Heavy wind kicks up a dust cloud and slows traffic at about 9 a.m. today on the Main Hill Road. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com Read More
Environment
Coyote Killing Contests Bill Passes Key Committee
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Sen. Jeff Steinborn passed bipartisan legislation through the Senate Judiciary Committee Saturday to end the practice of coyote killing contests in New Mexico.
“Today New Mexico is one step closer to banning inhumane coyote killing contests. This blood sport serves no purpose in the management of coyotes other than killing for the sake of killing. It’s time to make these contests a thing of the past,” Sen. Steinborn said.
This bill now goes to the senate floor for final passage and then, if passed, to the House for consideration in that body. Read More
Amateur Naturalist: The World Of Acorn Woodpeckers And Pygmy Nuthatches
A dead ponderosa pine stands in the snow-covered forest floor of Acid Canyon. Photo by Robert Dryja
An Acorn Woodpecker stores acorn seeds in the trunk of a dead ponderosa tree. Photo by Robert Dryja
Eight eggs in a Pygmy Nuthatch nest. Photo by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD
By Robert DryjaLos Alamos
February occurs in the depth of winter. The temperature may fall to about 20 degrees at night and rise to only slightly above freezing during the day.
Snow lasts for days on the ground when it is in the shadow of forest trees or canyon walls. However two species
Read More Forest Service Seeks Comment On Restoration Projects
SFNF News:SANTA FE ― The Santa Fe National Forest is inviting members of the public to provide comments by March 16, 2017, on two proposed forest restoration projects in the mountains near Santa Fe.
Both projects are part of a larger multi-agency collaborative, the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition (GSFFC), which takes a landscape-scale approach to improving forest resilience and mitigating wildfire risk near the City of Santa Fe.
- The Hyde Park Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Project is located in forests east of the community of Hyde Park
Youth Summer Job Applications Close March 13
Trail work crew getting busy last year. Courtesy/YMCA
YMCA News:
- Y Bandelier Corps (YBC) Starts Work In June
Applications for summer employment with The Family YMCA’s Bandelier Corps trail crew closes at 10 p.m., March 13. Hiring for this program is restricted to those ages 16-24.
Application packets and job descriptions are available on the Y’s website at www.laymca.org, at the YMCA 1450 Iris St., and at the Los Alamos and Espanola YMCA teen centers. Two reference forms, within the packet, are required if youth did not work for the Y last year. Applications may be turned in to the Y or the Read More
Burn Planned On Jemez Ranger District Sunday
SFNF News:
SANTA FE – If conditions, including air quality and weather forecasts, remain favorable, fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest plan to conduct the previously announced prescribed burn Sunday, March 5 on the Joaquin fuelwood unit on the Jemez Ranger District.
Members of the public have helped clean up the 80-acre unit to prepare it for treatment. The Joaquin fuelwood unit is at the intersection of Forest Roads (FRs) 376 and 488 for approximately 1 mile to the north.
Prescribed fires are one of the most effective tools available to resource managers for restoring fire-adapted Read More
Udall Statement On His Vote To Confirm Rick Perry As Secretary Of Energy
U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick PerrySENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Tom Udall released the following statement on his vote to confirm former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as U.S. Secretary of Energy.
Udall is a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, which writes the budget for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
“New Mexico’s economy and the jobs of thousands of New Mexicans are deeply connected to the U.S. Department of Energy. Our state and the DOE
Read More Nature Center Hosts Wild Songbird Rehabilitation Talk
A gentle hand nurtures a wild songbird. Courtesy Photo
PEEC News:
Would you like to know how to help a bird in need? At 7 p.m. March 7, Sally Fitzgibbon, Carol Taschek, and Jo Ferdinand, who have more than 15 years of combined experience caring for birds, will share the art of rehabilitating songbirds in Los Alamos. This is a free talk at the Los Alamos Nature Center.
For years people have helped injured wildlife heal and return home. Fitzgibbon, Taschek and Ferdinand will cover how to know whether a bird needs help and how to care for songbirds that need a helping hand. As the weather warms, we Read More
Memorial To Protect Chaco Canyon Advances
HOUSE DEMOCRATS News:SANTA FE ― Feb. 28, a memorial introduced by Representative Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) that reaffirms New Mexico’s commitment to protect Chaco Canyon’s tribal, cultural and historical sites unanimously passed the House State Government, Indian and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
HM 70 requests that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) study be completed before any new leases or exploration on the national historic park and other federal lands in Chaco Canyon are issued.
“This is a huge step forward for Native America and others seeking to
Read More Udall Statement On Confirmation Of Ryan Zinke As Secretary Of The Interior
U.S. Sen. Tom UdallU.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies and vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, released the following statement on the confirmation of Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) to serve as Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Udall joined the Senate in voting 68-31 to confirm Zinke.
“The Department of the Interior is an agency of enormous significance to the lives of New Mexicans,
Read More