Coal kills - Rio Grande Chapter

Rio Grande 

Sierran 

News of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club July/August/September 2012 

The time is now 

Coal 

kills 

It is the most expensive 

form of power when 

health and pollution 

costs are considered. If 

we don’t stop burning 

it soon, our children 

will suffer dearly. 

Right now is the best 

chance we’ve ever 

had to retire coal-fired 

San Juan Generating 

Station in New Mexico 

and make this state a 

clean-energy capital. 

Find out why 

on Page 3. 

Photo of a Navajo boy struggling 

with asthma by Mariel Nanasi, 

New Energy Economy 

Inside: 

Rio Grande Chapter 

Sierra Club 

1807 Second St., Unit 45 

Santa Fe, NM 87505 

Explore, enjoy, and protect the planet 

Non-Profit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Albuquerque, NM 

Permit No. 612 

Page 5: Mining in N.M. 

Page 6: Bad news 

for bears and cougars 

Page 8: New staffer to 

protect open spaces 

Page 9: Solar saves the 

day for firefighters 

Page 10: State water 

plan being updated 

Page 11: Pajarito Group 

Page 12: Northern Group 

Page 14: Water 

Sentinels, fracking 

Page 16: Outings 

July/August/September 2012 rio Grande Sierran 1

Executive Committee 

John Buchser, Chair, 505/820-0201, 

jbuchser@comcast.net 

Norma McCallan, Vice Chair, 505/471-0005, 

nmccallan@mindspring.com 

Laurence Gibson, Secretary, 915/309-5419, 

lgibson@utep.edu 

Judith Bunney, 240/418-6903, judithbunney@yahoo.com 

Mark Jones,Treasurer, 505/662-9443, 

jonesmm1@comcast.net 

Bookkeeper: Brintha Nathan 505-310-0595, 

brintha2709@yahoo.com 

Susan Martin, 505/988-5206, smartin31@ 

comcast.net 

Margot Wilson, 575/744-5860, sierratrekker70@live.com 

Ilse Bleck, Pajarito Group Representative: 

505/662-2368, ibleck@yahoo.com 

Northern New Mexico Group Representative: 

Tom Gorman, 505/438-3932 

Southern New Mexico Group Representative: 

Open 

Central New Mexico Group Representative: 

Jeff Potter, 505/897-8621, jpotter@unm.edu 

Bill Addington, El Paso Group Representative: 

915/539-4158 aguavida@valornet.com 

Offices and Staff 

Albuquerque office 

142 Truman NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 

505/243-7767, fax 505/243-7771 

Senior Field Organizing Manager, (NM, CO, UT, 

CA) Roger Singer, mobile: 303-884-0064, 

office: 303-449-5595 x103, 

roger.singer@sierraclub.org 

Shrayas Jatkar, Organizing Representative, 

Beyond Coal/Clean Energy Solutions 505-243- 

7767 shrayas.jatkar@sierraclub.org 

Eliza Kretzmann, Associate Organizing Representative, 

Resilient Habitats (Public Lands), 

505-243-7767 or eliza.kretzmann@sierraclub. 

org 

Kristina Ortez de Jones, Associate Organizing 

Representative, Building Bridges to the 

Outdoors project, kristina.ortez@sierraclub.org 

Southern New Mexico Office 

Southwest Environmental Law Center, 

275 N. Downtown Mall, Las Cruces 

575-522-5552 

Dan Lorimier, Conservation Coordinator 

(Southern & El Paso Groups), Chapter 

Lobbyist, 575-740-2927, 

daniel.lorimier@sierraclub.org 

Northern New Mexico Office 

1807 Second Street, Unit 45 

Santa Fe, NM 87505 • 505/983-2703 

Mona Blaber, Chapter Communications Coordinator, 

505-660-5905, monablaber@gmail. 

com 

West Regional Office, 45 East Loucks #109, 

Sheridan, WY, 82801, 307/672-0425 

Sierra Club National, 85 Second St., 2nd Floor, 

San Francisco, CA 94105, 415/977-5500 

Group Mailing Addresses 

Central New Mexico Group, P.O. Box 25342, 

Albuquerque, NM 87125 

El Paso Group, P.O. Box 9191, El Paso, TX 

79995, 915/594-7342 

RIO GRANDE CHAPTER CONTACTS 

Northern New Mexico Group, 1807 Second 

Street, Unit 45, Santa Fe, NM 87505, 505/983- 

2703 

Pajarito Group, P.O. Box 945, Los Alamos, NM, 

87544 

Southern New Mexico Group, P.O. Box 735, 

Mesilla, NM, 88046 

Conservation Issues 

Conservation Chair: Ken Hughes, 505/474- 

0550, b1family@comcast.net 

Agriculture: Open 

Dairy CAFO: Dan Lorimier, 575/740-2927, daniel.lorimier@sierraclub.org 

Air Quality: Glenn Landers, 575/525-0491, 

glenn.landers@gmail.com 

Air Quality (4 Corners): Gordon Glass, 

505/564-4460, agglass@earthlink.net 

Border Issues: Bill Addington, 915/539- 

4158, aguavida@valornet.com 

Energy/Climate Change Team: 

David Van Winkle, 505/820-1006, david@ 

vw77.com 

Members: Bill Addington, Dexter Coolidge, 

Shrayas Jatkar, Dan Lorimier, Elliot Stern, Eva 

Thaddeus 

Fracking: Susan Selbin 

Mining, Sand & Gravel: Juan Garza, 915 

565 2690 projectair@sbcglobal.net 

Public Lands Team: (Northern lands) Norma 

McCallan, 505-471-0005, nmccallan@ 

mindspring.com, and Tom Gorman, 505-438- 

3932, gormantd@gmail.com. 

(Southern lands) Margot Wilson, 575-744- 

5860, sierratrekker70@live.com 

Southern Lands Alternate: Mary Katherine Ray, 

575/772-5655, mkrscrim@kitcarson.net 

Members: Ilse Bleck, Dan Lorimier 

Recycling: Open 

Trade: Richard Barish, 505/232-3013, richard. 

barish@gmail.com 

Transportation: DeAnza Valencia Sapien, 

505/301-9202, deanzav@yahoo.com 

Valles Caldera: Ilse Bleck, 505/662-2368, 

ibleck@yahoo.com 

Water: Open 

Wildlife: Mary Katherine Ray, 575/772-5655, 

mkrscrim@kitcarson.net 

Activism Team Chairs 

Communications Team: Open 

Members: Mona Blaber, John Buchser, Laurence 

Gibson, Mark Jones, Dan Lorimier, 

Norma McCallan, Earle Pittman, Jeff Potter 

Rio Grande Sierran Editorial Board: 

Norma McCallan (Chair), Ilse Bleck, Laurence 

Gibson, Ken Hughes, Mary Katherine Ray 

Sierran Editor: Mona Blaber, 505-660-5905, 

monablaber@gmail.com 

Webmaster: Jeff Potter, 505-897-8621, jpotter@unm.edu 

Elections: Margot Wilson, 575-744-5860, 

sierratrekker70@live.com 

Finance Team: Mark Jones, 505-662-9443, 


Members: Brintha Nathan 

Fund Development Team: John Buchser, 

505/820-0201, jbuchser@comcast.net 

Members: Linda Buchser, Alice Cox, Dan Lorimier 

Legal: Richard Barish, 505/232-3013, richard. 

