Hunters, naturalists and biolo-gists know that many animals

migrate and hang out along edges be-tween landscapes or ecosystems. This is not unlike how humans prefer to sit or walk at the edge of a space. Edges offer certain benefits, such as shade, better views, hiding places and more diversity, which is often essential to feel safe, sheltered and comfortable. This phenomenon is called the “edge effect.” In nature, edges are transition zones between two different ecologi-cal areas or landscape types. Due to the continuity and diverse ecologi-cal benefits of edges in the landscape, they serve as crucial habitat and path-ways for many wildlife species.

Where and how wild animals want to roam and where they hang out de-pends largely on the animals’ needs and to what extent their needs are be-ing met by the quality of their habitat. Scientific research has revealed that well-functioning wildlife habitat will allow for a more diverse mix of spe-cies if that area is larger and wider and if it is connected with other habitats. Ecologists call such principal habitat areas “cores” or “hubs.” The connective zones are called “linkages” or “corri-dors.” For certain animals their core habitats are in fact “islands” in a “sea” of less-suitable habitat. Birds follow linkages in the air (avian fly zones) to reach other “island” areas. Land ani-mals seek specific sheltered overland pathways between core areas, for ex-ample along stream corridors and in landscape edges, to avoid open or de-veloped areas where they are vulner-able.

IMPaCTS oF ISolaTIoNHuman settlement drastically impacts the size and shape of the home terri-tory of wild animals. When core areas shrink in size or get narrower, certain animals will experience crowding and will compete with each other for space, mates, water, food and shelter.

If development, roads, fences, or lack of shelter or water prevent animals

from roaming toward other core areas, ani-mals will either stay where they are, run-ning an increased risk of starving or dying in competitive conflicts, or they will venture out, risking their lives on highways, due to predators (including humans), or as a result of starvation and thirst. The number of animals and the number of spe-cies in an isolated core area is usually smaller than in connected areas.

As a result of such pro-cesses, numerous ani-mal species have disap-peared or gone extinct in the last few centuries, and many more continue to be threatened with extinction today. Estimates by Wildlands Network in 2011 indicate that nationwide near-ly 365 million vertebrates are being killed every year on our roadways; nearly one million every day. On four million miles of roads, this means a daily mortality of one vertebrate ev-ery four miles. Annually, about 30,000 people are injured in collisions be-tween large animals and vehicles, 300 of them fatally.

These estimates from Wildlands Net-work resulted from an epic trek in 2011 from Key Largo, Fla. to Que-bec, Canada, by Wildlands Network founder and nationally renowned ad-venturer and outdoorsman John Da-vis. His 7,600-mile voyage, dubbed TrekEast, led Davis along the most important wilderness areas and na-ture preserves on the East Coast of the US. One of the most unexpected and gruesome findings on his trek was the rampant road kill he encountered everywhere he went. Roads have frag-

mented the land to such an extent that the wonderful preserves and conserva-tion areas on the East Coast that still serve as core habitat for wildlife are virtually severed from each other for most non-flying vertebrates. Animals that venture to roam beyond these core habitats run a tremendous risk of falling victim to the death trap of our road system.

roaDbloCkS On ThE WeSTerN WIlDWaYWhile ecological core areas in the West are much larger and less frag-mented by roads and developed areas than on the East Coast, there are many reasons for concern in our region. The many miles of four-lane highways with concrete safety barriers and lane dividers are f o r m i d a b l e wildlife barri-ers that tend to trap animals and increase the risk of col-lisions.

A preliminary list of 30 criti-cal wildlife-ve-hicle collision accident cor-ridors in New

Mexico, established in 2003, has only seen a few success stories of effective wildlife crossing solutions. The most notable one is the highway crossing of I-40 in Tijeras Canyon, east of Albuquerque. This corridor segment connecting the Sandias and the Man-zanita Mountains was the most stud-ied corridor in the state due to work spearheaded by the Tijeras Canyon Sage Passage Coalition. Yet, despite excellent work done by NM Priority Wildlife Linkages and staff from the NM Department of Game & Fish, the Department of Transportation, and many dedicated individuals from the private sector and conservation groups, in the decade since 2003 there

keePING WIlD laNDS CoNNeCTeD and WIlDlIFe alIveJan-Willem Jansens and Charlie O’Leary

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has been a great lack of funds and po-litical commitment in NM to address animal-vehicle collision problems in a more dedicated and comprehensive manner.

Additionally, oil and gas develop-ment has carved a swath of highly disturbed land, with many roads, fences, polluted water sources and degraded ecosystems across the continent from Montana to NM. The onslaught on wildlife habitat by the conventional energy sector is rapidly expanded by the develop-ment of solar- and wind farms and the plans for high voltage transmis-sion lines for these new renewable energy plants. The environmental community and state decision mak-ers still have a great task ahead in balancing the needs and goals of new energy development on the one hand and ecological conservation on the other.

In the years to come, the impacts of our changing climate on water resources and vegetation communi-ties will most likely prompt many animals to seek different habitats and adapt to large-scale changes across the landscape. The devasta-tion of wildfires across our region, coupled with the drying of many streams and an imminent outbreak of a new cycle of pine beetles, are some of the ecological examples of large-scale transitions in our land-scapes that change the character of the transition zones between habi-tats and that will bring many ani-mals on the wing or on the hoof to find new habitat.

STraTeGIeS aND aCTIoNS aS ParT oF a larGe vISIoNWe, as residents and landowners, can make a difference to these sobering realities for wildlife by engaging in concerted stewardship action, both at the local level of individuals and at regional levels of collaborative part-nerships between conservation groups and government agencies. First of all, this will require that in order to suc-cessfully implement strategies that will benefit wildlife, we rely on public awareness of the challenges that wild-life face in our modern world. Public support for projects that enhance con-nectivity is crucial to receive funding

and for helping to set priorities in our highly bu reauc r a t i c system of land management. So our first re-sponsibility is to be aware of our surround-ings and to un-derstand how our actions affect natural systems and the animals that live in the wild. This will help us under-stand the real life-and-death challenges that ani-mals face each and every day and drive us to take action to help preserve their basic needs for survival.

We may need to be aware, for exam-ple, that many animals are nocturnal and are afraid of humans. It is easy to forget that we share the land with an entire population of beings that sleep during the day and are active only at night. And besides, most of us work or live inside the majority of the day and have very little opportunity to be in nature and see firsthand how we are modifying habitat and creating chal-lenges for wildlife.

Wild lands continued from page 13

New MexiCo wildwayS: a ViSioN for wildlife habiTaT CoNNeCTiViTyNew Mexico Wildways (NMW ) was founded in 2009 to address the need for a coordinated, acceler-ated approach to protection and restoration of key wildlife linkages connecting existing protected areas in New Mexico, with an initial focus on the Galisteo Wildway—one of the most ecologically critical wildlife linkages in New Mexico.

Formation of NMW resulted from the need for collaboration among a wide range of conservation partners in order to accelerate and better coordinate wildlife corridor protection programs. The resulting coalition has worked hard to bring TrekWest to northern New Mexico and will selectively utilize the diverse skills, capacity and experience of each NMW organization to leverage and expedite on-the-ground actions that support wildlife habitat connectivity.

NMW is made up of groups working both regionally and statewide to advance the conservation of New Mexico’s biodiversity. each member organization in NMW provides specific expertise designed to enhance conservation through private lands protection, informing county-level planning and zoning, improving safe highway passage for wildlife and people, wildlife monitoring and tracking, development of science-based corridor mapping, wilderness and public lands protection, and influencing public policy. overall, these or-ganizations represent thousands of members and a diverse set of partners and stakeholders across the state. To join New Mexico Wildways, or for more information on how you can help, please contact Jan-Willem Jansens of ecotone, at [email protected]. Current core partners of New Mexico Wildways include Wild-lands Network (http://www.wildlandsnetwork.org), NM Priority Wildlife linkages (http://www.birdseyeviewgis.com), Pathways-Wildlife Corridors of NM (http://pathwayswc.wordpress.com/), The Wildlife Center (http://www.thewildlifecenter.org) and Wildlife Habitat of NM.

Second, as stewards, we can take action to protect certain areas that constitute important wildlife path-ways and habitat areas. Many public agencies and nature groups across the country, including land trusts, are working to provide the necessary open lands and corridors critical for wildlife to survive. An important tool in the protection of critical areas is the use of voluntary land-protection agreements (also known as conservation easements) to retire development rights and guarantee that the land is not converted from its natural functions. NM has seen many acres of land protected in per-

petuity with this legal mechanism. While conservation easements have been used to protect core habitat areas, land trusts are now increas-ingly seeing the importance of pro-tecting corridors or stepping-stone areas. Land trusts and government agencies are using computer-aided mapping of conservation values and property ownership on both local and regional levels to support the planning of open space and wildlife corridors. An important next step in easing conservation efforts is to in-crease the practices of sharing this information to leverage multiple

The Galisteo Basin

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The Land of Enchantment may be best known for its breathtak-

ing vistas, scenic mesas and majestic sky islands, but New Mexico may also have the greatest promise for renew-able energy of any state with plentiful solar, wind and geothermal resources. A handful of wind and solar projects have been completed, with more in various stages of planning and con-struction. One critical factor limiting full-scale energy development in NM is the lack of suitable transmission to distribute electricity to urban markets.

Several recent government actions have been critical in advancing devel-opment of transmission in the state. In 2009, the state Legislature created the Renewable Energy Transmission Authority (RETA) and subsequently then — Gov. Richardson appointed a Statewide Electricity Planning Task-force to provide recommendations “regarding opportunities and steps to enhance the statewide electricity trans-mission grid.” The resulting planning report released in 2010 recommended that RETA assume the state’s role in siting transmission corridors.

In collaboration with RETA, Los Ala-mos National Laboratory initiated a study to assess the economic benefits of developing an enhanced transmis-sion system in NM. In one scenario, the study evaluated the completion of 841 miles of transmission by the year 2030 with export of 1,302 megawatts from the Four Corners hub. The result-ing infrastructure would create an esti-mated 745 permanent jobs and gener-ate $78,566,700 in tax revenue. NM’s failure to build sufficient transmission would result in the loss of further tax revenue and well-paying jobs produced by wind- and solar development.

Support for development of renewable energy is strong throughout the West. According to polling results in the State of the Rockies Conservation Report covering five western states (Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah and Montana), 67 percent of respondents agreed that increasing development of renewable energy sources would create jobs, and 70 percent backed the idea of

renewable energy replacing coal. Even more revealing is the overwhelm-ing endorsement for protection of the environment. In the same report, 84 percent of voters agreed that despite the shortfalls in state budgets, funding should be allocated to protect our land, water and wildlife.

Which gets us back to RETA. The agency was created by Senate Memo-rial 44, which included language that required them to secure mapping of wildlife and other environmentally sensitive areas in conjunction with the planning and building of new trans-mission projects. The accompanying legislative report proposes that RETA pursue the development of a statewide environmental site assessment with funding solicited from grant opportu-nities. The state policymakers under-stood that full development of an in-trastate transmission collector system would come with an environmental cost, but one that could be minimized with proper preparation and planning.

