Rio Grande Chapter

The Gunnison Prairie Dog population in Galisteo Basin has increased from 58 in 2009 to 250 in 2011 thanks to a coordinated effort by the Sierra Club, City of Santa Fe, People for Native Ecosystems, and Wild Earth Guardians.

On Dec. 21, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the first-ever federal protections against toxic mercury from power plants. Mercury is a dangerous brain poison that poses a particular threat to prenatal babies and young children. Exposure in the bloodstreams of pregnant and nursing women can result in birth defects like learning disabilities, lowered IQ, deafness, blindness and cerebral palsy.

Last legislative session our leaders almost did the right thing. They very nearly passed a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights, which would set the stage for connecting every New Mexico child with the outdoors. There was no real reason this bill didn’t pass, other than lack of time.

Why do we even need a Bill of Rights that gets our children moving outside?

New Mexico’s Otero Mesa is the largest and wildest Chihuahuan Desert grassland left on public lands in America. The area is located southeast of Alamogordo, west of Carlsbad and straddles the Texas border.

The Trap Free NM coalition of which we are a part is offering these wonderful, wallet-sized, laminated non-trapping licenses. Your purchase of $20 is all it costs to help us build support for ending brutal and indiscriminate trapping on New Mexico public lands. That is the same price as an actual trapping license issued by NM Game and Fish which allows the unlimited slaughter-for-profit of our wildlife. Purchase of this license supports living wildlife and recreation in wild places unhindered by traps.

Buy your New Mexico Non-Trapping License Now!

Here in New Mexico we too share in notable landscapes, rich in history and opportunity. Otero Mesa is an irreplaceable natural treasure, our nation’s last intact Chihuahuan Grassland. Unfortunately, today Otero Mesa is under increasing threat from mining operations and the landscape scale molestation they would bring. Better protections are needed before this unique place is lost to us.

October 6 Op-ed in the ABQ Journal by Kathy Holian / Santa Fe County Commissioner, District 4

New Mexicans have a deep love of their land. They also have a rich and lengthy history with the land that has fed and nurtured people living here for thousands of years. It is vital that we respect that relationship and that we protect and pass this bounty on to our children and grandchildren.

By Dr. Charles Keller

This year has been real wakeup call about the future of mega-fires in the Rocky Mountains. New Mexico had its two largest-ever fires, and Arizona suffered much larger ones.
Over the 10 years since the Cerro Grande Fire, the number and size of these fires has increased. We are being shown that the future will bring many more and perhaps even larger wildfires. In addition, the destruction of our forests and the resulting huge floods will irreversibly change our canyons and stream courses.

By Jeff Potter

Recent projections by the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research for population growth in central New Mexico are eye-opening. By the year 2035 there will be another Bernalillo County-size increase in the population along the Rio Grande corridor. These projections lead to concerns such as water availability, infrastructure limitations, and residential and business electricity supply.

By Mike Weinberg, Chapter Water Chair

We all by now have heard that worldwide shortages of fresh water are expected in the coming decades due to increased demand from an ever-growing global population and anticipated drying of the earth’s climate.

Development of new water supplies and better management of existing sources will be necessary in order to meet the challenges that lie ahead. We can all help by conserving this precious resource.