barish@gmail.com 

Legislative Team: Judith Bunney, 240/418- 

6903, judithbunney@yahoo.com 

Members: Mona Blaber, John Buchser, David 

Farrell, Mark Jones, Dan Lorimier, Sig Silber 

Membership: Open 

Nominating: Norma McCallan,505/471-0005, 


Members: Ilse Bleck, David Ther, Jim Bell, 

Margot Wilson 

Human Resources Team: Mark Jones, 

505/662-9443, jonesmm1@comcast.net 

Members: John Buchser, Laurence Gibson, 

Ken Hughes, Norma McCallan, Eva Thaddeus, 

Margot Wilson 

Political Team: Susan Martin, 505/988-5206, 

smartin31@comcast.net 

Members: Judith Bunney, David Farrell, Mark 

Jones, Tammy Fiebelkorn 

Political Compliance Officer: Richard Barish, 

505/232-3013, richard.barish@gmail.com 

Sierra Student Coalition: Open 

Standing Rules: Richard Barish, 505/232- 

3013, richard.barish@gmail.com 

50th Anniversary National Wilderness 

Conference 2014, Albuquerque: 

nwc50th@yahoo.com 

Outings 

Outings: Ilse Bleck, 505/662-2368, ibleck@ 

yahoo.com 

Norma McCallan, 505/471-0005, nmccallan@ 

mindspring.com 

Inner City Outings: Ted Mertig, 915/852- 

3011, tcmertig@sbcglobal.net 

Coalitions/working 

groups in which chapter 

participates 

ANCET (Arizona/New Mexico Clean Energy 

Team): Shrayas Jatkar, shrayas.jatkar@sierraclub.org 

Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy: 

David Van Winkle (CCAE Supply Team Chair), 

505/820-1006, david@vw77.com 

Alternate: Nellis Kennedy-Howard, 218-849- 

4523 

Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Coalition: 

Eric Patterson 

Alternates: Tom Gorman, Norma McCallan 

Environmental Alliance of New Mexico: 

Judith Bunney, Mark Jones, Dan Lorimier 

Otero Mesa Coalition: Margot Wilson, 

575/744-5860, sierratrekker70@live.com 

Rio Puerco Management Committee: 

Norma McCallan 

River Otter Working Group: Roger Peterson, 

505/983-7559, rogpete@aol.com 

Travel Management/ORVs Working 

Group: Ilse Bleck, David Gemeinhart, Norma 

McCallan, Roger Peterson, Margot Wilson, Tom 

Gorman 

Valles Caldera Working Group: Ilse Bleck, 

Mark Jones 

National and Regional 

Representatives 

Council of Club Leaders Delegate: Susan Martin, 

505/988-5206, smartin31@comcast.net 

Alternate: Norma McCallan, 505/471-0005, 


Questions about your membership? Call 415-977-5653 or email membership.services@sierraclub.org 

Photo on Page 1 banner by Lajla Ryen 

2 Rio Grande Sierran July/August/September 2012

This is it: A chance to kick coal 

By David Van Winkle 

Energy Chair 

Something very exciting could 

be happening in New Mexico, 

which gets much of its electricity 

from the polluting, 

water-guzzling, coal-fired San Juan 

Generating Station. 

Thanks to the Environmental 

Protection Agency’s refusal to bow to 

corporate interests over New Mexicans’ 

health and safety, we may have a oncein-a-lifetime 

opportunity to wean New 

Mexico off coal, protecting our children 

and creating clean-energy jobs. 

The EPA ruled last year that PNM, 

which operates San Juan, must clean it 

up for the safety of its neighbors, who 

have suffered $250 million in costs for 

respiratory and other medical problems 

primarily due to San Juan’s nitrogenoxide 

emissions in the past four years. 

PNM wanted a cheaper option, 

which would have reduced nitrogen 

oxide only 20 percent. The 

EPA-required technology would reduce 

nitrogen oxide by 80 percent. PNM 

tried to postpone the EPA ruling, but 

a federal court agreed with the EPA 

— the court denied the postponement 

while it decides on the case. 

Both the EPA and PNM plans would 

require investing millions of dollars 

into a 40-year-old coal plant that would 

continue to pump greenhouse pollution 

into the air, with tragic results for our 

children and grandchildren. Any investment 

in a coal plant will only continue 

the upward spiral of costs that PNM bill 

payers have seen in the past four years. 

PNM has raised rates to the typical 

residential bill payer by 41 percent since 

2008. The sensible direction would be 

to replace these antiquated polluters 

with energy efficiency and clean/renewable 

energy. However, PNM and the 

state have yet to come forward with an 

alternative plan that avoids extending 

the life of San Juan. 

Two New Mexico Public Regulation 

Commissioners, Douglas Howe and 

Jason Marks, saw the folly in investing 

in a 1973 coal plant with 30 

percent efficiency (the current industry 

standard is 60 percent, according to 

Howe). 

Howe told New Mexico News 

Connection: “It would be like saying 

we’re going to be driving a 1973 

Ford Fairlane, getting 8 miles to the 

gallon, and we’re going to continue to 

drive that well after it’s 100 years old. 

We just can’t see that being a logical 

economical or environmental decision 

Photo courtesy EcoFlight 

Coal combustion causes haze near Shiprock, N.M. Two Public Regulation commissioners have 

suggested retiring at least one unit at the nearby coal-fired San Juan Generating Station. 

‘It would be like saying we’re going 

to be driving a 1973 Ford Fairlane, 

getting 8 miles to the gallon, and we’re 

going to continue to drive that well 

after it’s 100 years old.’ 

— N.M. Public Regulation Commissioner Doug Howe 

on plans to invest millions in pollution controls for coal-fired 

San Juan Generating Station, built in 1973 

Four Corners 

contacts 

Art Jaquez, E-mail alert list, 

Co-Chair, (505) 360-0176, artjaquez2@yahoo.com 

Gordon Glass, Air Quality, Outings, 

505/564-4460, agglass@ 

earthlink.net 

Nick Cullander, Co-Chair 

505/334-0935, ncullander@ 

hotmail.com 

for the state of New Mexico.” 

So Howe and Marks sent a letter to 

the EPA, to PNM and to New Mexico 

Gov. Susana Martinez (the New 

Mexico Environment Department had 

backed the EPA’s cleanup plan until 

Martinez took office, when it switched 

to backing the less-effective plan). 

Howe and Marks’ letter asked the 

EPA to allow a 90-day pause on PNM 

beginning installation of the pollution 

controls in order to come up with a 

third alternative. 

So what would that third plan be? 

Howe and Marks specifically suggested 

retiring at least one of San Juan’s four 

coal-fired units. 

Gov. Martinez followed with a letter 

to the EPA also requesting a stay to 

explore alternatives to the two plans. 

The Sierra Club, along with five 

other community and environmental 

groups, sent a follow-up letter to PNM 

and the governor asking to meet to 

discuss plans to replace all four units 

at San Juan. The League of Women 

Voters of New Mexico also sent a letter 

supporting either the EPA solution or 

retirement of San Juan units. 

The EPA is considering the Public 

Regulation Commissioners’ request. 

So what happens next? 

This is an opening to bring all the 

sides together to create a better future 

for all New Mexicans. However, PNM 

and the state of New Mexico have yet 

to come forward with an alternative 

plan that avoids extending the polluting 

life of San Juan. The environmental 

and community groups are willing 

to come to the table to help create a 

solution beyond coal: a solution that 

gives us a better chance to avoid the 

worst effects of climate change, a solution 

that creates jobs for graduates of 

our numerous clean-energy collegiate 

programs in New Mexico; a solution 

that clears the air in northwestern New 

Mexico for those kids with asthma and 

for the many residents suffering from 

respiratory illness or heart attacks. 

There are many obstacles, and PNM 

and the state must be willing to negotiate 

a common-sense solution. 

But if this opportunity passes us by, 

we will likely not have another chance 

to retire San Juan’s water-guzzling dirty 

coal until 2050. If ever there were a time 

to get involved, it’s now: Help us ensure 

that PNM and the governor know that 

New Mexicans want to move beyond 

dirty coal. For more information or 

to join the effort, e-mail David Van 

Winkle at david@vw77.com. 

SunZia: Transmission for renewables 

The Sierra Club and the Rio Grande Chapter 

have identified as an overarching priority the 

fight against global warming. 