RETA has developed a map showing the proposed transmission corridors and right-of-ways crisscrossing the state. Resource agencies and environ-mental groups have reviewed the map to identify mostly public lands that are thought to contain sensitive habi-tat, and the USGS Land Stewardship

Data has been used to further des-ignate areas of conservation, wilder-ness and archaeological value. But the landscape scale used to generate such a map cannot accurately predict where sensitive resources occur or where ani-mals move through the landscape. No statewide environmental assessment has been completed, nor have wildlife corridors been mapped.

There is limited evidence suggesting that transmission development can have adverse indirect impacts on rare species such as greater and Gunnison’s sage grouse and lesser prairie chickens through habitat fragmentation and in-creased predation. Mortality of raptors, grouse, cranes and other birds has been documented to occur by collision or elec-

trocution, although these impacts can be avoided or minimized by implementing guidelines published by the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee or the As-sociation of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Powerline construction can create bar-riers to movement by grouse and less mobile amphibians and reptiles, but as-sessing the effect on habitat permeabil-ity is problematic without sufficient data on sensitive wildlife areas or movement of wildlife across the landscape. In ad-dition, degree of disturbance may vary by type of habitat, being greater in the high elevation forests of northern NM, but less so in the patchy vegetation of the Chihuahuan Desert. The NM Wind and Wildlife Collaborative (NMW-WC), comprised of industry and

NeW MexICo’S reNeWable eNerGY TraNSMISSIoN CorrIDorS IMPaCT WIlDlIFePete David

Texas-new Mexico 115 kV power line in otero County


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Acequia people and hunting go way back in northern New Mexico.

When the harvest was brought in and the cattle were back in eating the ras-trojo (chaff ) after a summer in the si-erra (mountains), people prepared for the caza (hunt).

In the past it wasn’t for trophies at all; it was a matter of survival. People from all the villages would all get to-gether and assemble a team of hunters to go after cibolo (buffalo).

Every able-bodied man in the village (and this meant kids in their early teens) would gather and elect some-one who had previous experience to lead them over the Sierra Madres (to-day called the Sangre de Cristos) to go over towards Mora, and from there to the Llano Estacados in eastern NM. This would take them several weeks. They had someone who was in charge of killing the buffalo; others followed behind to harvest the animal. It was dried immediately where it was killed and then put into sacks and brought back home as carne seca.

When they arrived home, there was a big get-together. Even the elderly or the infirm who couldn’t send anyone on the hunt would all get meat; ev-eryone had to survive the cold winters.

HuNTING IN NeW MexICo’S aCequIa CoMMuNITIeS GoeS WaY baCkJuan EsTéVan aREllanO

Fast-forward closer to the present. I still remember the old El Cerrito bar, when the day before the big hunt, ev-eryone started arriving very early, all dressed in red like Elmer Fudd, and they would drink the night away. For these hunters it was more a day of get-ting away from the wife or girlfriend and becoming like the songs they used to strum on the guitar.

Out of this group was usually one or two who were excellent hunters; they never dressed up like Santa Claus. They would retire early, and the following day by eight or nine in the morning they would drive up to the store with their deer or elk in tow. They had al-ready spent some time during the past two weeks tracking the herd, they knew where they were, and were very apt with a rifle. The day of the hunt, El Coyote knew exactly where he had to go, and in a matter of an hour or two he had what he wanted.

Not only were these people expert huntsmen, they were also superb fish-ermen. My friend Fisher can go al-most any time of the day and within a matter of minutes catch his limit. He seems to have an innate feeling for where the fish are, and wherever he’s at, they seem to follow him.

In Little League, our coach would take us up to the Trampas Lakes, right be-low the Truchas Peak. At that time, we were the only ones there. There must have been about 12 of us plus the coach. As soon as we got there every-

one was anxious to go fishing. Before long everyone had their rods in the water and hardly anyone would catch a fish, yet Fisher was reeling them in faster than he could get them off the hook. That weekend he got over 150 fish, enough for everyone’s limit. The rest probably caught three or four each. And like El Coyote, he was also an ex-cellent marksman. He once shot a big deer in Las Chorreras, below the Chile Line and Ojo Caliente. He drafted my friend and me to help him get it down. It took us all afternoon, but finally we came down with a big buck.

Today, there are several elk that have been camping down by the orchards, nibbling on the fruit trees, as well as young corn plants. Every August, usu-ally until mid-November, plenty of bears come down from Mesita and as far away as Truchas and la Cañada del Comanche to prepare for the winter. Several years back, I was going to get water from my acequia headgate, when all of a sudden I saw a lot of blood in the water. I continued going and by the time I got to the gate, there was

a whole glob of blood and a bear that had just gotten out of the water, still dripping. I hurriedly opened the gate and headed home. That afternoon I heard someone had shot a bear the night before.

Along the banks of the acequia we usually find footprints of mountain lion and bobcats. Hawks and eagles fly high up above. Last year, along the banks of the Acequia Junta y Ciénaga, there were five wild sheep that had somehow escaped from Pilar, a few miles north.

An acequia landscape today is as full of wildlife as in the past, only today the only buffalo we see are on the Native American reservations. For us, there are no such things as wilderness areas; we refer to them as sierras, montes, lla-nos, ríos and acequias. i

Farmer, researcher and community leader Juan Estévan Arellano has devoted most of his life documenting the traditional knowl-edge of the Indo-Hispano in northern NM. 505.579.4027, Estévan Arellano <[email protected]

del are llano / froM The arid laNd

For us, wilderness areas are sierras,

montes, llanos, rios and acequias.

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We are all related, sharing Mother Earth, interconnected in the intricate web of life—species to species. One depends upon the other. In the Na-

tive view, these complexities are reflected in everyday life. Greg Cajete, Pueblo scholar, Director of Native American Studies at UNM and author of Native Sci-ence: Natural Laws of Interdependence, explains the Native perspective regarding animals and why this is vitally important for the 21st century.

SG: What brought you to these perspectives on Native Science?GC: I became interested in “Indigenous Philosophies of Nature” as a result of my studies in bio-ecology, animal behavior and American Indian story-telling as a part of my research, design and implementation of a high school science curriculum that integrated art, science and the cultural histories of Native American peoples. This approach is important, to address the alien-ation that many Native students feel in regard to Western science. This work began in 1974 when I was the science teacher at the Institute of American Indian arts in Santa Fe.

SG: How does the Native worldview of our relationship with animals differ from the american mainstream?GC: Traditional Native perceptions of ani-mal nature represent a type of thinking and attitude dramatically different from those of Western science. In the Native way, there is a fluid and inclusive perception of animal nature that makes less of a distinction between hu-man, animal and spiritual realities. These reali-ties are seen as interpenetrating one another. This is a view held in common with evolving descriptions of reality in quantum physics.

To the Western mind, the associations Native cultures make regarding ani-mals may seem illogical, but they are indeed comprehensible and logical within the context of each Native cultural worldview. In Native science, as-sociations and relationships of Native people to animals have their own in-ternal logic. The way Native people traditionally classified animals had an “aptness” based on their value, their use as food and their relative role in the reality of the natural environment that both Natives and animals inhabited.

The integration of these relationships was accomplished through the struc-tures of the tribal worldview. For example, acknowledging the sacred direc-tions recognized a conceptual and physical sphere of relationship to nature

Susan Guyette

EVERYDA Y G REEN

all MY relaTIoNSAn Interview with Greg Cajete

and its animals that formed the Native foundation for understanding. In all Native traditions, the sacred directions are a conceptual, mythic and spiritual structure for reflecting upon the symbolic meaning of animals in the cos-mology of Native cultures.

In the past, there has been a tendency to oversimplify native spiritual expres-sion and miss many of its inherent and subtle meanings. These subtle mean-ings are often presented in the way Native cultures relate to animals, since animals are always associated with other Native concepts of power, dream, vision, guardian spirit, master or mother of game, and animal soul. The be-lief that animals have souls is deeply embedded in traditional Native view of animals. Each animal is seen to possess certain special qualities and powers that they may share with humans if they are properly treated. In the Native view, animals were far from being considered inferior; rather, they were in many ways superior to humans. Given this perspective, animals inspired the lifeways of Native cultures.

In the beginning of time, Native myth contends that humans and animals could communicate with each other. Animals cared for humans, helping them find food, water and shelter. They even sacrificed themselves when needed to help humans survive. They would assist humans in knowing when to prepare for the change of the seasons or the coming of storms. This inti-macy with animals came to an end when humans began to be disrespectful of their animal relations. Humans, it is mythically related, began to abuse


Greg Cajete

Piro-Manso Tiwa Indian dancers from southern nM perform in Albuquerque at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in front of a mural depicting deer dancers.

On Paseo de Peralta (next to Kakawa Chocolates)


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Those living in northern New Mexico during the Las Conchas Fire will nev-er forget when fire exploded across the southern Jémez Mountains, roaring

through canyons and flaming out across the mesas. The fire started on June 26, 2011 near Las Conchas Trailhead, when winds toppled an aspen tree onto a power line on private land, sparking the fire. The rest is history.

In the first 13 hours, driven by strong and unpredictable winds, the fire burned 43,782 acres at a rate of about one acre per second. Wildlife that couldn’t run, fly or burrow deep enough perished in the flames. At the time the Las Conchas Fire became the largest wildfire in NM history, burning a total of 156,590 acres, de-stroying 63 residences and 44 outbuildings. Suppression costs alone had a price tag of over $48 million.

In some areas, where it burned at high severity, authorities say it will be centuries before the trees grow back, if ever. While summer monsoons following the fire brought much needed moisture, they also brought flash floods and landslides to burn-scarred areas. The fire and flooding had a huge effect on property, livelihoods and drinking water, including impacts to the historic Dixon Apple Orchard, Santa Clara Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo and Cochiti Lake.

Today, as the danger of uncharacteristically severe wildfires looms large across the state, the Santa Fe National Forest, together with the Valles Caldera National Preserve and Jémez Pueblo are proactively planning a landscape-level restoration project on 210,000 acres west of the Las Conchas Fire burned area. This includes 86,000 acres on the preserve, 110,000 acres on the national forest, and 14,000 acres on nearby state, private and Jémez Pueblo lands. The goal is to restore the landscape so that it is less susceptible to large-scale disturbances such as the Las Conchas

reNeWING a laNDSCaPe in ThE SouTHWeST JéMeZ MouNTaINSWhat Does a Big Restoration Project Really Mean?Phyllis Ashmead

Fire. Over time, the project will have far-reaching benefits to the people and wildlife whose lives and livelihoods depend on a more resilient landscape. This ambitious endeavor is called the Southwest Jémez Mountains Landscape Restoration Project.

WHY IS THe ProJeCT NeeDeD?Most of the lands consist of historically fire-dependent forest ecosystems where fire has been excluded for over a century. As a result of fire exclusion and the extended drought, the now overcrowded forests in the southwest Jémez Mountains are at high risk of uncharacteristi-cally severe fires.

