New Mexico
‘Loving our changing homelands’ how NM can move toward a respectful future with the environment • Source New Mexico
No matter where you live, climate change should be on your mind.
New Mexico is warming and it is drying. Our forests are changing, and our rivers and aquifers are dwindling, even as we demand more from them all the time.
Climate change touches every aspect of all our lives, whether you’re a farmer in the Lower Rio Grande or you own a mountain home and fear losing homeowners insurance. Fire season is longer and frankly, terrifying — especially when accompanied by post-fire flooding. Warming affects public health, whether fueling the pernicious spread of Valley Fever or making people who take certain medications more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. And the more-than-human species we share this state with are suffering, too.
So, yes, if you’re paying attention to climate change, you’re probably feeling some existential dread. Our new show, “Loving Our Changing Homelands,” highlights some of those challenges. But, I’m not asking you to lie in bed at night and worry. Nor do I want you to give in to despair or apathy.
In fact, when it comes to climate change, habitat loss, and environmental challenges, there remains good work to do on every scale, from your yard to the planet.
Policy changes and politics are important, for example, and it’s critical to elect officials who acknowledge — and understand — human-caused climate change, and then to hold them accountable every day they are in office. Greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced and where possible, eliminated, across industries. Certainly, new technologies can help us be more water- and energy-efficient. And there are easy ways for us each to make do with less. Less water, less electricity, less demand for consumer goods strewn about in our throw-away culture.
But most of all, living in a climate changed world means that we need to remember, or decide upon, what we value, and what we love.
We can all love this place, New Mexico, that is our home, whether we’ve lived here since time immemorial, for eight generations, or just moved here recently. In loving our changing homelands, we can exhibit respect and reciprocity. And, we can come together in community, in all of our diverse ways, to adapt to a warming world.
Years ago, the writer Barry Lopez was in Albuquerque on a book tour. As a journalist, as a mother, and as a New Mexican, I always think of something he said. He said that it is okay to be in love with the world and to articulate that.
And so, at Our Land, with this special, we articulate our love of the world. A world that I know we can adapt to, equitably, sustainably, and joyfully.
Please join me in the coming days as I share with you some of what I’ve learned from our guests on this special show, including hydrologist Phoebe Suina from the Pueblo of Cochiti; Paula Garcia, executive director of the New Mexico Acequia Association; Theresa Pasqual, director of the Tribal Historic Preservation Office at the Pueblo of Acoma; Sister Joan Brown, executive director of New Mexico & El Paso Interfaith Power and Light; and Aaron Lowden, Indigenous Seed Keepers Network Program Coordinator and a farmer at the Pueblo of Acoma.
A longtime reporter, Laura Paskus is senior producer for “Our Land: New Mexico’s Environmental Past, Present, and Future” on NMPBS. Learn more and watch at: newmexicopbs.org/productions/newmexicoinfocus/our-land/ and youtube.com/c/OurLandNM/videos
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A local business owner estimates he suffered about $1 million in damages as the result of yet another fire at a South Valley recycling plant.
Town Recycling on Broadway Blvd. SE has witnessed two fires in a span of less than two weeks with the first happening May 23rd and the second occurring Tuesday of this week.
Khalil Samaha, who owns Samcar, Inc. and Cedar’s Construction next door, says his businesses escaped without serious damage from the first fire, but the second one led to the loss of his main building, inventory he sells including trucks, construction equipment, computers, records, and much more.
“It’s a total mess. Everything is on the ground with water and insulation. It’s a total loss,” he said.
He gave KOB 4 a tour of his damaged property Wednesday and says that county officials have condemned the main office and won’t let him back inside.
“You can see all the glass is popped,” he said pointing to the windows. “I don’t know if the firefighters broke them or they exploded.”
A spokesperson for Bernalillo County Fire and Rescue issued a statement saying that, based on witness accounts, both fires may have started in a “bale of cardboard” at the recycling facility.
As of Wednesday evening, Broadway between Prosperity and Rio Bravo remained closed.
Samaha says firefighters attempted to battle the second fire from a different area than the first and the wind may have made conditions tougher.
“This time, the wind didn’t help,” he said. “So, it was blowing in my direction and took the building and some equipment in the back.”
Having seen two fires at the neighboring recycling facility in a span of about 11 days, he wonders if this will finally be the end of it.
“I hope it’s the last time. But, worried? Yes, we are worried,” he said. “We are close to them, and the materials are close to the fence. We share the fence together, so it’s always in the back of your mind.”
And now he lives with the memory of how quickly everything can change – just like it did earlier this week.
“It was very quick. From the smoke to the flame to the fire, it was very, very quick.”
A representative of Town Recycling declined our request for an interview.
LAS VEGAS, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University President Niel Woolf has sued the school, claiming leaders pushed him to redirect a $600,000 contract to a chairman’s friend.
Woolf filed the lawsuit after the university placed him on administrative leave at the beginning of May.
He says Board of Regents Chair Frank Sanchez told him to cancel a $600,000 agreement with an out-of-state contractor and give it to a local contractor.
Woolf says that company is led by a friend of both Sanchez and his brother-in-law, Sen. Pete Campos, who represents Las Vegas.
In the lawsuit, Woolf says Sanchez told him directing the funds to his friend would “go a long way towards securing money for the University from Senator Campos,” said Woolf.
Woolf is seeking damages and attorney’s fees under the New Mexico Whistleblower Protection Act.
CHAMA, N.M. – The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad will begin its summer season on Tuesday, June 9, after the railroad delayed its opening due to drought and wildfire danger.
The season was initially set to begin on May 23. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Commission said it would conduct a review on June 2 to determine if it was safe enough to begin operations.
“A sincere thank you to all our passengers and the communities in Chama and Antonito who have been so patient as we waited for conditions to improve,” said Eric Mason, CEO of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. “We are excited to welcome guests back aboard and hear the opening whistle signal the start of another memorable season.”
The railroad will hold a Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, June 13, in Chama. The celebration will coincide with Chama Western Heritage Days, a community festival that weekend with live music, vendors, and rodeo competitions.
The railroad recently won USA TODAY’S poll for the best scenic train ride in the country. In celebration of the win, the railroad said passengers who book by June 7 ca receive a 25% discount on coach tickets for trips through August. Guests must redeem the offer by calling the railroad at 888-286-2737 using promo code USATODAY#1.
Tickets are also available for the first Dark Sky Train departures on June 12 from Chama and June 13 from Antonito. The dark sky trains include evening excursions led by international dark sky guides, and take passengers to secluded spots with minimal light pollution.
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