To stimulate investments in renewable energy 

production, renewable-rich areas like central New 

Mexico need transmission lines to deliver renewable 

power to customers across the west. 

The Rio Grande Chapter believes renewable-energy 

transmission projects are good for stimulating clean 

energy in New Mexico. We also believe in making 

sure these projects are planned and built to strict 

environmental standards. We want the bar set high. 

Among the several renewable energy transmission 

projects proposed in New Mexico, SunZia is 

the furthest along in the permitting process. This 

proposed high-capacity electrical transmission project 

would run from central New Mexico to south-central 

Arizona with two 500-kilovolt lines, crossing federal, 

state and private lands and providing up to 4,500 

megawatts of new transmission capacity. 

The Bureau of Land Management, the lead agency 

administrating this process, has issued a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement and Resource 

Management Plan Amendments and is soliciting 

comments through Aug. 22. 

Having been stakeholders in this process since it 

began in 2009, the Rio Grande Chapter will submit 

comments on the draft to make sure every environmental 

consideration is given to the siting, construction and 

operation of this very large transmission project. 


Elections: You can make a difference 

Club volunteers and leadership 

engaged heavily in the 

June 5 primary election. 

It amazes me that only 22 

percent of the voters in New Mexico 

think it is worthwhile to consider who 

to vote for in the primary. 

If you wait until the general election 

to get excited about participating, 

you miss your best chance to affect 

the outcome of elections. In many 

2012 primary races, anti-environment 

incumbents were challenged by candidates 

who could improve environmental 

policy in the state. Some of those 

challengers won, and our Legislature 

will be better for it. In other races, the 

incumbents won — some by very small 

margins that just one or two more Sierra 

Club volunteers could have erased. 

A gratifying aspect of volunteering 

in this election is how many people 

respect the Sierra Club’s recommendations. 

In primaries, when there is often 

little information available about the 

candidates, our thorough endorsement 

process means a lot to many voters, 

and those of us who walked door to 

door or phoned voters saw how many 

voters our endorsement persuaded. 

Many primary races are the general 

election. In Public Regulation District 

3 and New Mexico House District 

Federal 

President Barack Obama 

The White House 

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20500 

202/456-1111 • fax 202/456-2461 

president@whitehouse.gov 

www.whitehouse.gov 

Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar 

1849 C Street 


202/208-3100 • fax 202/452-5124 

www.doi.gov 

New Mexico 

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman 

703 Hart Senate Building 


202/224-5521 • fax 202/224-2852 

625 Silver Avenue SW, Suite 130 

Albuquerque, NM 87102 • 505/346-6601 

106 B West Main 

Farmington, NM 87401 • 505/325-5030 

148 Loretto Towne Centre, 505 South Main 

Las Cruces, NM 88001 • 575/523-6561 

200 East Fourth Street, Suite 300 

Roswell, NM 88201 • 575/622-7113 

119 East Marcy, Suite 101 

Santa Fe, NM 87501 • 505/988-6647 

senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov 

46 (where both 

of our endorsed 

candidates lost by 

a small margin), 

no Republican 

ran, so the only 

chance to choose 

a candidate was in 

the Democratic 

primary. 

That PRC 

District 3 race 

decided the 

John Buchser, 

Chapter chair 

person who will replace Douglas Howe 

(Howe was appointed by Gov. Susana 

Martinez to finish Jerome Block’s term). 

As you will see on Page 3 of this issue, 

leadership like Howe’s can make the 

difference between keeping a huge coal 

facility polluting for decades to come 

and switching to renewable energy now. 

The people who fill these positions are 

crucial to New Mexico’s future. 

We are hopeful that the victorious 

candidates will be supportive of 

protecting clean air and water, and we 

will work with all of them to encourage 

good policy. Fortunately, several of the 

races in which our candidates lost have 

primary winners with credentials that 

are nearly as strong or very promising. 

Eric Griego’s race for U.S. 

Congressional District 1 was one 

Contact Information for Elected Officials 

Letters mailed to D.C. offices take up to six weeks due to screening procedures, so consider sending letters to state offices to expedite delivery. 

http://bingaman.senate.gov/ 

U.S. Senator Tom Udall 

110 Hart Senate Building 

Washington DC 20510 

202/224-6621 • fax 202/228-3261 

219 Central Ave. NW, Suite 210 


Loretto Towne Centre, 505 South Main, Suite 118 

Las Cruces, NM 88001 • 575/526-5475 

120 South Federal Place, Suite 302 

Santa Fe, NM 87501 • 505/988-6511 

Senator_Tom_Udall@tomudall.senate.gov 

http://tomudall.senate.gov/ 

U.S. Representative Martin Heinrich (Dist. 1) 

1505 Longworth House Office Building 


202/225-6316 • fax 202/225-4975 

505 Marquette Ave. NW, Suite 1605 


http://heinrich.house.gov/ 

U.S. Representative Steve Pearce (Dist. 2) 

2432 Rayburn Building 


855-4-PEARCE (732723) or (202) 225-2365 

570 N Telshor Blvd, Las Cruces, NM 88011 

855-4-PEARCE (732723) 

http://pearce.house.gov/ 

where we fought hard. As many as 

15 members on Wednesday evenings 

came to make persuasion calls to 

voters. We are hopeful that Michelle 

Lujan Grisham will be successful in the 

general election, as she also has good 

credentials. Thanks to Club staffer Lena 

Moffitt and her mom, who worked very 

hard on Eric’s campaign, and to Richard 

Barish, who coordinated Sierra Club 

activities on this campaign. 

In Grants was strong evidence of the 

importance of volunteering or donating 

to our Rio Grande Chapter PAC: David 

Ulibarri has been a consistently propolluter, 

anti-environmental vote in the 

state Senate. So we used our PAC funds 

on newspaper ads in the Grants area 

supporting challenger Maxine Velasquez, 

a progressive Laguna Pueblo woman. 

Velasquez was ahead by three votes 

on Election Night, and the race will 

undergo a recount. Thanks to all who 

supported our Political Action fund to 

help put Maxine in a position to win. 

Another tight race where just one or 

two more volunteers could have tipped 

the balance was in Las Cruces, where 

our candidate lost by just 40 votes. 

Redistricting put Antonio Lujan, an 

incumbent with a great environmental 

track record, in the same House district 

as progressive Jeff Steinborn. The Club 

guidelines for endorsements of two 

good candidates indicated we endorse 

incumbent Lujan, who lost that tight 

race. We wish our friend Jeff Steinborn 

luck in the general election. 

Back north to Santa Fe, Maria De 

Anda was endorsed for the County 

Commission seat vacated by Virginia 

Vigil, our candidate for PRC. I walked 

for Maria in a neighborhood close 

to our home. It was interesting how 

few frequent primary voters under 50 

years of age there were in that district. 

When it’s been said that we need to get 

more young voters voting, I thought 

that meant under 30! Former City 

Councilor Miguel Chavez beat Maria, 

but the Club has endorsed Miguel in 

the past, so we are hopeful he will do 

well on the County Commission. 

Thanks to all of you who voted 

for Martin Heinrich for Senate. We 

endorsed Martin, but his competitor, 

Hector Balderas, is also a great environmental 

supporter. We will support 

Martin in the general election. 

To make a difference in these races 

that are decided by just a few votes, 

please volunteer or donate to our PAC. 

Thank you to all those who donated to 

our PAC or volunteered. New Mexico 

will be better off because of the races 

you helped win. 

Would you like to join chapter or group leadership? 

The Rio Grande Chapter and the groups within 

it will soon hold annual elections for chapter 

and group executive committees. If you would 

like to be a part of these boards, contact any member 

of the Chapter Nominating Committee (see Page 2) or 

the nominating committee listed on your group’s page. 