ProPoSalThe Southwest Jémez Mountains Landscape Restoration Project project proposes to reduce the potential of uncharacteristically severe and intense wildfires while promoting the low intensity, frequent surface fires that were once common across this landscape. To accomplish this, forests will be thinned, creating stands that have a mosaic of grassy openings, shrubs and groups of trees of various sizes and ages. This will allow forests to grow into old-growth ponderosa pine and mixed conifer stands. The Forest Service is engaging industry to help with thinning, and this in turn, will provide jobs in the local community.

The project will encourage growth of perennial grasses, shrubs and wildflowers in the understory that can carry low-intensity fire across the landscape and will re-duce the amount of live and dead fuels available to wildfire. Activities identified in the proposal will improve aquatic and terrestrial wildlife habitat. In addition to restoration activities, the project will also remove fuels around archeology sites, providing for their sustainability over time. The Valles Caldera National Preserve and the Santa Fe National Forest have separate National Environmental Policy Act analyses that the public can participate in.

WIlDlIFe beNeFITSImproved conditions will not only benefit people living in and around the Jémez Mountains; wildlife too will benefit. These mountains support a great diversity of wildlife. Two species described here are at risk should there be another large-scale disturbance; these are the Mexican spotted owl and the Jémez Mountains salamander. Here is a closer look at their lifestyles and how the project will benefit their habitat.

mExiCan spOTTEd OWl (sTRix OCCidEnTalis luCida)In the Jémez Mountains, the Mexican spotted owl is found in forested moun-tains and canyons with mature trees. They nest on ledges and holes carved in the steep-walled canyons. They are primarily nocturnal hunters and eat wood rats, mice, voles, rabbits, gophers, bats, birds, reptiles and bugs. They typically lay one-to-three eggs during the years they nest.

Mexican spotted owls were listed as endangered in 1993 due to habitat loss. Today their habitat is at an even greater risk in the Jémez Mountains due to the potential for a large-scale, high intensity crown fire as seen in the 2011 Las Conchas Fire area. Other key problems affecting the owl habitat in this area are the lack of large, mature trees and not enough openings that are home to the owl’s prey.

The Southwest Jémez Mountains Landscape Restoration Project proposes to im-prove habitat for the Mexican spotted owl by reducing the risk of uncharacteris-tically large fires and insect outbreaks. By thinning the trees and creating forest stands with a mosaic of grassy openings, its foraging habitat will be improved.


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reNeWING a laNDSCaPe in ThE SouTHWeST JéMeZ MouNTaINSWhat Does a Big Restoration Project Really Mean?Phyllis Ashmead

The overall goal of planning for more old-growth forests will have long-term benefits for the Mexican spotted owl.

JémEz mOunTains salamandER (plEThOdOn nEOmExiCanus)The Jémez Mountains salamander is found only in northern NM in the Jémez Moun-tain range between 7,200 and 9,600 feet in mixed-conifer forests. This small elusive am-phibian spends most of its life hidden un-derground in moist soils, with good reason–it has no lungs and absorbs oxygen through its skin. These soils typically contain volcanic rock with deep horizontal and vertical cracks below the surface where salamanders seek refuge from the cold frost of winter.

When the temperatures are warm and it is wet, typically June–August, it will find its way to the surface inside rotted conifer-ous logs or under rocks. At night, the Jé-mez Mountains salamander may venture out, walking softly on webbed feet, to hunt for ants, beetles, mites, spiders, earthworms and other small insects.

This land-dwelling animal does not require standing water at any stage of its life. It hatches fully-formed from the egg instead

of going through a larval phase, similar to a tadpole, like other salamanders do.

On September 12, 2012, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the Jémez Mountains salamander as endangered. The primary threats to this rare creature include residential development; roads, trails and habitat loss; recreation; disease; chemical use; and climate changes. Years of fire exclusion have led to overgrown forests susceptible to high intensity wildfires that scorch the soil. This can have profound effects on the salamander’s ability to survive these fires. Thin-ning the forest and promoting the low intensity, frequent surface fires that were once common will help restore this landscape and may improve habitat for the salamander.

SouTHWeST JéMeZ MouNTaINS laNDSCaPe reSToraTIoN ProJeCT beNeFITS PeoPle, ForeSTS aND WIlDlIFeActivities restoring ecological and economic health to the Jémez Mountains will focus on what the land needs, on the goals we share and the outcomes we want for generations to come. It means short-term sacrifices for long-term benefits. When people see logs coming down the road following forest thinning, or smoke in the air from prescribed fire, or find their favorite campsite is temporarily closed for rehabilitation, they will know why. The ultimate reward is a landscape legacy for generations to come. i

GeT INvolveD!For more information about this project, to learn what volun-teer opportunities are available, or to schedule a presentation for your group, contact Phyllis Ashmead, Southwest Jémez Moun-tains Landscape Restoration Project Partnership Coordinator, [email protected]

The NaTioNal eNViroNMeNTal poliCy aCT (Nepa)NePa is a key element in our restoration efforts. It answers the question, how are we going to get this done and what are the social, environmental and economic effects of doing so? both the Forest Service and the valles Caldera National Preserve are in the NePa process. The valles Caldera Preserve’s environmental Impact Statement can be found online at www.vallescaldera.gov/stewardship

Currently the Santa Fe National Forest’s interdisciplinary team is analyzing the proposed action and the alternatives. a draft environmental impact state-ment is expected in September 2013 for public review and comments. The final record of Decision is expected in January 2014, and implementation is expected to begin in early summer 2014. Information can be found online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/santafe/home/?cid=FSbDev7_021009

CollaboraTiVe foreST laNdSCape reSToraTioN prograM (Cflrp)Insects, disease outbreaks and uncharacteristic large wildfires threaten the beau-ty, function and life in our forests and the people who depend upon and enjoy them. Wildlife suppression alone costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year. be-cause of these threats, Congress passed the Forest landscape restoration act in 2009, proactively guiding restoration activities on competitively selected Na-tional Forest System lands.

The act established the Collaborative Forest landscape restoration Program (CFlrP), which solicited collaboratively developed proposals for landscape-scale ecological restoration projects that are socially and economically viable. restoration and monitoring are key components of the selected projects. These large-scale projects require treatments for at least a 10-year period across land-scapes that are at least 50,000 acres in size.

even before Congress established the CFlrP, interest and focus on the south-west Jémez Mountains was growing. Following the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000, agency fire staff, community and conservation groups, and local and tribal gov-ernments teamed up to consider how to reduce the risk of high severity fires in northern NM. Since then, there has been ongoing collaboration among these groups and a focus on the need to restore this landscape. as a result, the South-west Jémez Mountains landscape restoration Project was one of ten, out of 31 proposals that was awarded funding in 2010. The project will receive approxi-mately $35 million in funding over ten years. Collaboration was the proposal’s strongest asset and will continue to be essential in implementation.

The Nature Conservancy and NM Forest Watershed restoration Institute par-ticipated in early key planning leadership. In 2010, the were joined by Wildearth Guardians and the Forest Guild forming a collaborative group for this effort. other partners include:

nOn-gOVERnmEnT agEnCiEsCuba regional economic Development organizationDesert research InstituteForest GuildFirewise Community associationsFour Corners InstituteHawks aloftla Cueva volunteer Fire Departmentlas Comunidadeslos amigos de valles CalderaMid-region Council of GovernmentsNational Wildlife FederationNM Forest &Watershed restoration InstituteNM Forest Industry associationNM Troutold broads for Wildernessrestoration Solutionsrocky Mountain elk FoundationSmithsonian InstituteThe Nature Conservancy, NMThompson ridge & Sierra de los Piños PoasTrout unlimited, Truchas ChapteruSa Firewise, Gr. e. Jémez WuI Working Groupvaldez loggingvalles Caldera Trustvillage of Jémez Springs Wildearth Guardians

gOVERnmEnT agEnCiEs and TRiBEslos alamos County, Fire DepartmentNM Dept. of Game and Fish NM eNMrD-State ForestryNM environment Department Surface WaterNMSu, uSGS Wildlife Co-op unitNM State university, uSDa arS Jornada experimental rangeNM TechNorthern NM College, Forestry DepartmentNorthern arizona university Pueblo of JémezPueblo of Santa ClaraSandoval County, Fire Dept.Smithsonian InstituteuS Doe los alamos National laboratoryuniversity of arizonauniversity of NMuSGS Jémez Mountains ecological Field StationuSDa Forest ServiceuSDa-FS rocky Mountain research StationuSDa Natural resource Conservation ServiceuSDa Systematic entomology labuSDI bIa, Northern & Southern Pueblos agencies uSDI Fish & Wildlife Service, ecological Service Field officeuSDI NPS bandelier National Monument uS Fish and Wildlife Service


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beaver and THeIr DaMS Stitching Together New Mexico’s Streams and Rivers and Boosting the Outdoor EconomyBRyan BiRd

Dam-building beaver (Castor canadensis) once occupied most streams in New Mexico below the tree line. The loss and absence of beaver from significant

portions of their historic habitat has disconnected aquatic systems and consider-ably undermines resilience and adaptation to climate change.

Restoration of aquatic, wetland and riparian ecosystems by beaver can be a sim-ple, elegant and cost-effective way to reconnect currently disjointed fish popula-tions and adapt to climate change. The connectivity of these aquatic ecosystems is critical for fish species whose populations have dwindled and been separated into isolated refuges. These disconnected populations can no longer interbreed and replenish sufficient numbers and are especially vulnerable to wildfire events or severe drought years. Many other wildlife use riparian corridors to travel our state safely within and between their core territories.

Beaver, with their dams and ponds and the related wetland and aquatic eco-systems, can serve not only to greatly enhance the persistence and movement of many imperiled native animals and plants; they also increase water storage in watersheds that are undergoing dramatic changes in runoff patterns. Beavers have long been valued as ecosystem engineers who increase biodiversity, includ-ing numerous threatened and endangered species such as the Río Grande cut-throat trout, the Gila trout, Southwestern willow flycatcher and the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse.

Dam-building beaver are not only critical for the perseverance of imperiled spe-cies, but also for ensuring a robust and healthy outdoor recreation industry in NM. Recreational fishing and other outdoors activities associated with healthy streams and rivers is big business in NM and a tradition for many families. Ac-cording to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, 304,000 hunters and an-glers spent $579 million in NM in 2011, generating $58 million in state and local taxes. Hunters and anglers support nearly as many jobs in NM as Los Alamos National Laboratories.

According to Headwaters Economics, an economic think tank in Montana, more than 84,000 non-resident fishermen spent 467,000 days fishing in NM in 2006 and contributed $99 million to the state economy. Headwaters finds that outdoors recreation alone generated $2.75 billion in retail sales. NM’s fish, wildlife and habitats annually contribute $3.8 billion to the state’s economy through hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation. These activities sustain 47,000 jobs (more than farming and forestry combined) and generate more than $184 million in yearly gross receipts tax revenue.

Though primarily a dry state, NM has approximately 234 square miles of rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs. Riparian habitats are assemblages of plant, animal and aquatic communities that tie our state together. A significant percentage of all wildlife in the Southwest uses riparian habitat to feed, take shelter and travel, but wetlands and riparian ecosystems comprise less than 1 percent of NM.

