New Mexico

Georgia O’Keeffe’s views of the New Mexico desert will be preserved with conservation plan

Published

4 months ago

December 9, 2025

Georgia O’Keeffe’s views of the New Mexico desert will be preserved with conservation plan

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new conservation agreement will preserve land with breathtaking desert vistas that inspired the work of 20th century painter Georgia O’Keeffe and ensure visitors access to an adjacent educational retreat, several partners to the pact announced Tuesday.

Initial phases of the plan establish a conservation easement across about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) of land, owned by a charitable arm of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), on the outskirts of the village of Abiquiu.

That easement stretches across reservoir waterfront and native grasslands to the doorstep of a remote home owned by O’Keeffe’s estate, a few miles from her larger home and studio in Abiquiu. Both homes are outside the conservation area and owned and managed separately by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe.

The view from the rangeland should be familiar to even casual O’Keeffe afficionados — including desert washes, sandstone bluffs and the distant mountain silhouette of Cerro Pedernal.

“The stark colorful geology, the verdant grasslands going right down to the Chama River and Abiquiu lake — all that just makes it such a multifaceted place with tremendous conservation value,” said Jonathan Hayden, executive director of the New Mexico Land Conservancy that helped broker the conservation plan and will oversee easements.

Hayden said the voluntary plan guards against the potential encroachment of modern development that might subdivide and transform the property, though there are not any imminent proposals.

Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel.

Follow on

Land within an initial easement has been the backdrop to movie sets for decades, including a recreation of wartime Los Alamos in the hit 2024 film “Oppenheimer, ” on a temporary movie set that still stands.

The conservation agreement guarantees some continued access for film productions, as well as preserving traditional winter grazing for farmers who usher small herds down from the mountains as snow arrives.

The state of New Mexico is substantially underwriting the initiative though a trust created by state lawmakers in 2023.

An approved $920,000 state award is being set aside for easement surveys, transaction costs and a financial nest-egg that the Presbyterian Church Foundation will use — while retaining property ownership — to support programming at the adjacent Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center and its use of the conservation area.

The center attracts about 10,000 visitors a year to overnight spiritual, artistic and literary retreats for people of all faiths, with twice as many day visitors, said center CEO David Evans.

Two initial phases of the conservation plan are part of a broader plan to protect more than 30 square miles (78 square kilometers) of the area through conservation easements and public land transfers, with the support of at least one wildlife foundation. That would extend protections to the banks of the Chama River and preserve additional wildlife habitat.

Many Native American communities trace their ancestry to the area in northern New Mexico where O’Keeffe settled and explored the landscape in her work.

Source link

Click to comment

New Mexico

Gas prices rose this week in New Mexico. Here’s why

Published

2 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Gas prices rose this week in New Mexico. Here’s why

Regional gas prices rose for the second consecutive week and reached an average of $3.60 per gallon of regular fuel on Monday, up from last week’s price of $3.41 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Gas prices are jumping around because traders are trying to price in how long the Iran war will disrupt oil flows from the Middle East, on top of the usual spring run‑up in demand as driving season approaches. Markets are baking in higher risk and “additional volatility” but not a long-term shutdown, and prices could retreat if it becomes clear the tensions are short-lived, petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said.

Analysts say another 20 to 30 cents a gallon is still likely in the weeks ahead.

The average fuel price in the Gulf Coast region rose about 107 cents since last month. According to the EIA, gas prices across the region in the last year have been as low as $2.37 on Jan. 5, 2026, and as high as $3.60 on March 23, 2026.

A year ago, the average gas price in the Gulf Coast region was 31% lower at $2.74 per gallon.

>> INTERACTIVE: See how your area’s gas prices have changed over the years at data.lcsun-news.com.

The average gas price in the United States last week was $3.96, making prices in the Gulf Coast region about 9.0% lower than the nation’s average. The average national gas price is higher than last week’s average of $3.72 per gallon.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s tally of prices in the Gulf Coast states includes Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu.

Source link

New Mexico

Grass fire burning thousands of acres in Quay County

Published

14 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Grass fire burning thousands of acres in Quay County

QUAY COUNTY, N.M. – A grass fire has burned an estimated 1,000-2,000 acres near San Jon in Quay County.

Emergency crews say the Old 66 Fire is threatening structures, and remains 0% contained.

The New Mexico Forestry Division said crews discovered the fire at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 27 east of San Jon, north of Interstate 40 in Quay County.

Smoke is visible from Interstate 40 and surrounding areas.

The fire is on private land and the cause remains under investigation.

State Road 469 is closed at Main Avenue. Officials said local residents should use caution and avoid the area.

Structures threatened include a wind farm to the southwest.

Source link