Election Schedule for Rio Grande Chapter 2012: 

1. Nominating Committee appointed, approved: 

June 3 

2. Provide written post of schedule and post online 

and in Sierran by July 1 

3. Receipt of ballot issue petitions: Aug. 10 

4. Receipt of candidates names for consideration to 

Nominating Committee: Aug. 15 

5. Nominating Committee reports names to 

Executive Committee: Aug. 30 

6. Receipt of candidates petitions: Sept. 5 

7. Production of voters list: Sept. 15 

8. Printing and mailing of ballots: Sept. 25 

9. Deadline for return of ballots: Nov. 30 

9. Ballots to be counted: Dec. 10 

U.S. Representative Ben R. Luján (Dist. 3) 

502 Cannon House Office Building 


202/225-6190 • fax 202/226-1528 

811 St. Michael’s Drive, Suite 104 

Santa Fe, NM 87505 • 505/984-8950, 

3200 Civic Center NE, Suite 330 

Rio Rancho, NM 87144 • 505/994-0499 

800 Municipal Drive 

Farmington, NM 87401 • 505/324-1005 

http://lujan.house.gov/ 

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez 

State Capitol, 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Room 400 

Santa Fe, NM 87501 • 505-476-2200 

www.governor.state.nm.us 

New Mexico State Legislature 

Legislative Council Service • 505/986-4600 

New Mexico State Senators 

Senate Chief Clerk’s Office • 505/986-4714 

New Mexico State Representatives 

House Chief Clerk’s Office • 505/986-4751 

Texas – El Paso 

U.S. Representative Silvestre Reyes 

2433 Rayburn House Office Building 


202/225-4831 • fax 202/225-2016 

310 N. Mesa, Suite 400 

El Paso, TX 79901 • 915/534-4400 

www.house.gov/reyes/ 


SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO GROUP 

Mining in New Mexico: A roundup 

By Dan Lorimier 

With increasing market 

values for gold, silver, 

copper and other 

metals, new interest in 

New Mexico’s elemental resources has 

become much more active. 

Exploration on 

Otero Mesa 

Conservationists have been fending 

off oil and gas development for years 

on the vast but fragile Otero Mesa, and 

a Colorado mining and exploration 

company continues to probe its claims 

along the flanks of Wind Mountain in 

the southern part of the region, hoping 

to find enough rare earth elements to 

support a mining operation or a quick 

sale. 

Not far away in Hudspeth County, 

Texas, lies a huge open-pit rare-earth 

mining operation that has scarred and 

polluted that area. The mine and its 

roads, electric lines and water-supply 

lines would all profoundly disturb the 

very thin soils, fragment the habitats 

of the unique plants and animals who 

call Otero Mesa home and threaten the 

huge Salt Basin Aquifer that lies beneath 

the Mesa. Here is a recent Sierra 

Magazine article on threats to Otero 

Mesa: bit.ly/MqcA2P 

Ortiz Mountains 

gold-mining plans 

After the recent settlement between 

Santa Fe Gold and Ortiz Mines in 

federal court, Santa Fe Gold is moving 

forward in assessing the amounts and 

concentrations of gold in its 66-squaremile 

lease in the Ortiz Mountains 

that lie in Santa Fe County between 

Albuquerque and Santa Fe. 

This project is in a very early stage of 

development. No permits have been 

applied for and no Environmental 

Impact Statement process has been 

initiated. Plans to dig mines in this area, 

including two open-pit operations, are 

surrounded by environmental concerns 

that range from impacts to groundwater 

and surface waters to wildlife habitat 

disruption. 

Photo by Dan Lorimier 

Copper Flat open-pit location in Sierra County, N.M. If approved, the mine would consume vast 

amounts of water, which could impact shallow residential and commercial wells in a large area. 

P.O. Box 735, Mesilla, NM 88046 

Glenn Landers Chair, Pollution, Grasslands Issues, 

575/525-0491, glenn.landers@gmail.com 

Margot Wilson, Vice chair, Outings, Conservation Chair, 

Parks/Refuges, 575/744-5860, sierratrekker70@live.com 

Cheryll Blevins, Treasurer, Editor Group Page, 575/524- 

4861, spotblev@earthlink.net 

Mary Katherine Ray, Wildlife, Membership, 575/772- 

5655, mkrscrim@kitcarson.net 

Earle Pittman, Global Warming, 575/541-6281, espittman@zianet.com 

David Farrell, Political Chair, 575/895-3352, dafarrelli@ 

Here is a Drilling Santa Fe blog 

about the plan: drillingsantafe.blogspot. 

com/2012/05/planned-gold-ortiz-mine. 

html 

Copper Flat 

impact statement 

Efforts by a mining-development 

company to recommission and operate 

Southern New Mexico Group 

an open-pit copper/molybdenum/gold 

mine that ran for only a few months 

back in the 1980s in Sierra County 

have sparked strong local concern and 

opposition — including the Rio Grande 

Chapter Southern Group’s. The Chapter 

gave comments on the scoping document 

for the Environmental Impact 

Statement and will continue to participate 

in this important process. The mine 

hotmail.com 

Robert Gray, Secretary 

Logging policy 

All those concerned with the “Policy to End Commercial 

Logging on Federal Public Lands,” please go to 

clubhouse.sierraclub.org/conservation-logging-publiclands-aspx 

to read, contemplate and comment. 

Nominating committee 

If you’re interested in joining our group executive committee, 

please contact any member of our nominating 

committee: Margot Wilson, David Farell, Earle Pittman. 

would consume vast amounts of water, 

which could impact shallow residential 

and commercial wells in a very large area 

and also poses a serious threat to the 

quality of local groundwater resources. 

The Bureau of Land Management 

is the lead agency in this process. The 

company plans to test the well-field 

capacity and equipment in July. 

http://on.doi.gov/LHGgYC 

EL PASO 

El Pasoan voted onto national Club board 

El Paso Group 

nmsierraclub.org/elpaso 

Chair: Laurence Gibson, 915/309-5419, 

lgibson@utep.edu 

Vice-Chair: Bob Geyer, 915/834-8242 

Secretary: Ann Falknor, 915/833-9162, 

afalknor@sbcglobal.net 

Treasurer: Kathy Sunday, 915/584-9301, 

sundayt@zianet.com 

Bill Addington, 915/790-9241, aguavida@valornet.com 

Heather McMurray, 915/539-3388, 

heamc@earthlink.net 

Liz Walsh, 915/584-1471, ewalsh@utep.edu 

Scott Comar, 915/727-1061, sccomar@miners.utep.edu 

By Mary Katherine Ray 

Chapter Wildlife chair 

Hearty congratulations to El Paso Group 

leader Liz Walsh upon her election to the 

National Sierra Club Board of Directors. 

Liz lives in El Paso, where she is a professor of 

biology at University of Texas El Paso. 

Liz served as wildlife co-chair for our chapter 

from 1998 to 2008. She continues to serve on 

the National Wildlife and Endangered Species 

Committee/Activist Team. 

Early on Liz saw the connection between our 

society’s high level of meat consumption and 

environmental degradation, and she actively 

encourages a plant-based diet. 

Most recently, Liz served 

on the National Trapping 

Policy Task Force, where 

she was instrumental in 

shepherding and passing 

the policy that Sierra Club 

now officially considers 

“body-gripping, restraining 

Liz Walsh and killing traps and snares 

to be ecologically indiscriminate and unnecessarily 

inhumane and therefore opposes their use.” Full 

trapping policy can be read here: www.sierraclub. 

org/policy/conservation/Trapping-Wildlife.pdf 

We are delighted to have such a wildlife champion 

on the national board. 


WILDLIFE 

Photo by Mary Katherine Ray 

On June 15, about 80 wildlife supporters picketed the Albuquerque office of the New Mexico Department of Game and 

Fish to protest the agency’s proposal to allow increased bear-killing. At its June 21 meeting, the Game Commission 

unanimously approved another round of harmful rules for killing bears and cougars. 