These riparian habitats stitch together our arid state for wildlife, anglers and recreationists alike. The beaver is an ally in ensuring this connectivity. Though not always appropriate in heavily developed human landscapes, beaver and their ponds are critical in less developed places. There are many strategies for living with beaver that landowners can implement (http://www.apnm.org/campaigns/beavers/land_owner_guide.php). We can and should celebrate our furry little en-gineer where we can.

In an effort to begin the work of re-establishing beaver, their dams and historic wet-lands across the state, W i ldEar th Guardians, in partnership with the NM Environment Department W e t l a n d s P r o g r a m , e m b a r k e d on a proj-ect to map all potential, suitable and o c c u p i e d habitat on federal lands in NM. The m a p p i n g exercise em-ployed Geographic Information System technology to assemble important habi-tat requirements of dam-building beaver and predict suitable locations where the animals can be now and where they could be with habitat restoration. The maps will be made available to the public and can help prioritize habitat restoration funding and placement for beaver and wetlands reestablishment.

WildEarth Guardians anticipates using this information in directing its ecosys-tem restoration efforts and also as the catalyst for a statewide beaver management plan. Such plans are in place in Utah and Oregon and can significantly alleviate human-beaver conflicts by identifying how, when and where problem beaver can be relocated. Such a strategic and intentional approach to beaver management would reduce the need for lethal control as well as allow the state to maximize the benefits dam-building beaver can provide for wetlands, riparian connectivity and adaptation to climate change. i

Bryan Bird, WildEarth Guardians’ Wild Places program director, has an MA degree in conservation biology from NMSU. He has under-taken conservation research, planning and protection projects in Cen-tral America, Mexico and the US Southwest. 505.819.5922, www.wildearthguardians.org

last month the NM environment Department Wetland Program hosted 70 people for a workshop on beaver and wetlands. In attendance were state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, acequia organiza-tions and private landowners. There were presentations on the ecosystem services beaver and their dams provide, models for determining potential and suitable habitat for beaver, utah’s state beaver management plan, and beaver-human coexistence. after hearty discussions around the benefits and challenges of beaver and where to go next, those in attendance agreed that the next steps for NM include a demonstration project and initiating a statewide beaver management plan.

A beaver dam on the Santa Fe river in the upper watershed

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I live at 6,800 feet in altitude. Last year many of us enjoyed fruit

from our trees and shrubs for the first time in several years. A cool spring delayed blossom eruption until temperatures warmed beyond hard-frost likelihood. It will not be a repeated pleasure this year. In late April temperatures in the teens eliminated any hope of fruit devel-oping from bulging buds. Broad-tailed and black-throated hum-mingbirds are mobbing my feeders. Bees are coming to hummingbird

feeders. There are very few flowers. A com-bination of extend-ed drought and late spring freezes has tak-en a big toll on flower-ing plants. Whenever there is a significant impact on the bot-tom of the food chain, the entire food chain is seriously affected. Most of us are aware of drought impacts but may not be aware of the importance of the tim-ing of seasonal events.

Phenology is the term used to de-scribe the recording or study of first occurrence of biological events in their annual cycle: emergence of leaves, first flight of butterflies and first appearance of migratory birds. In some respects phenological re-

TIMING is everYTHINGkaThERinE EaglEsOn

cords have been a better indicator of weather and climate patterns than temperature records. After all, the modern thermometer was not in-vented until 1714 by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit. In Europe, viticulture re-cords going back 500 years have given us detail on when grape leaves first appeared, when they set fruit, when fruit was harvested. Robert Marsham, the father of modern phenological re-cording, began recording in 1736 the details of first flowering of hundreds of plants along with the emergence

of insects in England. His family continued the record until 1958.

The United States Geological Service has a program called North American Bird Phenol-ogy Program. Millions of bird arrival- and departure dates were recorded for 870 species between 1880 and 1970.

In Japan and China the blos-soming dates of cherry and peach trees have been recorded since the eighth century.

And what does all this record keep-ing tell us? Jake Weltzin, executive director of the USA National Phe-nology Network and an ecologist with the USGS says, “There is a study coming out every week show-ing changes are occurring.” Lilacs in North America are leafing out and flowering earlier. Bee species in the Northeast are emerging earlier to

match earlier flowering plants. Data collected on leafing dates of oak in-dicate that first emergence is eight days earlier now than 250 years ago; however, most of the changes have happened in the last 100 years. This corresponds to temperature records that show a 1.5 degree Celsius in-crease. And one more: Richard Fritter recorded the first flowering date for 557 British species for 40 years. His data indicates that 385 of these are flowering 4.5 days earlier in the last decade than in the previ-ous four decades.

So what? If the flowers bloom earli-er and the bees emerge earlier, what difference does it make? There are problems, mismatches. Some spe-cies react to day length rather than temperatures. This is especially true for bird migration and some insect breeding. When this mismatch oc-curs it leaves insects without food and plants without pollinators. The birds may fare better than the in-sect/pollen relationship. Research in Maine shows only a modest re-lationship between climate change and spring arrival dates for 107 species of migratory birds. Perhaps migrants are more resilient to cli-mate change. Other mismatches can occur. Consider the ptarmigan and the snowshoe hare, who change their appearance to better blend with a seasonal environment. Early snowmelt or late beginnings of win-ter can leave some of these critters conspicuous.

In the Arctic, where many birds mi-grate to breed and raise young, the problem might be dire. Ingrid Tulp

and Hans Schekkerman of the Arc-tic Institute of North America are studying arthropods. What they have found is that peak abundance of arthropods was seven days ear-lier in 2003 than in 1973. If you are a hungry arctic bird trying to feed babies, missing peak abundance is the difference between a successful breeding season and a failed season.

The Environmental Protection Agency has an extensive document titled “Climate Change Indicators in the United States.” It relates that the earlier arrival of spring may re-sult in a number of changes: a lon-ger growing season, more abundant invasive species and pests and earli-er and longer allergy seasons. Ouch! More data will make for better un-derstanding of the extent of climate change, the effects and what kinds of management plans can be de-signed to help species survive the changes. Humans have been paying close attention to the rhythms of nature for all of our history. It was a matter of our well-being, our very survival. It still is. i

Katherine Eagleson is executive direc-tor of The Wildlife Center, located near Española, NM. The center works to pro-tect NM’s wildlife and their habitats. 505.753.9505, www.thewildlifecenter.org

Insects without food and plants

without pollinators

Painted lady butterfly, a member of the Monarch family

honeybee on a cherry blossom

bottle fly on Mariposa lilly

Climate Change


Jim Kentch, Lawyer

215 W. San Francisco Street # 202-C

Santa Fe, NM 87501-2164

505-660-9160

[email protected]

www.JimKentchLawyer.com

Green Fire Times is also available at many locations in the metropolitan Albuquerque / Río Rancho area! For the location nearest you, call Nick García at 505-304-2638

Green Fire Times needs Taos Area Ad Sales and Delivery people. Please email [email protected]


Villa NueVa SeNior apartmeNtS Sawmill albuquerquethis 46-unit complex features al l native l andscap ing w i th s o m e p e r m e a b l e p a v e m e n t , a f ru i t orchard and community garden wi th a ra inwater- collection system for irrigating the site. It’s energy-efficient in that it uses solar hot water for laundry and passive heating, plus it features eNerGy StAr® windows, doors and appliances, along with programmable thermostats. this project was built on a reclaimed brownfield site adjacent to a community park. It integrates seniors into the neighborhood fabric of residences for all ages and incomes.

The annual Greenbuilt Tour, pre-sented by the US Green Build-

ing Council — NM Chapter — on June 8-9, highlights building practices that are attractive, practical and afford-able. There are 18 homes on this year’s tour, from Albuquerque, Río Rancho, Placitas, Sandia Park, Santa Fe, Lamy to Abiquiú and Valdez. They were se-lected as examples of the whole-house design approach, integrating tight con-struction and energy-efficient building envelopes with healthy indoor living environments. There are examples of passive solar design; straw bale, pumi-cecrete, and adobe construction; in-novative heating and cooling systems, including geothermal, cooled slabs, and whole-house ventilation strate-gies; and sensitive site design focused on minimizing impact to the land-scape. After conscientiously reducing energy consumption, several homes also integrate renewable onsite energy production, further reducing load on the utility grid.

Many different approaches are used in building green. Some of the homes on the tour show off the technology and unique building materials, while others employ clean and well-con-sidered integrated designs that allow the homes to look like any other—though they function much more ef-

ficiently. Some homes are designed to allow the owners to age in place, with consideration of future mobility issues. Some homes have small foot-prints, demonstrating the efficient use of space. Whatever the approach, the tour has good examples of homes that minimize energy and water use, while maximizing health and comfort.

The owners/occupants of the homes have agreed to open their doors for visitors to learn about the sustainable features of each structure. Information sheets will be available at each home, providing the names of suppliers and contractors who were used. In some cases, representatives of these firms may be present to answer technical questions.

The entry fee for each home is $2 per person, payable at the door. A tour pass allowing unlimited home vis-its is available for $15 through the USGBC-NM website: www.usgbc nm.org/GBT2013. A downloadable guidebook is also available there, or it may be picked up at La Montañita Co-op and Whole Foods in Albu-querque and Santa Fe. The tour will be preceded by an awards reception ($25). For reception reservations, visit the website and click on chapter events, calendar view and June 7. i

CaSa de Kp3—albuquerquethis design accommodates merging three different households, including a home office, and provides both common spaces and private indoor/outdoor spaces for each. It has dual-flush/low-flow fixtures with solar thermal domestic hot water plumbing in the central core. the home has a direct-gain passive solar design, along with grid-tied 3 kW PV and movable shade structures. It has a tight, well-insulated exterior as well as high-efficiency doors and windows and a cool metal roof. designed from a permaculture perspective, the house and landscape are an integrated system that works with the natural features of the site.

2013 Greenbuilt tour • the Green revueSee how the built environment can contribute to a healthier, more sustainable community.

CalKiNS reSideNCe albuquerquethis home, an existing h o u s e w r a p p e d i n strawbales with added insulation, was built with regional and salvaged materials. Solar panels provide 90 percent of the heating and cooling. South-facing greenhouse

windows collect heat in the winter. the second floor addition provides lots of daylight and great views of the Sandias. Gray water from the upstairs bathroom and 1,400-gallon rainwater collection systems supplement city water for landscape irrigation.

Cooper reSideNCe—SaNdia parKthis home has many impressive features. the goal was to design a residence with minimal impact on the site, use materials as efficiently as possible and have a low-carbon footprint. It is oriented due south; all southern-facing windows are properly shaded. rainwater is harvested into a 5,000-gallon underground cistern system and then pumped to a drip irrigation system. the home was designed for good interior air quality. one hundred percent of the heating, cooling and domestic water heating are supplied by a ground-source heat pump powered by a grid-tied 9.9 kW PV array.


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Consider placing an ad in this award-winning publication. Call Skip Whitson (505.471.5177)

or Anna Hansen (505.982.0155)

2885 Trades West Road (off Siler)Santa Fe, NM 87505


continued on page 30

It’s summer. A hot and dry one. You’re outside gardening until the heat becomes too much and you head inside to chill, but the heat is radiating down on you, so

you turn on the swamp cooler or air conditioner. Then you remember last month’s electric bill and you turn the coolers off and look for a fan that uses less electricity, and you wonder, “Isn’t there a better way to live?”

