Environment

Daily Postcard: Sunspots On Sun’s Surface Viewed From Los Alamos

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Daily Postcard: Several prominent sunspots on the left side of the Sun are visible in this photo taken Dec. 1 from the deck of a residence in Los Alamos. Such sunspots may become a source of ultraviolet flares and coronal mass ejections, which in turn could trigger strong aurora activity. As reported at spaceweather.com, ‘some of the dark cores are individually larger than Earth’. Photo by John Sarracino Read More

Valles Caldera Winter Prescribed Burns Likely Tuesday

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VCNP News:

JEMEZ SPRINGS – The National Park Service is set to begin winter pile burning operations within the San Antonio Mountain project area of Valles Caldera National Preserve beginning on or shortly after Tuesday, Dec. 2.

If conditions are not favorable to begin burning in San Antonio, the team will switch to burning piles on either South Mountain or Cerro Piñon. The area around the burn activities will be closed to public access until operations are completed.

Fire updates will be posted on the Current Conditions page of the park’s website, the park’s Facebook page, and the New Mexico Read More

Alcove House At Bandelier Reopens To Public

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The Alcove House at Bandelier National Monument has reopened to the public. Photo by T. Hiser, K. Brownson/NPS

BANDELIER News:

Trails & maintenance crews, archeologists, law enforcement, and youth corps at Bandelier National Monument have completed the Alcove House ladder replacement project.

These individuals spent countless hours strategizing, constructing, and replacing all four wooden ladders.

The Alcove House is now open to the public.

Remember when visiting Bandelier and the Alcove House:

  • Before heading out, check the weather, social media, and the Bandelier website
Read More

Tales Of Our Times: History Recalls The Wisdom In Clean Air Decisions

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Tales Of Our Times

By JOHN BARTLIT
New Mexico Citizens
for Clean Air & Water

History Recalls The Wisdom In Clean Air Decisions

A common theme is: “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” The history of cleaning polluted air gave us hard-won lessons learned that can spare us from repeating them. As ever, what we don’t know or remember will again cost the continuing effort. So, this column looks back at the early years of clean air rules (the 1970s), when rules were first shaped.

Those pioneer struggles for clean air showed us much more than merely the outcomes of lawsuits. To Read More

Daily Postcard: Ashley Pond Park Today And 50 Years Ago

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This photo of Ashley Pond Park was taken on Nov. 24, 2025. The improvements Los Alamos County has made to this prominent landmark over the years are quite impressive when considering the comparison of how it looked in the photo below, taken 50 years ago. Photo by Jim Gourdoux 

This photo of Ashley Pond Park covered in snow was taken Dec. 29, 1975. The original Los Alamos County Municipal Building is in the background at right, where the Justice Center now stands, as seen in the photo above. Photo by Jim Gourdoux Read More

DPU AND PEEC To Hold Home Energy Management In-Person & Live-Streamed Talk Monday

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Courtesy/OpenEnergyMonitor

COUNTY News:

The community is invited to join the Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) for a practical talk on simple tools to track and manage home energy use, from energy monitoring apps like Sense to smart plugs and device scheduling.

Scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, at Los Alamos Nature Center, 2600 Canyon Road, the talk will also explore more advanced automation with Home Assistant, including a live demo of how it runs an off-grid solar system.

This program is part of a collaboration Read More

Coro De Cámara To Brighten Spirits In Holiday Concerts

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Coro de Cámara chamber choir. Courtesy photo

CONCERT News:

Celebrate the holidays with Coro de Cámara in the chamber choir’s upcoming “Making Spirits Bright” concerts. Enjoy a cheerful blend of music featuring carols and holiday favorites, and lively performances that capture the spirit of the season.

Coro and guests offer two showings—at 4 p.m., Dec. 13 in Los Alamos and Dec. 14 in Santa Fe. Dancers from Dance Arts Los Alamos (DALA) join Coro in the Santa Fe concert, following Coro’s guest appearance the day before in the DALA Winter Showcase in Los Alamos.

In “Making Spirits Bright”, you will Read More