Wildlife management or 

wildlife destruction? 

By Mary Katherine Ray 

What exactly is meant 

when the New 

Mexico Department 

of Game and Fish 

uses the words “wildlife management”? 

When it comes to carnivores, 

it means one thing: killing. Game 

and Fish is proposing to increase the 

number of bears being killed despite 

only two years having passed since 

the quotas were raised dramatically. 

If Game and Fish’s statewide bearelimination 

program goes forward 

with the plan to kill 664 bears this 

year and then 628 dead bears for 

each of the next four years, a five-year 

total of 3,176 bears will be killed, 

or over half of the entire population 

estimate, which is already inflated. 

This number is about 82 percent 

higher than the previous five years 

and it doesn’t include any deaths 

from poaching, natural die-off and 

depredation complaints. 

The situation for cougars is not 

much better. Cougar attacks on 

people are astonishingly rare and can 

be prevented by taking precautions 

such as hiking in groups, making 

noise and keeping children close 

at hand. But Game and Fish asked 

Game Commissioners in 2010 to 

drastically increase the allowable 

On June 21, the state Game Commission 

rubber-stamped Game and Fish’s 

recommendation to drastically increase 

allowed bear and cougar kills in New Mexico. 

cougar kill and the Commission 

complied by raising it 50 percent. 

The agency already traps and kills 

every cougar it can in the newly 

delisted bighorn-sheep ranges. 

(Hunting licenses so people can 

kill bighorns bring in significant 

revenue to Game and Fish.) And as 

with bears, the Department uses the 

flimsiest of data to justify its inflated 

population count. So much so that 

according to them, New Mexico has 

a higher cougar density than any 

state in the U.S. Higher even than 

California which outlawed cougar 

hunting more than 20 years ago. 

Despite these high quotas, cougar 

killers in our state have so far not 

been able to meet them, so the 

agency now wants to make it easier 

to kill more. They are proposing to 

increase the bag limit from one to 

two, to not count any depredation 

complaints against any quota, and 

to have year-round killing. This 

last means that dependent cougar 

kittens will be orphaned when their 

mothers are killed and will also die 

— uncounted and unknown. 

Worse still, the agency is asking 

game commissioners to allow the 

Department director to unilaterally 

authorize cougar trapping on public 

land without any oversight. Done 

despite the outcry over trapping of 

any species on public land last year, 

this move to permit even more traps 

could not more betray the public 

process and the faith entrusted in 

the agency as public servants. 

No one really knows what the 

bear or cougar populations of New 

Mexico are. Game and Fish says 

bears must be killed in high numbers 

so that they can survive the lean 

times of the drought we are having 

now. But if they’re dead, they are 

not surviving. The agency says it 

wants dead cougars so people will 

be safe. Actually, research literature 

indicates that as the population 

declines and older animals are killed 

off — animals that would naturally 

keep the population density lower by 

defending their territories — younger 

animals begin to rule the day. With 

no adults to teach them how to hunt, 

they go after easy and unusual prey: 

livestock, pets and humans. This 

is why states with very high levels 

of cougar killing also report many 

cougar problems with people. 

Already the agency has demonstrated 

no love for carnivores. 

Unlimited numbers of bobcats, 

foxes and other mid-sized predators 

of all genders and ages are allowed 

to be trapped and killed for a long 

4.5-month season even on public 

land and despite an unknown 

by-catch of unintended victims. 

No consideration is given for the 

effect on wildlife populations from 

the hundreds of thousands of acres of 

habitat burned by wildfire. Last year, 

the Game Commission restored trapping 

to the Gila despite the danger to 

critically imperiled wolves and then 

withdrew support from the wolfreintroduction 

program entirely. 

As expected, at the June 21 Game 

Commission meeting in Ruidoso, 

with very little discussion, Game 

and Fish obtained unanimous 

approval to kill even more bears and 

cougars. These Commissioners are 

appointees of Gov. Martinez and all 

the more reason elections matter. 


CENTRAL NEW MEXICO GROUP 

Albuquerque wins big event 

The BLM’s National Wilderness 

Planning Team recently named 

Albuquerque as host of the 

50th Anniversary National Wilderness 

Conference, planned for Oct. 15-17, 

2014. 

Albuquerque was selected in a 

unanimous decision. “The committee 

was convinced by the enthusiasm 

expressed by the New Mexico 

Wilderness Alliance, Sierra Club 

and local proponents along with 

many letters of support from the 

community, including the Mayor of 

Albuquerque, BLM State Director, 

and other community leaders,” the 

City efficiency 

City saves $1.4 Million per year 

with Energy Efficiency Projects 

Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. 

Berry announced in April major gains 

the city has made for environmental 

sustainability and for taxpayer savings. 

Using “a common-sense approach 

to environmental sustainability and 

energy reduction throughout the city 

... have reduced our CO2 footprint 

by more than 5,000 metric tons. This 

approach to the green equation has 

also created a cost savings of nearly 

$1.4 million per year,” according to 

the Mayor’s press release. 

A new website listing all the city’s 

energy-efficient projects was also 

announced: www.cabq.gov/ 

municipaldev/renewable-energy. 

Kirtland spill 

Recent headline: “Kirtland Air 

Force Base Jet Fuel Spill Could Be 

Three Times Larger Than Previously 

Thought.” This story has gone viral, 

with reports on Huffington Post, 

Catholic online, and even oil industry 

reports, but it begs the question: 

When will the military get serious 

about cleanup? 

A decades-old jet fuel spill threatening 

Albuquerque’s water supply could 

press release 

said. 

Stephen 

Capra, executive 

director 

of the 

New Mexico 

Wilderness 

Alliance, has 

agreed to serve 

as the co-chair 

of the National 

Conference 

Committee. 

Diversity and multicultural inclusion 

for all people is the key element 

P.O. Box 25342, Albuquerque, NM 

87125-0342 

Executive 

Committee 

Julie Wilt: Acting Chair 

julie@thewilts.net, 505-404-0972 

Eva Thaddeus: Co-Chair, Secretary, 

Climate-Change Chair, 

evathad@nmia.com, 505-266-9646 

David Ther: Treasurer, Outings 

Chair, Nominating grelbik@gmail. 

be as large as 24 million gallons, state 

environment officials have said. 

A jet-fuel leak was discovered from 

a broken 16-inch pipe at Kirtland Air 

Force Base in Albuqueerque in 1999. 

The Air Force initially estimated that 

pipe had leaked between 1 million 

and 2 million gallons of jet fuel. 

The escaped fuel is currently floating 

a foot thick atop Albuquerque’s water 

table 500 feet beneath the ground 

toward the wells that supply the city’s 

drinking water. State officials estimated 

the cleanup could cost $100 million 

and say the Air Force’s original plan to 

clean up the spill could take 56 years. 

State geologist William Moats 

initially calculated the spill at about 

8 million gallons, but after reviewing 

new data, he has upped his estimate 

of the planning. 

“The city also offers exceptional 

opportunities for diversity outreach 

with Native Americans, Hispanic, 

African Americans, and Asian 

Americans, and academic communities, 

nearby outing prospects, and 

history associated with influential 

wilderness leaders such as Aldo 

Leopold, and Senator Clinton P. 

Anderson,” the BLM Wilderness 

Planning Team said. 

To contact the Sierra Club coordinator 

for the event, please e-mail 

nwc50th@yahoo.com. 

com, 505-260-1553. 

Jeff Potter: 505/897-8621, 

jpotter@unm.edu 

Nominating Team 

The Central Group is looking 

for candidates for our upcoming 

executive committee election. If 

you would like to be part of this 

board, please contact David Ther, 

Nominating chair, 505-260-1553, 

grelbik@gmail.com, by Aug. 15. 

to 24 million gallons. Jim Davis, head 

of the New Mexico Environment 

Department’s Resource Protection 

Division, has promised that the spill 

poses no threat to local residents. He 

predicts that the fuel will not contaminate 

the water supplies for another five 

years, before which all will have been 

cleaned up. 