Yes there is! It’s as easy as painting your roof white, but not with off-the-shelf house paint! According to local independent contractor John Grisak, there are over 1,000 products available to turn your roof white, and many have added ben-efits of sealing your roof tightly against rain for up to 15 years. And if you have solar collectors, a white roof will increase the amount of sunlight hitting them, and you can receive a federal tax credit at the same time.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Painting your roof white to cool your house is not a heat-induced fantasy but a booming business that has caught the imagina-tion and budget of government agencies and cities like New York, which claims to have cooled 3,671,000 square feet of city roofs in its effort to reduce the oppres-sive “heat island” effect of so many concrete roadways and black tar roofs radiating mega-degrees of heat upwards.

This solution has been around since at least the 1990s, and it’s been an effective way for some cities to attack the urban heat-island problem by covering flat roofs with white liquid-applied membrane roof coatings that can cut roof temperatures from 60 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s a lot of heat reflected back upwards be-fore it can creep down into your granulated tar paper covering, into the plaster or wallboard of your interior ceilings and down on your head, reducing the electricity needed to run your air conditioner in the summer by as much as 30 percent.

The federal government’s Energy Star program offers tax credits of 10 percent of the cost of approved cool roof materials up to a maximum of $500. To evaluate and rate the various products on the market, there is the nonprofit Cool Roof Rat-ing Council, made up of industry experts as well as officials from the California Energy Commission. Arizona has established its own Cool Roof Council to pro-mote and educate homeowners and contractors about this very effective practice.

So what about New Mexico? John Grisak tells me that El Paso has bitten the apple. Log on to GoogleEarth, hover and take a look, but wear dark glasses so you’re not blinded by the light reflecting back up at you! Okay, now remove those dark glasses and travel up to Albuquerque where there are several commercial buildings and a few residential buildings with whiter roofs, but overall a small minority. Now go up to Santa Fe — and weep. Virtually none.

CHIll FaCTor: C o o l r o o F SEaRl JamEs

But other than that, it’s hit or miss around the state. Granted, we don’t have any heat islands that can compete with Phoenix (thank goodness), but Albuquerque has a mega-load of flat roofs, and even one flat roof (yours?) can reflect tons of heat back skyward.

Neither Bernalillo County nor Santa Fe County has a public outreach program on cool-roof initiatives. The city of Albuquerque uses a menu of options home-owners can select from to qualify for their green building/green path program, but no cool-roof initiatives, per se. NM’s big power utility, PNM, has the federal ENERGY STAR program and tax credit page on its website, but other than that, no specific program promoting making your roof white.

In the city of Santa Fe, while certain areas of the city have color restrictions on roofing to satisfy aesthetic or historic concerns, the majority of the city does not have such restrictions, so there’s a lot of potential cooling effect there. But dis-cussion of color restrictions for your flat roof in historic districts or covenant-controlled homeowner association developments brings up an interesting note. While white roofs are usually rated as the most reflective, there are several other colors of reflective roofing membranes available. Of the hundreds of cool-roof membrane products and suppliers on the market, I randomly picked one company — Kemper System — that offers six colors of reflective membranes, including white. I’ve listed their reflectivity ratings for comparison:

Cool Mint 72%Cool adobe 75%Cool Frost 71%Cool Steel 63%Cool earth 70%Cool White 74%

Another supplier, La-Polla Industries, offers Thermo-Flex white coating and claims 86 percent reflectivity. Shop around. The point be-ing made here of course is that your cool roof doesn’t have to be white to give you some relief. You can take that to your Homeowners Association or Historic District bureau-crats and have a good argument.

So, whom to go to for more information on beating the rapidly increasing heat of NM’s new climate? Given the hit-or-miss nature of finding information on the merits of going white — or reflective — and the fact that there is no list-ing of contractors in NM who have a verifiable track record in applying the best environmentally compatible reflective coatings, New Mexicans could use a cool-roof information clearinghouse. Surely no more than a one-person office, such a service could be created and supported by a small gaggle of suppliers, contractors and government energy-efficiency gurus.

But what does it cost to have 60-100 degrees of heat reflected away from your rooftop, and one ton of heat trapping, atmospheric CO2 offset by every 1,000 square feet of white roof? Getting back to John Grisak for some figures, I find that he charges anywhere from $2 per square foot to $4 per square foot, depend-ing upon the degree of surface preparation necessary. So a 2,500 square foot roof would cost from $5,000 to $10,000, minus the tax credit — not a small invest-ment. But John says his experience with this process shows him that a white

Covering flat roofs with white liquid-applied membrane roof coatings can cut typical roof temperatures from 60 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit

A Lawrence berkeley National Laboratory study showed that every 1,000 square feet of roof area turned from a dark color to white is equivalent to offsetting the emission of one ton of heat trapping, atmospheric Co2.

White roof coatings can help cool your house.


liquid-applied membrane coating will last 15 years, not only reflecting heat but also tightly sealing the roof against leaks. And, if you reapply the top layer of coating (it’s applied in layers) at the 10-year mark (at 1/4th of the original cost), the roof is good for another 10 years. And, he says the roof-ing membrane he uses is water-based (no solvents), has a 600-psi strength that re-sists hail and fixes the problem of ponding, which is the cause of most roof failures.

I asked John how NM compares to Hous-ton, where he has worked before, and he said: “While the only flat roofs in Houston are commercial roofs, they get it, and white commercial roofs abound. But in NM, cool roofing seems to be a closely held secret. I’m also an insurance adjustor, and I’ve been on a lot on NM roofs and believe me, they’re all the old heat-absorbing black roofs, where temperatures reach 160-170 degrees. It’s crazy that the white roof al-ternative hasn’t been promoted more here.”

Amen. i

Earl James is a nonprof it development consultant living near Santa Fe. Contact info and information on his novel: Bella Coola: The Rainforest Brought Them Home, which recently won a 2013 Nautilus Silver book award, is available at www.earldjames.com

RESOURCES:• DOE’s ENERGY STAR Program:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index).

• Article on Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory study: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2008/2008-09-23-01.asp

• Cool Roof Rating Council: (http://www.coolroofs.org/)

• Arizona Cool Roof Council: http://www.azcoolroof.com/

• Albuquerque’s Green Path Program: www.cabq.gov/planning/documents/GreenPathApplicationCriteriaIncentives 2011112911.pdf

• Kemper System: http://www.kemper-system.com/US/eng/products/cool-roof-colors/

• LaPolla Industries Thermo-Flex: http://www.lapolla.com/images/map/_THTD11.pdf

• John Grisak: www.fixthisflatroof.com or call 505.919.8011

• James A. Mokres Co. Roofer: 505.470.6124

COOl ROOfscontinued from page 29


What do you do when the choice is obvious, but when the decision resulting from this choice challenges the law, the status quo and the popular culture?

Such a choice was put before the Mora County Commission this past April. In spite of this conflict, Chair John Olivas and Vice-chair Alfonso Griego voted to pass into law a “Bill of Rights” protecting citizens’ health, safety and welfare over complying with state and federal legal doctrines that give “big oil” the privileged rights to drill and frack Mora County.

The end of slavery, the recognition of women’s rights and the civil rights movement began as grassroots chal-lenges that ultimately effected consti-tutional change. The action taken by Olivas and Griego is likewise a chal-lenge aimed at changing the Consti-tution. Twenty-seven amendments to the Constitution, which reflect the “living” nature of the “law of the land,” emphasize a clear legal process for such challenges.

The Mora County Community Water Rights and Local Self-Government Ordinance bans all oil and gas extraction. It also addresses the fact that the current regulatory system of law created on behalf of industry guarantees corporations’ access into New Mexico counties. State and federal government issuance of permits to corporations legalize corporate development and affords them protection for such development under four main legal doctrines — the Contracts and Commerce Clause, Dillion’s Rule, Preemption and Corporate Personhood. Each doctrine affords privileged rights to corporations, in essence subordinating the rights of people and municipal corpora-tions (counties) to those of corporate rights.

These doctrines assure development within counties regardless the majority decision within the county. Mora County’s community rights law nullifies each of the legal doctrines and asserts and enforces the rights of the people and nature above those rights afforded corporations.

The New Mexico State Constitution, Article 2, declares that all governing authority is derived from the people. The vote by the Mora County Commission expresses a clear and authoritative ‘voice’, not only to challenge these doctrines, but to subse-quently work towards changing such laws that are not serving them. The New Mex-ico state statutes give municipalities the authority and the legal vehicle to enact such ordinances.

Both state and federal government promote the “endless production of more” through the regulatory system of law, while exposing counties to corporate harm and denying them their rights to a local sustainable energy future, the rights to protect their ecosys-tems, the right to self-government and democracy.

Through the assistance of the Community Environmental Le-gal Defense Fund (CELDF) and its innovative educating and le-gal strategy, it became possible for Mora County citizens to collabora-tively write this rights-based law. CELDF is a nonprofit public inter-est law firm that provides free legal services to communities working towards sustainable energy futures and self-governance.

The people became empowered to assert their rights to say “no” to state-assisted corporate fracking through CELDF’s Democracy School teaching, along with local educational forums by the grass-roots organization Drilling Mora County. It became clear that neither the state and federal government nor corporations have the right to violate their rights — that birth rights are in-herent to the living — and that asserting these rights was not only the duty of the people, but their right. And that true democracy is the right to say “no.”

Through the educational process, the nature of the problem was revealed: “We do not have a fracking problem, we have a democracy prob-lem.” That the people “are being denied the fun-damental right to self-government” in their own communities became clear and a guiding principle upon which the people began asserting their rights.

Currently five law firms from across the country have pledged their support to the Mora County Commission for the new “Bill of Rights.”Last month, the Mora Coun-ty Commission retained Thomas Linzey, senior legal counsel, CELDF, to defend its local law. The law firm has agreed to provide pro bono representation to the county.

Today, Mora County joins with over 150 other communities across the country, includ-ing the City of Las Vegas, which passed a “Bill of Rights” banning fracking in 2012, the first in the Southwest, and the City of Pittsburgh, which passed its law in 2010. These communities are asserting their right to local self-governance through the adoption of local laws that seek to control corporate activities within their municipality.

In order to assert self-determination on the county level, the work goes well beyond passing a local ordinance. It requires that counties from across the state join in solidar-ity with Mora County and pass similar “Bills of Rights,” which time a New Mexico State Constitutional Amendment can be passed to “write out” corporate personhood.

It takes local elected officials who will stand up for the rights of their citizens over complying with state-abetted and court-granted privileges of personhood assigned to corporations. That requires an unusual elected official who possesses courage and clarity of purpose. And it is happening. i

Kathleen Dudley is the board chair for the New Mexico Coalition for Community Rights and the CELDF community rights organizer for New Mexico. [email protected]

Mora CouNTY CoMMuNITY rIGHTS laW Self-DeterminationkaThlEEn dudlEy

oP-ed

Mora County Commission Chair John olivas

Chris Velásquez and richard Frésquez at a Mora County Commission meeting. said Valásquez of his experience in san Juan County, “once they start their engines, it’s all over.”


