Environment

SFNF Issues Seasonal Closure Order For Forest Roads On Abiquiu Land Grant

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 20, 2019

SFNF News:

SANTA FE – The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) Thursday issued a closure order for the entire length of Forest Road (FR) 418 and the segments of Forest Roads (FR) 31 and 27 that cross the Abiquiu Land Grant on the Española Ranger District. 

The closure order, which is in effect Dec. 19, 2019 to April 1, 2020, unless it is rescinded earlier, is intended to protect SFNF and Abiquiu Land Grant resources, including roads, soils and vegetation, that could be damaged by use during the wet winter season.

The specific areas affected by this closure order are:

  • FR 31 where it passes through the
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January Events Planned At Los Alamos Nature Center

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 20, 2019

The Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

The Los Alamos Nature Center, operated by Pajarito Environmental Education Center at 2600 Canyon Road, has scheduled the following events for the month of January:  

Wednesday, Jan. 1
New Year. Same Birds.
Get a jump start on your 2020 birding list by joining us for a morning of birding on New Year’s Day. Or try something new in the New Year! Joe Fitzgibbon and Bob Walker will lead this outing. 6:30 AM – 12:00 PM Admission: Free. More information at peecnature.org.

 

Friday, Jan. Read More

New Mexico Environmental Law Center Attorney Eric Jantz Named 2019 Lawyer Of The Year

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 20, 2019

2019 Lawyer of the Year Eric Jantz outside State District Court with Multi-Cultural Alliance for a Safe Environment Laura Watchempino of Acoma Pueblo and Candice Head-Dylla of Bluewater Valley Downstream Alliance. Courtesy photo

LAW CENTER News:

ALBUQUERQUE – Staff Attorney Eric Jantz for the nonprofit New Mexico Environmental Law Center (Law Center), is being honored by the Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law section of the New Mexico Bar Association as Lawyer of the Year.

Jantz has been with the Law Center for 18 years and focuses much of his efforts on uranium mining impacts Read More

Counting Photons Routine Enough To Need Standards

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 20, 2019

As part of a research project to help establish standards for photon-counting detectors, NIST physicist Thomas Gerrits adjusts the laser beam hitting a detector. The squiggly overhead light helps researchers see the lab setup without disturbing the detectors, which are insensitive to blue light. Photo by J. Burrus/NIST

NIST News:

Since the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) built its first superconducting devices for counting photons (the smallest units of light) in the 1990s, these once-rare detectors have become popular research tools all over the world. Now, NIST Read More

County ESD Unveils Recycle Coach App

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 19, 2019
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Recycling can be a tricky business. It is easy to wonder which bin an item should be tossed into or if it can even go into a recycling bin.

The Los Alamos County Environmental Services Division is attempting to make the process easier with a new resource. This week, the ESD rolled out a new app and website platform, called Recycle Coach.

The Recycle Coach app can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple Store, ESD Senior Office Specialist Joshua Levings said.

Residents can sign up for real-time notifications and reminders about Read More

U.S. EPA Holds Inaugural Conference On Reducing Animal Testing For Chemical Safety

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 19, 2019
EPA News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler convened some of the leading voices in environmental research Tuesday to discuss strategies for reducing animal testing in chemical safety research at a conference at EPA Headquarters.
 
The one-day conference, which attracted more than 600 participants, including those on the phone and in person, focused on New Approach Methods (NAMs) for achieving reductions in animal testing. This event, which will take place annually, is a major step in implementing the vision Administrator
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Canes Of Power Film Screening At MIAC Jan. 19

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 19, 2019
Grouping of Canes. Courtesy/Silver Bullet Productions
 
MIAC News:
 
SANTA FE — The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) announces a screening of the award-winning documentary, Canes of Power, at 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020.
 
The screening will be presented inside MIAC’s Kathryn O’Keeffe Theatre. 
 
Following the film, a Q&A session will be led by Dr. Matthew Martinez, MIAC’s deputy director, and associate producer of the film.
 
Canes of Power, narrated by Cherokee Actor Wes Studi – a recent Academy Award recipient – is the story of President Abraham
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PEEC: Explore Fire And Ice In The Solar System Friday

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 19, 2019
Join Rick Wallace in the Los Alamos Nature Center’s planetarium 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20 for a talk about how the Sun’s heat and planetary orbits create weather, solstices, seasons and more throughout the Solar System. Wallace also will give an update on unexpected locations of water and water-ice throughout the Solar System. Courtesy photo
 
PEEC will play the full-dome film ‘Superpower Dogs’ 2 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 21 and 28. This film was brought to Los Alamos by Pet Pangaea and follows six dogs as they brave earthquakes and avalanches, protect endangered species and help people with special
Read More

NM Lawmakers Support Fire Suppression Tax Credit

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 19, 2019
EDD News:
 
SANTA FE — An interim committee of the New Mexico Legislature has voted to support an initiative of the Economic Development Department that would make it easier to redevelop old and abandoned buildings in rural downtowns.
 
The Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee voted 9 to 4 Wednesday to endorse the Main Street Fire Suppression Tax Credit, a rebate that can be claimed after property owners install fire suppression equipment in older buildings.
 
Many of the older buildings in rural MainStreet downtown districts are passed over for redevelopment because
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NASA Sending New Generation Rover To Mars

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 18, 2019

Cadets in the Museum’s summer camp Wheels Up program test high-altitude pressure suits they built to protect marshmallows. Cadets were given nitrile gloves, sealable food bags, and tape and told to use their imagination. Their designs were tested in a vacuum jar. Registration for summer camp in Alamogordo and Las Cruces is now open and available on the Museum’s website. Courtesy/NMMSH

NMMSH News:

ALAMOGORDO – In mid-August 2020, NASA is sending a new generation rover to Mars as part of the Mars Exploration Program.

The mission will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the Read More

Heinrich, Torres Small Hail Final Passage Of White Sands National Park Establishment Act

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 18, 2019
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich
 
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) hailed the final passage of legislation they introduced to designate White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico.
 
The provision was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which passed the Senate Tuesday by a vote of 86 to 8 and will soon be signed into law.

 

“For the first time since 1930, New Mexico will be home to our newest national park. This prestigious recognition
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Council To Consider Continuing Funding For CFPP

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 17, 2019
COUNTY News:
 
The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) will request Los Alamos County Council authorize $63,000 to continue participation in the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) through March 2020.
 
The meeting is open to the public and scheduled for 6 p.m. today in Council Chambers at 1000 Central Ave.
 
The CFPP is a next-generation nuclear power plant that will utilize small modular reactor technology and is planned to be constructed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). DPU began exploring the project to address future electrical energy resources
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NNSA Issues Floodplain Assessment For Fencing Project At Technical Area-08 For Public Review, Comment

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 16, 2019
NNSA News:
 
The Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Los Alamos Field Office has issued a Los Alamos National Laboratory Starmer’s Gulch Floodplain Assessment for the Fencing Project at Technical Area-08 (Floodplain Assessment) for a 15 day public review and comment period ending December 30, 2019.
 
The Floodplain Assessment analyzes the proposal for the  installation of a T-post 3-strand barbed wire perimeter fence to create an operational boundary marker within Technical Area (TA)-08. Fencing will run from the TA-08 access
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