The Bernalillo Water Utility 

Authority oversees drinking-water 

wells for all of Albuquerque. In 

March, Citizen Action New Mexico 

petitioned the WAU for more action. 

Their request “encourages the Water 

Utility Authority to coordinate state 

and federal efforts to create and implement 

an effective and scientific plan.” 

For more info, visit Citizen Action’s 

website, www.radfreenm.org. 

Photo by Ken Hughes 

Illegal wood-cutting is a major 

concern for the Badlands. 

Good news, bad news in Central N.M. Badlands 

management 

By Jeff Potter 

Central New Mexico Group contacts 

plan coming 

As many of you know, we have been 

working with the Rio Puerco BLM 

field office for about three years to 

ensure protection of the spectacular and 

little-known Badlands west of Cuba, which 

Michael Richie introduced us to. 

The BLM’s draft Resource Management 

Plan, which we understand will provide 

various administrative protections for those 

unique landscapes with their colorful cliffs, 

centuries-old grandfather junipers and 

scatterings of petrified woods, has been in 

the works for some time. 

Ed Singleton, Albuquerque district 

director, says the RMP is finally at the 

printer and should be available in August. 

Working with our allies, we will peruse 

this document for both positive actions 

we want to support, and those areas of 

concern given little or no consideration. 

So by late August, expect an email from 

us detailing salient points in the plan and 

urging comments from you, our citizen 

activists. We will also send a list of the 

public meetings on the draft, expected to 

be held in Albuquerque and Cuba. If you 

are not yet receiving our activist alerts, 

please send me your email pronto! 

—Norma McCallan, Public Lands 

co-chair, nmccallan@mindspiring.com 

Volunteer! 

Public Lands activists: We need folks to 

work on forest off-road vehicle problems and 

protection of the BLM Badlands in the 

San Juan Basin. Contact Tom Gorman at 

438-3932 or Norma McCallan at 

nmccallan@mindspring.com. 

To find out what you can do about issues 

you’ve read about in The Sierran, or to stay 

updated on local issues of wildlife, natural 

resources and climate, go to nmsierraclub.org 

and subscribe to the chapter e-mail list. 

And if you’re not a member of the Sierra 

Club yet but you like what you see, join now 

for only $15! You can either cut out and send 

the form at right or go to nmsierraclub.org/ 

join-give. 

www.nmsierraclub.org 

July/August/September 2012 rio Grande Sierran 7 

1700

OPEN SPACES 

Photo by Charles Mann 

The Organ Mountains have an estimated 5,000 archaeological sites and are home to a diversity of animals such as golden eagles, 

Montezuma quail and rare plants such as the Organ Mountain pincushion cactus. But this special place faces multiple threats. 

Make a monumental difference 

Sierra Club hires new 

Public Lands staff to 

protect the land we love 

in New Mexico 

By Eliza Kretzmann 

Resilient Habitats organizer 

Growing up, I spent hours 

hiking and playing by the 

Santa Fe River, building 

sand castles and exploring 

among the cottonwoods and blue 

skies. I have spent a lifetime hiking the 

Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the 

deserts of Abiquiú and Tent Rocks. My 

earliest memories include gathering 

watercress with my father, watching a 

mass of monarchs flap their wings in 

the breeze along the river, and hiking 

amongst the pine trees of Hyde Park. 

These early experiences led me to 

where I am now—working as the new 

Resilient Habitats organizer with the 

Sierra Club. 

In the coming months, the Sierra 

Club will mount a strong grassroots 

campaign with local partners seeking 

to protect some of New Mexico’s 

most iconic places. This includes the 

Organ Mountains and Otero Mesa 

in the south, Rio Grande del Norte 

and the Columbine Hondo near Taos, 

the Cibola National Forest and the 

San Juan Badlands. Additionally, the 

Eliza Kretzmann is the new Resilient Habitats organizer for the 

Sierra Club. She grew up playing near the Santa Fe River. 

Rio Grande Chapter is involved in 

campaigns for the Valles Caldera, the 

expansion of the Pecos Wilderness, and 

Chaco Canyon. These landscapes are 

unique for their wildlife habitat, water 

resources, recreation opportunities, 

wilderness characteristics and historical 

values. 

One campaign I want to highlight 

now is the Organ Mountains National 

Monument campaign. The Organ 

Mountains (and the surrounding desert 

peaks near Las Cruces) have an estimated 

5,000 archaeological sites and 

are home to a diversity of animals such 

as golden eagles, Montezuma quail, 

mountain lions, and rare plants such 

as the Organ Mountain pincushion 

cactus. The land also provides crucial 

wildlife linkages with protected lands 

to the east and west. Horseback riding, 

mountain biking, climbing and remote 

hunting can all be enjoyed throughout 

the area. The campaign has garnered 

broad-based support, from sportsmen 

to Pueblo and Hispanic leaders. 

However, this special place and the 

other areas mentioned are under threat. 

Mining, oil and gas development, 

suburban sprawl and climate change 

jeopardize these special places. The 

International Panel on Climate Change 

predicts that the Southwest will grow 

appreciably drier in the 21st century, 

and that greater aridity is “already on 

the doorstep” of the Southwest. 

These predictions underscore the 

urgency of protecting New Mexico’s 

land for water resources, wildlife 

habitat, and for healthy landscapes and 

communities. Now it is more crucial 

than ever to protect our land and 

water. 

With your help we can protect the 

land we love in New Mexico. Connect 

with us so we can tell you about opportunities 

that need your voice! Call us 

and tell us about your favorite places, 

take action to protect our public lands, 

host a house party, or help us lead an 

outing to the unique places we are 

trying to protect. 

Looking out at the Sandia 

Mountains, I marvel at what an amazing 

and one-of-a-kind place New 

Mexico is. I am lucky to have grown up 

here and I am excited to work with you 

to preserve it for future generations. 

— Eliza Kretzmann 

Resilient Habitats Organizer, 

Albuquerque, NM 

505-243-7767 

eliza.kretzmann@sierraclub.org 


CLEANING UP 

Member Story No. 1: Self-sufficiency 

Jeff and 

Debby 

Potter 

installed 

a solar 

sytem 

in 2007 

and have 

a greenhouse 

to 

extend 

their 

vegetablegrowing 

season. 

Rio Grande Chapter members have submitted 

testimonials about saving money and wasting less 

through energy efficiency and clean energy. We’ll 

be publishing some of these stories throughout the 

next several issues of The Sierran. 

I’ve been in New Mexico nearly all of my 57 

years, and in 1992 my wife and I bought a 

modest 1,950-square-foot house on half an 

acre in Albuquerque’s far north valley. 

We knew it would be a great place to grow 

old in, with enough land and good soil for 

a garden. We grow as many vegetables as 

possible and built a greenhouse to extend our 

growing season. 

After 15 years of endless gas and electric rate 

increases and the realization that we have an 

abundant energy source illuminating our property 

nearly every day, year-round, we decided 

to invest in 2007 and 2008 in the construction 

of our own solar energy system and tie it to 

PNM’s electricity grid. 

The construction helped to update our electrical 

system while forming an economic platform 

that New Mexico can stand on for years 

to come. Our state is in a unique position to 

benefit from the renewable energy industry. 

In 2010, we also replaced our windows with 

the highest-efficiency glazed types available and 

replaced our boiler with a 96 percent efficient 

model in 2012. 

Finally, we replaced our roof with lightercolored 

shingles that absorb less heat to reduce 

costs from the summer evaporative cooling. 

— Jeff and Debby Potter, Alameda, N.M. 

Member 

Story 2: 

House 

savings 

Solar panels made in Albuquerque and installed in the mountains above Ruidoso. 