EVERyday gREEn continued from page 19

kEEping WildlifE aliVE continued from page 14

animals, kill them without need, steal the food they had stored for winter, and arrogantly mistreat them in various ways.

SG: What is Native american respect for animal species?GC: Humans’ relationship to animals and our participation in their world bring forward our innermost instinctual selves, the highest in the order of our biological senses and being, and the core element of our consciousness. Traditional peoples around the world have incorporated this sense into their relationship with animals, as they see all animal species as having equal rights to life and a place on Earth.

We who live in contemporary cultures have largely disassociated ourselves from our natural instinct for affiliation with other forms of life. The once-sacred Earth community that nurtures human life has become “outside,” a place filled with malevolent natural forces that must be controlled or other-wise guarded against. Fear, control and exploitation of the “outside” or the other as enemy is deeply embedded in the psychology of Western society.

To this end, much of modern science and technology has been mobilized to guard against or to war against the other, be it a mountain, a forest people, a religion or the world of insects. From ideas in books and films, through education, government and science, the message and therefore the practiced belief has been one of fear and the need for domination and control of nature—its plants, animals, insects, and even its microorganisms. We have been conditioned to act, think, and project prejudicially toward animals, and as for the insects, we lack both the emotional and intellectual appreciation that would bring forward any true appreciation for their role and impor-tance in the natural order.

SG: What can american culture learn from the Native american world-view of animals?GC: Native cultures have much to teach non-Native cultures from their in-clusive view of life—about listening to the “noise of the infinite in the small.” All animals—including insects—are necessary for the ecological function-ing of the biosphere and the survival of all living things. The known benefits of the honeybee, earthworm, silkworm, ladybug, various beetles, ants and spiders balance out their perceived harmfulness to humans.

An entire species may be condemned to extinction if humans deem behavior or appearance unacceptable. This is the prevailing modern Western cultural attitude toward animals. In many ways this attitude has also characterized

Western attitudes toward Indigenous cultures that have traditionally afford-ed kinship to the entire animal world.

For Native people, knowledge of animals was important to all aspects of their lives. Learning about animals was a lifelong task integrated in every aspect of tribal life. Practical knowledge included characteristics of animal behavior, anatomy, feeding patterns, breeding and migration. All of these expressions of relationship to the animal world provided rich teaching in a variety of experiences that Indigenous people understood in both practical and philosophical ways. They applied these in a direct process to help each individual “become fully human.”

SG: What is your message to the world for survival in the 21st century?GC: We have little awareness that globally there is the equivalent of a bio-logical “holocaust” in play, and that every day the Earth experiences the extinction of hundreds of microbiota, plants, insects and animal species. The biodiversity of life is dwindling, and with its loss we lose profound modes of natural spirit. In ignoring the health and viability of the biological web of life upon which we depend, we incur a real but largely hidden danger; in the life of the land on this planet lies our human lives. We ignore these relationships at our own peril.

There are two quintessential interdependent issues facing people in the 21st century, and both are fundamentally about relationship. The first is how we are going to deal with the environmental crisis, or how will we relate in a proper, sustainable way to plants, animals and the Earth. The second is how we are going to deal with each other in a proper, respectful way that ac-knowledges our common interdependence. Biological diversity and cultural diversity are both issues of relationship. i

Gregory Cajete, Ph.D., a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo, is also the editor of A People’s Ecology: Explorations in Sustainable Living; and the author of Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education and Ignite the Sparkle: An Indig-enous Science Education Model.

Susan Guyette, Ph.D. is Métis (Micmac Indian and Acadian French) and a planner specializing in New Mexico cultural tourism, cultural centers, museums and native foods for the past 27 years. She is the author of Sus-tainable Cultural Tourism: Small-Scale Solutions; Planning for Bal-anced Development: A Guide for Native American and Rural Com-munities; co-author of Zen Birding: Connect in Nature, and the author of several texts for Native American Studies. www.susanguyette.com

missions benefiting land, people and wildlife.

Working directly with individual private landowners on wildlife en-hancement and ecosystem restora-tion will leave a legacy of conserva-tion on the land. Direct examples of this kind of work can be seen in the Galisteo Basin, in Albuquerque’s South Valley, in the new Río Mora Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, and in the recently dedicated Río Grande del Norte National Monument. Conservation work can be scaled from one acre to thou-sands to allow a full range of land-

owners to participate in a mean-ingful way—making contributions to the larger landscape of northern NM one property at a time.

Finally, resources that offer oppor-tunities for getting out of doors, such as public trails, will aid in rais-ing public awareness of the needs for connecting open space areas across the landscape. Combined with lim-iting development on land through conservation easements, provid-ing nighttime friendly lighting for many species, land-use planning based on the needs of wildlife, and consulting with our neighbors who

make their living from the land, we have a broad spectrum of meaning-ful stewardship tools to help ensure that we can hem in the impacts of our modern lifestyle to help the ani-mal kingdom stay connected. i

Jan-Willem Jansens is coordinator of New Mexico Wildways and director of Eco-tone, which offers conservation planning for landscapes in transi-tion. 505.470.2531, [email protected].

Charlie O’Leary is execu-tive director of the Santa Fe Conservation Trust. 505.989.7019, [email protected], http://sfct.org

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environmental groups, spent two years developing best management practices (BMPs) for wind and transmission development pertaining to the potential impacts to 12 wildlife species or habitat issues, including fragmentation. One theme that resonated throughout the NMWWC process was the lack of data to develop sensible BMPs that would adequately advise the industry on how to minimize development or operational impacts.

The Crucial Habitat Analysis Tool currently being developed by Natural Heri-tage New Mexico (UNM) with support from the NM Department of Game and Fish is intended to help guide regional management and planning, primarily in preparation for energy development. The model designates crucial habitat based on square-mile hexagons evaluated for wildlife occurrences, modeled habitat, landscape condition and corridor metrics. However, like most models developed at this coarse scale, no field verification is planned. Field data collection, such as the effort underway in at least one identified corridor, the Galisteo Wildway, is essential to confirm model predictions. Unfortunately, this level of calibra-tion is rare, and the result may be a product that does a disservice to both the resource and the industry by designating large sensitive habitat areas without the

advantage of verification. Unlike ungulates in the Serengeti or in portions of the great northern plains in the US, wildlife species in NM rarely travel across large landscapes, but are more likely to use smaller, narrower corridors. Knowledge of where these cor-ridors occur can help avoid or minimize the impacts from ener-gy development. Therefore, it is essential that funding of field data collection be required of utility- and energy companies in the planning of future transmission

to maintain landscape permeability for wildlife and ensure the viability of NM’s rich biodiversity. i

Pete David is a senior project manager at SWCA Environmental Consultants. He is author of Mother Nature’s Son, and a member of New Mexico Wildways. Email [email protected]


N E W S B I T E s “draMaTiC deCliNe” warNiNg for plaNTS aNd aNiMalSa paper published last month in the journal Nature Climate Change says that more than half of common plant species and a third of animals could see a seri-ous decline in their habitat range because of climate change. Scientists quoted in the paper say, however, that the losses can be reduced if rapid action is taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

a separate new study has found that frogs, toads, salamanders and other am-phibians in the uS are dying off so quickly that they could disappear from half their habitats in the next 20 years. Some of the more endangered populations may be gone in six years, including ancient species that have survived all kinds of changes. The nine-year survey by scientists from the uS Geological Survey amphibian research and Monitoring Initiative examined population trends for 48 species at 34 ponds, streams and other sites across the country. Most were on public lands with some level of protection.

It has been known since the 1990s that the amphibian populations were declin-ing, but this is the first time the decline has been measured. The causes of this global phenomenon may include a combination of disease, atmospheric chang-es, pollutants, non-native invasive species, habitat loss and climate change. amphibians control pests, feed other animals and help make ecosystems func-tion. They also inspire new medicines.

youTh To be eMployed oN publiC laNdS CoNSerVaTioN proJeCTSNew Mexico and arizona are among the states that will receive federal grants to hire young people to work on conservation project on public lands. $4.2 mil-lion in competitive grants will go toward hiring more than 600 people between the ages of 15 and 25 to work on 22 projects throughout the West. The grants reflect the obama administration’s efforts to develop a 21st-century Conser-vation Service Corps.

In NM, over a 48-day period, low-income and tribal youth from the rocky Mountain Youth Corps will partner with the State land office, the NM De-partment of Game and Fish and the blM to stimulate aspen regeneration and restore mule-deer habitat in the Wind Mountain area. In a separate project, the blM will work with the YouthWorks New Conservationists crew on resto-ration projects north and south of Santa Fe. This will include fire-restoration, invasive-species removal, native-species planting, watershed restoration and protection of public lands threatened by illegal activities such as dumping and off-roading.

MarCh agaiNST MoNSaNToon May 25, about 300 people marched from the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market to the state capitol in a “March against Monsanto.” Similar marches took place in 52 countries and 436 cities to pro-test the giant chemical and seed corporation’s genetically engineered (Ge) and genetically modified (GMo) crops.

Critics say that GMos and their accompanying herbicides can lead to serious health conditions in humans and animals. Monsanto’s popular herbicide roundup may be “the most biologi-cally disruptive chemical in our environment,” according to a recent scientific peer-reviewed study published in the journal Entropy.

Monsanto generates about 90 percent of GMo seeds, and has spent millions lobbying against GMo labeling in the uS (a labeling bill in the 2013 NM legislature was quickly derailed). la-beling is required by the eu and in many other countries. at least 60 countries worldwide have a complete ban on biotech food products.

Critics also decry Monsanto’s business prac-tices. Monsanto is the largest among 10 cor-porations that have collectively cornered the global market on seeds. Monsanto uses patent rights to sue small farmers when their fields

have been contaminated with pollen from nearby GMo farms. There are also questions about “bio-piracy” of indigenous knowledge and genetic resources.

a revolving door allegedly exists between Monsanto and uS regulatory and ju-dicial bodies. The Senate recently rejected a bill that would have allowed states to require labeling of GMo foods. In March, the Farmer assurance Provision (the “Monsanto Protection act”) was quietly slipped into a stopgap federal spending bill designed to avert a government shutdown. The rider prohibits federal courts from halting the sale of Ge/GMo seeds and shelters the agri-business from litigation.

NM aCequiaS: TradiTioN & adapTaTioN CoNfereNCeThe New Mexico acequia association is hosting a statewide acequia conference, New Mexico acequias: Tradition & adaptation, at Santa Fe Community College on June 26. The daylong event will include the premiere of The art of Mayordomia, a short film produced by the NMaa’s Mayordomo Project, a community-based col-laboration intended to foster the transmission of knowledge from one generation of mayordomos to the next. The film intertwines excerpts of wisdom from mayor-domos in different acequia communities throughout northern NM with a Jémez Springs mayordoma-in-training who shadows her father in his role as mayordomo, following a seasonal calendar of activities and duties.

