Environment

Senate Conservation Committee Unanimously Advances $2 Million Mosquito Monitoring Plan That Would Be ‘Early Warning System’ For New Mexico

Егор Камелев/Pixabay via Public Domain

By LILY ALEXANDER
The Santa Fe New Mexican

For Albuquerque Republican Sen. Nicole Tobiassen, the fight against mosquitoes is personal now.

In September, Tobiassen’s husband contracted West Nile virus and spent four and a half months in the intensive care unit “fighting for his life”, she said Thursday during a committee hearing for Senate Bill 79.

The measure would appropriate $2 million to the New Mexico Department of Health for mosquito surveillance, prevention and mitigation in fiscal years 2027 and 2028.

“He survived — against the odds, might I Read More

Leopold Writing Program & Santa Fe International Literary Festival Celebrate Ongoing Partnership For 2026 Festival

Aldo Leopold. Courtesy/Aldo Leopold Foundation

SFILF News:

SANTA FE — The Leopold Writing Program and the Santa Fe International Literary Festival (SFILF) has announced their continued partnership for the 2026 Festival. The upcoming event will feature award-winning writers, including Ada Limón, George Saunders, and James McBride.

The Festival will also feature a new iteration of the collaborative Write Your Story activity, an ongoing partnership with the Santa Fe International Literary Festival that reflects a shared commitment to uplifting and strengthening New Mexico’s vibrant Read More

USDA Forest Service Issues Revised Oil & Gas Leasing Rule

USDA News:

WASHINGTON. D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service finalized revisions to its regulation governing federal oil and gas resources on National Forest System lands. The revision modernizes and streamlines the process for managing energy development across millions of acres.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the updated rule today, emphasizing the Trump Administration’s joint commitment to eliminating outdated and burdensome processes and advancing President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Orders Read More

Lawmakers Introduce Clear Horizons Act ‘To Protect New Mexico Families From Rising Costs’

STATE News:

SANTA FE — Lawmakers have formally introduced the Clear Horizons Act (Senate Bill 18), a plan to provide long-term planning, stability, and accountability from the harmful effects of polluting industries.

As New Mexican families continue to face rising costs associated with the waste and byproducts of polluting industries, leaders in Santa Fe are responding with actionable legislation.

The Clear Horizons Act (Senate Bill 18) responds to the real and growing costs New Mexicans are already paying as extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe. New data presented to legislators Read More

Daily Postcard: Elk Visits Gold Street Apartments

Daily Postcard: An elk recently visited the Gold Street Apartments and stopped to pose for the camera. Photo by John Halladay 

A profile view of the elk recently visiting the Gold Street Apartments. Photo by John Halladay Read More

Transforming Trash Into Something Valuable … Electricity

A rendering of what Mozart Devco’s waste to energy plant in Ohkay Owingeh would look like. Courtesy/LAC

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Trash is usually a despised thing. People don’t want to think about it or see it. But can be trash transformed from something unwanted into something valuable?

For Mozart Devco, LLC, the answer is yes. They elaborated on this during the Jan. 13 Los Alamos County Council work session.

County Public Works Director Eric Martinez explained that Mozart, an energy infrastructure development firm advancing scalable, waste-to-energy Read More

Ice Fishing Season Opens At Eagle Nest Lake State Park

Photo by Jordan Mitchell, Eagle Nest Lake State Park Superintendent

EMNRD News:

SANTA FE — Eagle Nest Lake State Park opened for ice fishing this week after recent cold temperatures thickened the ice to safe levels, but state officials are reminding anglers that venturing onto frozen water always carries risk.

“We once again welcome outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy the winter fishing season. However, we advise them to take precautions to ensure that their outings are safe,” said Toby Velásquez, director of New Mexico State Parks.

State Park officials recommend the following safety precautions: Read More

Los Alamos National Laboratory: FY 2025 Economic Impact

Evening view of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • $2 billion in employee salaries across 6 northern New Mexico counties; $752 Million spent with local businesses

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) released its annual Economic Impact Report detailing spending during fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30. With an annual budget of $5.28 billion, the Laboratory is a major economic driver in the state.

“For more than 80 years, Los Alamos National Laboratory has played a critical role in New Mexico’s economy and its communities,” Laboratory Director Thom Mason said. Read More

Traveling Exhibition At New Mexico Museum Of Natural History & Science Showcases Armor In Animal Kingdom

The ancient mammal Doedicurus, with Smilodon on top attacking. This specimen on view in the traveling exhibition Animal Armor: The Evolution of Armor in Dinosaurs. Courtesy/NMMNHS

NMMNHS News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (NMMNHS) welcomes a new traveling exhibition exploring the natural defenses that animals have evolved over millions of years. Animal Armor: The Evolution of Armor in Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals will be on view when the museum reopens this spring. 

“From Ankylosaurus to armadillos, animals have been evolving new ways to Read More

Mountain Lion Prints Spotted In Walnut Canyon

Mountain Lion prints spotted in the snow on Sunday in Walnut Canyon. Photo by Michael Smith 

Mountain Lion and cub prints spotted in the snow on Sunday in Walnut Canyon. Photo by Michael Smith Read More

 Weekly Fishing Report: Jan. 26, 2026 

By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post 

The frigid temperatures this past weekend have gotten the ice-fishing season started. Eagle Nest Lake State Park will host its annual Ice-Fishing Derby Saturday, Jan. 31. Cash prizes will be awarded for the biggest rainbow trout, biggest northern pike and biggest yellow perch. 

Registration fees are typically $40 for all three categories. Prize amounts are dependent on the number of entries. The tournament begins at 6 a.m. There will be an early registration Friday, Jan. 30, and open registration the day of the tournament. 

Be sure Read More

Native American Pottery Replica On N.M. 4 In White Rock

View on Friday of one of six large Native American pottery replicas placed along a half-mile stretch of the N.M. 4 corridor through White Rock. Proposed by the Los Alamos Art in Public Places Board and approved by the County Council, the pottery was installed in May of 2016. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More

Tales Of Our Times: History’s Cuyahoga River Fires Turned The Page Late In 2025

Tales Of Our Times
By JOHN BARTLIT
New Mexico Citizens
for Clean Air & Water

History’s Cuyahoga River Fires Turned The Page Late In 2025

The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire some 13 times. The first time was in 1868; the last was in 1969. The largest fire on the river, in 1952, damaged boats, a city bridge, and a riverfront office building to the tune of $1 million ($12M today).

The river itself is a strange one. How many rivers head out flowing south before they make a wide U-turn and flow north? This strange course resulted from the advance and retreat of ice sheets during the last ice age. Debris Read More

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