From the New Mexico 

Energy and Minerals Department 

RUIDOSO, N.M. – A solar photovoltaic 

system installed by the Sun Valley 

Water and Sanitation District kept the 

water pumping to volunteer firefighters 

fighting the Little Bear Fire when all 

other power in the area was lost. 

“This is a great demonstration of how 

solar energy can benefit rural communities 

in an emergency,” said Louise 

Martinez, Division Director for the 

Energy, Conservation and Management 

Division. “Solar energy also provides 

great energy electric utility savings.” 

Thanks to a grant from the Energy, 

Conservation and Management 

Division, the Sun Valley Water and 

Sanitation District in Alto, N.M., 

installed the system in the spring of 

2012. It is an 11-kilowatt, grid-interconnected, 

single-axis tracking, and polemounted 

solar photovoltaic system to 

generate electricity used by the community 

water system, a few miles north of 

Ruidoso. The system cost $75,000. 

The State Energy Program provided 

the grant to Sun Valley Water and 

Sanitation District using remaining 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act funds, to demonstrate that a rural 

water co-op could benefit from the 

use of solar to offset pumping expense. 

It is the first rural water coop in New 

Photo by Ken Hughes 

Solar saves the day 

System kept water pumping when fire knocked out other power 

Mexico, if not the nation, to incorporate 

solar. 

The power provided by the system 

has enabled the Sun Valley Water and 

Sanitation District to obtain all the electricity 

it needs for pumping water in the 

hilly service territory. 

When the Little Bear Fire spread, 

several communities and neighborhoods 

in the path of the fire and surrounding 

areas were ordered to leave. The area has 

been continuously suffering from power 

outages and many power surges. 

Alto, N.M., is an unincorporated 

community in Lincoln County. It is 

located in the Lincoln National Forest. 

Alto is located at 7,300 feet. 

Four years ago, I started greening 

my house as I made needed 

repairs. First I replaced the main 

windows with double-pane, energysaving 

windows (which also reduced 

outside noise considerably). I have 

followed up 

with Energy 

Star toilets 

(rebate water 

credit paid for 

them entirely), 

showerheads, 

refridgerator, 

dishwasher and 

entry door. I’ve 

also installed an 

energy efficient 

Norma Reyes 

garage door and put a thermal blanket 

on the water heater. 

As we repair and paint rooms, my 

son and I are sealing seams along the 

floors and outer walls and using low 

VOC paint. He sealed the skylights 

and sprayed foam around outlets and 

switches on the outer walls. He also 

Xeriscaped the front and back yard, 

and placed a rain water barrel that has 

hose connections in the back yard. 

Most of the lighting in the house is 

now LED or fluorescent. 

While there are still a few more 

projects to do, the house is much 

more comfortable in any season. The 

new swamp cooler, although not rated 

Energy-Star, does have a thermostat 

that keeps the house at a steady 

comfort when it is hot outside. The 

furnace, which is a future project, 

doesn’t click on as often as it used to, 

since the house retains the heat longer. 

All in all, I am very pleased with 

how things are progressing and the 

feeling that we are helping our environment. 

Cheers, Norma Reyes, Albuquerque 


WATER 

State water plan being updated 

By Sig Silber 

Northern New Mexico Group 

Water Chair 

In 2003 the first New Mexico State 

Water Plan was adopted. It is the 

intent of the Legislature that the 

Interstate Stream Commission, 

in collaboration with the Office of 

the State Engineer and the water 

trust board, prepare and implement a 

comprehensive state water plan. The 

state water plan shall be a strategic 

management tool. 

The details of the water-planning 

statute can be viewed at www.ose. 

state.nm.us/PDF/Publications/ 

StateWaterPlans/State_Water_Act.pdf 

The statute seems to imply that the 

Water Plan should be updated every 

five years, although some interpret 

this as a need only for a review of 

the situation with an update of the 

Plan required only if conditions have 

changed substantially. Indeed, an Inter- 

Agency study was conducted in 2008 

that led to “12 Areas to Prioritize.” But 

factors including funding limitations 

and the change in administration has 

delayed the process until recently. Now 

it seems that the updating process is 

shifting into high gear and the draft 

chapters of the plan will begin to be 

released for comment. 

The Interstate Stream Commission 

(ISC) hopes to begin releasing chapters 

of the State Water Plan update in 

August, according to Planning Director 

Angela Bordegaray. A possible sequence 

of release: Water-Related Infrastructure 

and Funding, Statewide Water Supply 

and Demand, Climate Variability 

(including drought management), 

Canadian Basin, and San Juan Basin. 

These chapters will include updated 

information on current issues, information 

from the regional plans and will be 

a means to inform the public on funding 

needs and key projects. 

The New Mexico Office of the State 

Engineer(OSE)/Interstate Stream 

Commission(ISC) has many waterrelated 

duties and works with many 

other organizations, so the State Water 

Plan produced and issued by the ISC 

is not the only vehicle for planning 

water management in New Mexico. 

Plus, the OSE/ISC has only partial 

jurisdiction over New Mexico’s water, 

focusing on quantity. The New Mexico 

Environment Department regulates 

quality, and the Oil Conservation 

Division has partial jurisdiction over 

water used or produced by oil and gas 

activities. The state Department of 

Agriculture, representing the largest 

user, agriculture, is to some extent left 

out of the planning process. Other state 

agencies that have an impact on how the 

OSE/ISC operates include Game and 

Fish and the Department of Finance. 

An alphabet soup of federal agencies 

exercise jurisdiction over some of 

New Mexico’s water, especially rivers 

and reservoirs, including the Bureau 

of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, Forest Service, Bureau of 

Public Water Supply 

Self-Supplied Domestic 

Irrigated Agriculture Surface Water 

Irrigated Agriculture Groundwater 

Off-farm Conveyance Losses 

Livestock 

Commercial, Self-Supplied 

Industrial, Self-Supplied 

Mining, Self-Supplied 

Power, Self-Supplied 

Evaporation from Reservoirs 

Oil and Gas, Self-Supplied Not available 

Total 

Depletions minus Reservoir Uses 

0 3,500,000 

Author's estimated 2005 depletions, in acre-feet 

Land Management, Bureau of Indian 

Affairs, and Department of Defense. 

We also have 16 regional water-planning 

districts that each produce their 

own regional water plan. 

Most cities and counties, water 

utilities, the state’s Soil and Water 

Conservation Districts and Irrigation 

Districts and in some cases acequias 

have their own plans. 

Thus, the State Water Plan is important 

but exists within a myriad of 

perhaps a thousand water plans. It is a 

tangled web of activities and jurisdictions 

in need of more coordination for 

sustainable water management. That 

is one reason New Mexico tends to 

receive mediocre grades for its water 

planning, especially in terms of implementation. 

Given that we are so dependent 

on a small number of interstate 

streams, our decentralized approach 

may not be optimal. 

Water use by category 

The 2003 version of the plan focused 

on providing the Office of the State 

Engineer with better legislative authority 

to fulfill its mission. The challenges 

of climate change, which is referred 

to by the Martinez Administration as 

“climate variability,” is now obviously 

on the minds of the administration. 

This year an unusually small percentage 

of the state’s only slightly-belowaverage 

precipitation has translated into 

Rio Grande stream flow, jeopardizing 

agriculture and ecosystems. Impacts on 

aquifer recharge usually show up with 

some delay, so there may be yet another 

shoe to drop. In a separate analysis, I 

have concluded that the Rio Grande 

Project which encompasses Elephant 

Butte Irrigation District and a similar 

Irrigation District in El Paso County, 

Texas, is approximately 25 percent efficient, 

which is very low. Recent changes 

in administration of the Rio Grande 

Project have put even more reliance on 

EBID’s aquifer, and a settlement with 

the Office of the State Engineer that 

seems to authorize greater than historical 

groundwater usage in EBID may 

now be of concern to the state. 