The conference will also provide information about various acequia governance topics such as Water rights from the acequia Perspective, acequia easements, and a commissioner training. For more info, visit www.lasacequias.org

righTS of NaTure workShop – July 26-28explore the foundational principles of the rising global rights of Nature move-ment and examine case studies in a workshop in Santa Fe led by noted authors os-prey orielle lake and Shannon biggs. From Mora County, New Mexico, to the na-tions of ecuador and bolivia, communities are restoring the ancient cross-cultural narrative that trees, rivers, animals and mountains have a right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate their vital cycles—just as humans do.

The movement is creating a legal basis to gain recognition for damages done and to protect local ecosystems by elevating the rights of nature above corporate rights. In 2008 ecuador became the first country in the world to include rights of Nature in its national constitution. The workshop will include a facilitated community con-versation about how to support and advance these initiatives in NM.

lake is the founder and president of the Women’s earth and Climate Caucus, co-chair of International advocacy for the Global alliance for the rights of Nature, and author of Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature. biggs is director of the Community rights program at Global exchange and co-author of the award-winning book Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grass Roots.

The July 26-28 workshop will take place from 7-9 pm on Friday, 10-5 on Saturday and 10-12:30 on Sunday. It is being offered on a sliding scale from $50-$300 to fa-cilitate scholarships for community members. For more information or to register, call 505.986.9232 or email [email protected].

graNTS SupporT loCal produCerS, bio-baSed iNiTiaTiVeSagriculture Secretary Tom vilsack has announced the selection of 110 grants to agricultural producers and rural businesses to help create jobs and develop new products. “These awards will advance uSDa’s goals to develop a bio-based economy and support local and regional food systems,” vilsack said.

Three of the projects selected for the uSDa rural Development value-added Producer Grants are from New Mexico:

• old Wood llC in las vegas will use a $300,000 working capital award to expand sales of its unique, engineered-panel and wood-block flooring made from small-diameter trees.

• Mt. taylor Machine, llC in Milan will use $200,000 in working capital to manufacture boards and beams from lumber made from trees harvested under National Forest access rights derived through the Wild Turkey Federation.

• Comida De Campos, inc. of embudo received $49,927 to add value to its vegetable- and fruit/berry operation by creating fresh-packaged, ready-to-eat salad, vegetable and fruit entrees to be sold at refrigerated vending ma-chines located at health-conscious locations such as hospitals, clinics and other locations.


What's Going On! Events / Announcements

ALBUQUERQUE JuNe 1-30ThiS TiMe, ThiS plaCe exhibiTioNOpEn spaCE VisiTOR CEnTER6500 COORs nWPhoto exhibit by local photographers of open Space lands: the West Mesa, the río Grande valley and bosque, foothills of the Sandias. reception: 6/8, 3-5 pm

JuNe 3-8, 10 aM-4:30 pMbeeSweek 2013unm sCiEnCE & maTh lEaRning CnTR.Scientific and Community Panel Forums. Four panel discussions focus on the design and implementation of a solutions-based sustainable industrial pollination framework to protect the N. american food supply. 6/3: organic beekeeper Tomás urrea, author Dr. valerie Solheim; 6/4 keynote: permacultur-alist Dr. Paul Wheaton. Tickets: $18-$25. 510.213.4402, [email protected]

JuNe 3, 10-11 aMwildlife habiTaT gardeN TouraBq gaRdEn CEnTER, 10120 lOmas nEFree guided tour presented by the xeric Garden Club of abq. The garden’s na-tive, xeric plants support indigenous wild-life as well as migratory birds. a master gardener will explain the importance of creating and preserving wildlife habitats. www.xericgardenclub.org

JuNe 5, 8:30 aM-4:30 pMreCyCliNg profeSSioNalS TraiNiNgThe goal is to empower professionals in the recycling field to reach out to their com-munities to increase recycling rates and to provide tools to successfully manage recycling programs. $100. Scholarships and Ceus available. Presented by the NM recycling Coalition. 505.603.0558, www.recyclenewmexico.com

JuNe 5, 5:30-7:30 pMgreeN driNkShOTEl andaluz, 125 2nd sT. nWNetwork with people interested in local business, clean energy and other green issues. Featured guest speaker: Matt Schmader, Supt. of abq open Space. Hosted by the albuquerque & río ran-cho Green Chamber of Commerce. Info: 505.244.3700, [email protected]

JuNe 5, 7 pMNaTiVe plaNTS preSeNTaTioNnm musEum Of naTuRal hisTORy1801 mOunTain nWTed Hodoba, project manager of the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation area near belén will present a free program about native plants of the area. Sponsored by the abq chapter of the Native Plant Society of NM. Info: npsnm.org

JuNe 7, 6-8 pMTurNiNg waTer SCarCiTy iNTo waTer abuNdaNCegEORgE pEaRl hall, unm sChOOl Of aRChiTECTuRE and planning, CEnTRal nE and unm CORnEll mallauthor/permaculturalist brad lancaster will discuss Integrated rainwater Har-vesting. Followed by a reception with lan-caster and the event sponsors, erda Gar-dens and learning Center, kalyx Studio, querencia Green, and uNM Sustainabil-ity Studies Program. Free. 505.610.1538, [email protected]

JuNe 8-9New MexiCo greeNbuilT Touralbuquerque to Taos. (See story, page 27). Green leaf awards ceremony June 7. 505.410.7703, http://www.usgbcnm.org

JuNe 9, 10 aM-4 pMhaNdS-oN earThworkS aNd aCequia workShopkalyx sTudiO lEaRning CEnTER (sOuTh VallEy)author/permaculturalist brad land-caster (www.harvestingrainwater.com) will lead this workshop on designing and building water harvesting earthworks. 505.452.9975, [email protected]

JuNe 10-12deVelopiNg Tribal eNergy reSourCeS aNd eCoNoMieSsandia REsORT and CasinOTribal lands make up about 5 percent of the land in the uS, but hold up to 15 percent of the nation’s energy resources. Conference topics: right-of-way negotiations with util-ity companies, self-generation of energy for tribal communities, and deep shale explora-tion and development. $495. 505.924.2820, www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventID=1155048

JuNe 20, 5:30-7:30 pMTrekweST publiC eVeNTs. BROadWay CulTuRal CEnTER1025 BROadWay BlVd., sE“Say Yes to Wildlife Corridors” a pre-sentation by Trekker John Davis. other speakers: Dave Foreman, kim vacariu, Jan-Willem Jansens and local officials. Food, live music. Free. (See story, page 11) [email protected], www.TrekWest.org

JuNe 21, 9-10 aMTrekweST Video iNTerViewplaCiTas WildlifE muRal, plaCiTas RECyCling CEnTER, half-milE EasT Of i-25 ExiT 242 (BERnalillO 550 ExiT EasT)Interview with John Davis about the mu-ral, “Protect our Wildlife Corridors.” Free. [email protected], www.pathway swc.wordpress.com

JuNe 22, 2 pMregioNal aCequia workShophisTORiC huBBlE hOusE6029 islETa BlVd. sWTopics: water management, policy is-sues, easements, irrigation. Presenta-tions about services and benefits from uSDa programs for small farmers. www.southvalleyacequias.org

JuNe 23, 1 pMJaCk loeffler preSeNTaTioNalBuquERquE musEum200 mOunTain Rd. nWloeffler, a writer, aural historian and radio producer, will give a talk on our changing relationship with the landscape. Museum admission fee. 505.242.4600,

JuNe 29, 10 aM-12 pMpolliNaTioN gardeNiNg ClaSS3435 sTanfORd dR. nEled by loretta McGrath. $10 suggested donation. Presented by Home Grown NM and Skarsgard Farms urban agri-culture education Center. 505.473.1403, [email protected]

July 3, 5:30-7:30 pMgreeN driNkSHotel andaluz, 125 2nd St. NWNetwork with people interested in local busi-ness, clean energy and other green issues. Host-ed by the albuquerque & río rancho Green Chamber of Commerce. Info: 505.244.3700, [email protected]

Through oCT. 9:30 aM-2:30 pMxeriSCape gardeN ClubaBq gaRdEn CEnTER, 10120 lOmas nEFamilies are invited to visit the Wildlife Habitat Garden. Hands-on activities for children to learn about wildlife habitats and the importance of pollinators. Free. www. xericgardenclub.org

SANTA FEThrough JaN. 5, 2014New world CuiSiNe: hiSTorieS of ChoColaTe, MaTé y MaSmusEum Of inTERnaTiOnal fOlk aRTexhibit focuses on the mixing of food cultures in the americas. 505.476.1200, internationalfolkart.org

Through MarCh 16, 2014CowboyS real aNd iMagiNednm hisTORy musEumThis exhibit explores NM’s contribution to the cowboys of both myth and reality from the 1600s to the present day.

JuNe 1-2SpriNg feSTiVal/ChildreN’S fairEl RanChO dE las gOlandRinasla CiénEga505.471.2261, www.golandrinas.org

JuNe 2, 10 aM-5 pMSaVor The flaVor feSTiValmusEum Of inTl. fOlk aRT, 706 Cam. lEJOlocally owned NM food businesses will op-erate booths offering food for sample and sale. Presented by Delicious NM and the MoIFa. Cooking demos and a book fair. Free for NM residents and children 16 and under.

JuNe 2, 1-3 pMouTdoor CookiNgsf COmmuniTy faRm (agua fRía & san ysidRO xing)lois Harvie will teach how to use your veg-etables. Free or $10 donation. 505.473.1403, [email protected]

JuNe 2, 3 pMblaCk Sheep readiNgTEaTRO paRaguas, 3205 CallE maRiErobert Covelli reads a compelling section of his novel. Free. [email protected]

JuNe 3, 5-8 pMwildearTh guardiaNS gaTheriNg516 alTO sTREETInfo/rSvP: 505.988.9126, ext. 0. Free.

JuNe 4, 3-5 pMeldorado/285 reCyCleSeldorado area recycling advocacy group monthly meeting. all welcome. 505.570.0583, [email protected]

JuNe 6, 5:30-7:30 pMbuSiNeSS awardS red CarpeT galasf faRmERs’ maRkET Buildingrecognizing accomplished SF businesses. vIPs, business and community leaders. $30 at the door or www.santafechamber.com. Info: 505.988-3279, [email protected]

JuNe 8, 22, 9-11 aMleT’S growsf COunTy faiRgROundsFree gardening series offered every second Saturday through September, sponsored by the Master Gardener association. sfmga.org/events-calendar

JuNe 8, 9 aM-4:30 pMeMbraCiNg The huMaN TSuNaMiTurn chaos and confusion into creative ac-tion. Training from the emotional Sus-tainability Series led by katherine Paras, l.P.a.T., mind-body healing consultant. $125. 505.690.0078

JuNe 8, 1-3:30 pMColor Therapy for your gardeNsfCf, 501 halOna sT.learn the benefits of using colors in the landscape to influence well-being. $45. Info: [email protected], registration: www.bigDogSeminars.com

JuNe 9, 1-4 pMMediCiNe froM The kiTCheNmilagRO COmmuniTy gaRdEn (lEgaCy & ROdEO Rd.)learn about herbal remedies with Jessie emerson, rN. rSvP: 505.473.1403, www.homegrownnewmexico.org

JuNe 9, 1-4 pMSf boTaNiCal gardeN Tour“From historic to panoramic.” Discover an intimate natural garden, a sculpture garden and a critter-defying garden. Tickets: 505.988.1234, ticketssantafe.org. $35adv./$40 at-the-gate. www.santafebotanicalgarden.org


JuNe 10, 5-9 pMSolarize The TeSuque fire STaTioN andiamObenefit dinner to support New en-ergy economy’s campaign to install so-lar panels. reservations: 505.995.9595, www.andiamosantafe.com

JuNe 13, 26, 5:45-7:15 pMloCal orgaNiC MealS oN a budgeTkiTChEn angEls, 1222 silER Rd.Meals that can be cooked at home in har-mony with the seasons. Classes run the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month through December featuring well-known local chefs, including erin Wade (vinaigrette), ahmed obo ( Jambo Café), roland richter ( Joe’s Dining), kim Muller (formerly of real Food Nation), lois ellen Frank (red Mesa Cater-ing) and Patrick lambert (The Cowgirl) and many others. advance registration required. www.localorganicmeals.com

JuNe 15, 10 aM-12 pMpolliNaTioN aNd beeS ClaSSsf skiEs (End Of CERRillOs Rd.)With ken bower. Food provided. $10 sug-gested donation. rSvP: 505.473.1403, www.homegrownnewmexico.org

JuNe 15, 10 aM-2 pMarid laNd reSToraTioNInstructor: amanda bramble. $50.ampersand Sustainable learning Center, 505.780.0535, www.ampersandproject.org

JuNe 15, 3-11 pMfaNTaSe feSTiValdEVaRgas paRkCreative Santa Fe hosts a celebration of the re-opening of Devargas Park, and a re-visioning of future development of Parque del rio to promote walkability and sustain-ability. Free. Follows the rodeo de Santa Fe parade.

JuNe 15, 6-10 pMbuCkaroo ballBuffalO ThundER REsORT, pOJOaquEDancing to asleep at the Wheel. ben-efits nonprofits in SF County. Tickets: 505.988.9715, ext. 7020 or www.santafecf.org

JuNe 16, 10 aM-12 pMorgaNiC peST CoNTrolfREnChy’s COmmuniTy gaRdEn (OsagE & agua fRia)Jannine Cabossel will teach how to con-trol pests & diseases. Free. 505.473.1403, [email protected]

JuNe 19, all dayTrekweST bike ridesf, galisTEO Basin-TiJERas WildlifE CROssing-aBqJoin trekker John Davis as he rides old las vegas Hwy, Hwy 41, Hwy 14 across the Gali-steo basin, ortiz Mtns. and the east Mtns. (See story, pg. 11) [email protected], www.TrekWest.org

JuNe 19-2264Th aNNual rodeo de SaNTa feTickets $17/$10: 505.988-1234, rodeo parade 6/15, 3 pm. rodeodesantafe.org

JuNe 20-23Self-Care bliSS weekeNdsanTa fE sOul hEalTh & hEaling CEnTERlearn to generate health, prosperity and play in your daily life. Meet Self-Care Coaches and SF Soul practitioners who will of-

fer presentations, workshops and demos, plus screenings of new documentary films. expo booths. one-day pass: $99, weekend pass: $195. registration: 505.474.8555, [email protected], www. jointheselfcarerevolution.com/self-care-bliss-weekend-2013

JuNe 21- aug. 23ViVa flora! TreaSured plaNTS of NMCOmmuniTy gallERy, sf COnVEnTiOn CEnTER, 201 W. maRCyexhibit of artworks of over 35 local artists in a variety of media. Presented in partner-ship with the SF botanical Garden and in celebration of next month’s grand open-ing of the garden at Museum Hill. open-ing reception: 6/21, 5-7 pm. Free. Gallery hours: Tues-Fri, 10 am-5 pm. 505.955.6705, www.santafebotanicalgarden.org

JuNe 22, 10 aM-4 pMiNTroduCTioN To perMaCulTureinsTRuCTOR: amanda BRamBlE. $50ampersand Sustainable learning Center, 505.780.0535, www.ampersandproject.org

JuNe 24 – 16 weekSbiopoNiCS greeNhouSeMaNageMeNTsfCC sChOOl Of TRadEs and TEChnOlOgyaccredited 24-credit degree launch. revi-talize local organic agricultural traditions to build food security in an ecologically, economically and culturally viable way. Info: bioponics Institute: 760.391.0216, www. bioponicsinstitute.com

JuNe 25, 6:30 pMhoMe growN NM MoNThly poTluCkWhOlE fOOds On sT. fRanCis (COmmuniTy ROOm)Cydney Martin will discuss food preserva-tion classes and her role as SF County Home economist. 505.473.1403, homegrownnew [email protected]

JuNe 28-302013 SaNTa fe STudio TourVaRiOus VEnuEsDiscover Santa Fe fine artists. Fri: 5:30-7:30 pm, Sat: 10 am-6 pm, Sun: 12-5 pm. www.santafestudiotour.com

JuNe 30wiSe waTer TeChNiqueSInstructor: amanda bramble. $60Simple graywater and rainwater systems. ampersand Sustainable learning Center, 505.780.0535, www.ampersandproject.org

July 8-262Nd aNNual arTfeSTsf uniVERsiTy Of aRT and dEsignThis festival brings together students and faculty from around the world for academic and artistic workshops, cultural activities and social events. Courses on creative writ-ing, sculpture, latin american and south-western architecture and recording arts. www.artfestsf.com

July 12-14Sf iNTl. folk arT MarkeTmusEum hillCelebrating ten years of bringing the world together. 505.992.7600, askus@folkart market.org, www.folkartmarket.org

July 26-28righTS of NaTure workShopSee newsbite, page 37.

auguST 30-31roberT Mirabal: MuSiC aNd MyThsanTa fE OpERaMusician / songwriter / storyteller robert Mirabal, from Taos Pueblo, with a troupe of musicians and pueblo dancers. Film-ing for a national PbS Tv special. Tickets: 505.986.5900, www.santafeopera.org/tickets

9 aM-4 pM daily exCepT wedS.CoMMuNiTy farM proJeCT1820 san ysidRO, VillagE Of agua fRíavolunteers of any age needed. 80 percent of the produce is given to the Food Depot and distributed to 120 organizations. [email protected], www.santafacommu-nityfarm.org

MoNdayS & wedNeSdayS, 9 aM-12 pM & SuNday, 11 aM-2 pMurbaN farMiNg aT gaia gardeNSlearn to build soil, compost, transplant, build structures, tend chickens and ducks and help make a small farm hum. 505.796.6006, http://gaiagardens.blogspot.com

TueSdayS aNd SaTurdayS 8 aM-1 pMSaNTa fe farMerS’ MarkeT1607 pasEO dE pERalTa (& guadalupE)Northern NM farmers & ranchers bring you fresh greenhouse tomatoes, greens, root veg-gies, cheese, teas, herbs, spices, honey, baked goods, Southwestern body care and much more.

SaTurdayS, approx. 2 pMMeeT your farMerJOE’s dining, ROdEO & ziaa lunch experience. an opportunity to ask questions about farming, enjoy a local meal and meet farmers who grow NM foods. ven-dors from the farmers’ market have an after-market lunch and meet the community. Info: [email protected]

SuNdayS, 10 aM-4 pMrailyard arTiSaN MarkeTfaRmERs’ maRkET paViliOn 1607 pasEO dE pERalTalive music, food and over 30 artists. www.artmarketsantafe.com

7Th ediTioN of “day hikeS iN The SaNTa fe area”Features 56 destinations, new reconfigured hikes with maps and photos, safety tips, re-source guide. available in local bookstores.

HERE & THEREJuNe 3-9paCk lighT, be lighTghOsT RanCh COnfEREnCE CEnTER aBiquiú, nmIntroductory backpacking seminar. Class-room sessions and 3-day backpack trip. $495 + lodging & meals. 877.804.4678, ext. 4152, www.ghostranch.org

JuNe 8kiT CarSoN eleCTriC Co-op aNNual MeeTiNgTaOs high sChOOl gymnasium, TaOs, nm

JuNe 15, 2:30-3:30 pMearTh ShelTeriNg for SuSTaiNabiliTyEasT mOunTain liBRaRy, TiJERas, nmloretta Hall, author of underground build-ings: More than Meets the eye, will speak on “Top Ten buildings under the Southwest.” Free. [email protected], www.subsurface buildings.com

JuNe 17 deadliNepNM reSourCeS fNdN. graNTSGrant program focused on community envi-ronmental projects. 30 nonprofit projects will be selected to receive $10,000 to complete a project; anything from water conservation to community gardens. Proposals must pro-mote environmental benefits or community improvements. Info: PNM.com/foundation

JuNe 17-23ChaMa riVer adVeNTureaBiquiú, nmWriting Down the river workshop with guide Steve Harris. Info: 505.685.4333, ext.4106, [email protected], www.ghostranch.org

JuNe 18-20lohaS buSiNeSS CoNfereNCeBOuldER, CO.lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. www.lohas.com

JuNe 21-24peak perforMaNCe graziNgsusTainaBlE sETTings RanCh CaRBOndalE, COPlanning and management for animals, land, profit with Jim Gerrish and owen Hablutzel. 970.963.6107 or [email protected], http://www.sustainablesettings.org

JuNe 22- oCT. 4 (reCepTioN 6/21, 5-7 pM)adVeNTureS de TaoS phoTo exhibiTioNTOWn hall, 400 Cam. dE las plaCiTas TaOs, nm20 photographer’s work available for pur-chase. Taos arts Council: 575.758.0000

JuNe 26-291ST SaVory iNSTiTuTe iNTerNaTioNal CoNfereNCeBOuldER, CO.Imagine a world in which humans live in har-mony with each other and our planet; rich soils sustain sound models of regenerative agricul-ture, sequestering carbon, producing abundant whole food, rekindling local traditions and reactivating regional economies. http://www.savoryinstitute.com/Conference2013/

JuNe 29, 9:30 aM-4:30 pMwoMeN iN TraNSiTioN reTreaThEaling ThROugh hORsEs, aBiquiú1-day retreat for women experiencing challenges that accompany change. $175. 505.685.0596, [email protected], www.healingthroughhorses.net

JuNe 30 deadliNeSCholarShipS for NorTherN NM CouNTieSTen $1,000 scholarships will be awarded by MaNa del Norte to assist Hispanic women from los alamos, Mora, río arriba, Santa Fe, San Miguel and Taos counties in con-tinuing or completing their post-secondary education. Info and application materials: www.manadelnortenm.org or 505.795.4319

oCT. 25-268Th aNNual TradiTioNal agriCulTure & SuSTaiNable liViNg CoNfereNCesalazaR CEnTER fOR ThE pERfORming aRTs, nnmC, EspañOla, nmkeynote speakers: Dr. vandana Shiva, PhD, Dr. Greg Cajete, PhD. Panel discussions, workshops, demonstrations, entertainment and more. Presented by the Pueblo of Tes-uque, Four bridges Traveling Permaculture Institute and the Sostenga program of NNMC. www.4bridges.org/conference-information

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June 2013 Green Fire Times

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