A change in the way the plan update 

is organized will be a closer integration 

of the 12 major river and groundwater 

basins (see map insert) into the body 

of the report. Looking at areas from 

a hydrologic as well as jurisdictional 

perspective is becoming increasingly 

common in other states and makes a 

lot of sense but presents implementation 

challenges as there are no basin 

water administrative agencies. But in 

most cases there are no agencies with 

authority over each of the 16 formally 

defined water regions either. It is 

perhaps hoped that those with authority 

over part of a River Basin or Water 

Region will work with neighboring 

entities to implement strategies. That 

does happen in New Mexico, but on a 

long river like the Rio Grande or Pecos, 

a large number of entities is involved. 

The ISC will request feedback 

from the public. Those with a strong 

interest may join a discussion group 

I organized by sending an email 

to NMStateWaterPlan-subscribe@ 

yahoogroups.com. It is likely that some 

of the groups within the Sierra Club 

and the Rio Grande Chapter as a whole 

will provide feedback to the ISC. 

Participation is an opportunity to 

influence what is in the plan, and to 

learn a lot about the complexity of 

water issues and competing interests in 

New Mexico. 

An estimate of the depletion (use 

that actually consumes rather than 

simply uses and returns) by category for 

2005 is shown in the bar chart above. 

The Office of the State Engineer does 

not record and report water related to 

the oil and gas industry, so that row is 

shown as a blank. Notice that the public 

water supply depletes a relatively small 

amount of water in New Mexico. In 

general about half of municipal water 

withdrawn is treated and returned or 

recycled within the water system (it 

makes no difference to the State Water 

Budget if treated effluent is returned to 

the river for use downstream or recycled 

within the originating water system). 

Within municipal water systems, 

outdoor uses are the main contributors 

to depletion, and that is where conservation 

efforts should be focused. 

One hopes that the extensive 

resources at New Mexico universities 

and our national labs will be brought 

to bear on New Mexico’s water challenges, 

especially in the area of agriculture, 

the largest water user. A Chapter 

on Research Initiatives would be a 

useful chapter in the Plan Update. 

I wrote a related story for the Santa 

Fe Reporter. To read it, go to 

www.sfreporter.com/santafe/ 

article-6778-plan-b.html 


PAJARITO GROUP 

Pajarito 

Group 

riogrande.sierraclub.org/ 

pajarito/mainpaj.asp 

Photo by Howard Barnum 

A lost elk calf trembles in the grass near a fence line that bisects the Valle Grande. A wound 

from the fence is visible on his back. Volunteers, including several Pajarito Group members, 

took down the unused fence recently, allowing elk calves to move with their herds. 

Wildlife benefit from 

fence’s absence 

By Jody Benson 

You know the fence that bisects the Valle Grande 

north-to-south from the headquarters to State 

Road 4? It’s about three miles of sheep fence made 

of barbed wire topping 4 feet of woven wire, 

constructed and maintained since the early 20th century, 

when the shepherds ran from 30,000 to 100,000 sheep for 

the wool business. 

The wool business crashed with the invention of synthetics, 

and when Texan Pat Dunigan bought “the Valle” in 

1963, he eschewed sheep to establish the Baca Land and 

Cattle Company. 

The sheep fencing, however, remained. It is against these 

fences that the majority of elk predation happens. Coyotes 

and other predators chase the elk herd to the fence. The 

adults leap over; the calves are trapped. Calves can’t get 

over, and in the case of the sheep fence, they can’t get 

under. 

It was in order to rectify this problem of wildlife mobility 

that Sierrans and other environmental organizations pulled 

the miles of caldera-bisecting sheep fence. 

That morning as we drove to the VCNP entrance, it was 

as if Nature presented us with a vision of our mission. We 

saw a herd of elk, huddled half on one side of the fence, 

and half on the other. Even an hour later, after our fenceremoval 

briefing, the elk were still there. 

Preserve scientist Bob Parmenter and preserve specialist 

John Swigart split the de-fencers into two teams — one 

team pulled down from the highway, the other up from 

Headquarters. It wasn’t until we worked closer to the herd, 

however, that we could identify the herd’s dilemma: about 

10 maybe day-old calves were stuck on the wrong side of 

the fence. The herd’s stress increased as the two fencing 

teams closed in. The adults leaped over and back while the 

little calves ran in circles. 

John Swigart drove the utility cart to the primary gathering 

spot to cut the fence, then instructed our teams to pull 

Want to be on the group 

Executive Committee? 

The Pajarito Group is looking for candidates for our 

annual elections for the executive committee. If you 

would like to be a part of this policy-making group, 

please contact any of the following: 

David Gemeinhart: ddgem@losalamos.com 

Ilse Bleck: ibleck@yahoo.com 

Lynn Jones: Jonesmm1@comcast.net 

back. We thought the escape route had worked as the herd 

reunited, but within minutes the calves, confused, again 

returned to the wrong side. 

Finally, the adults drifted off. The calves, distressed, 

continued their erratic rushing. Then they, too, disappeared. 

We humans regrouped, and as we worked, cutting, 

coiling, pulling, and folding the fencing, we came to a 

mound of sedge. It was here that we discovered how the 

calves had disappeared themselves. Within that mound lay 

a tiny elk calf where it had dropped, eyes squeezed shut, 

just 12 feet from the fence line and the clatter of human 

activity. 

The calf was still there, still trying to disappear its tiny 

self an hour later as the team trooped back to HQ. Had we 

been coyotes, that newborn would have been lunch. And 

despite the statistical problem of elk overpopulation, each 

of us humans hoped the mothers would find their little lost 

babies. 

It’s not often that anyone gets an instant reward for 

environmental work, but that day we saw first-hand how 

the fence could kill, and how removing it could save maybe 

at least one little soul. There will be more fence-pullings 

this summer. This kind of work reflects our love of wild 

places—it is the reason why so many of us joined the Sierra 

Club. We will send alerts. Come join the effort. 

Executive Committee 

Chair: Ilse Bleck 


505/662-2368 

Vice-Chair: Mark Jones 

Jonesmm1@comcast.net 

505/662-9443 

Secretary: Jody Benson 

505/662-4782 

Treasurer: David Gemeinhart 

ddgem@losalamos.com 

505/672-6267 

Michael DiRosa 

mdd@standfordalumni.org 

505/663-0648 

Nona Girardi 

nonamg@aol.com 

Chuck Pergler 

ccpergler@gmail.com 

Committee Chairs 

Conservation: 

Michael DiRosa 

mdd@stanfordalumni.org 

505/663-0648 

Environmental Education: 

Pauline Wilder, 

xxmpxx@gmail.com 

505/662-7768 

Global Warming: Charles 

Keller, 

alfanso@cybermesa.com 

505/662-7915 

Grazing, Natl Forests, 

Wetlands, Wilderness: 

David Gemeinhart, 

ddgem@losalamos.com 

505/672-6267 

Mining: David Torney 

dtorney@valornet.com 

575/829-3433 

Newsletter Editor, Publicity, 

Sprawl, 

Endangered Species/Wildlife: 

Jody Benson, 505/662-4782 

Outings, Parks/Refuges 

Membership Co-Chair: 

Ilse Bleck, 


505/662-2368 

Political, Cool Cities, 

Membership Co-Chair: Mark 

Jones, 


505/662-944322 

Water Issues: Barbara Calef 

505/662-3825 

bfcalef@yahoo.com 

Mark Jones, jonesmm1@ 

comcast.net, 505/662-944322 

Water Issues: Barbara Calef 

505/662-3825 

Meetings: July and August — no meetings. Spend the sunny days and long summer evenings 

enjoying the outdoors that we love. Outings: Please check the Outings Listings for adventures in our area. 


NORTHERN NEW MEXICO GROUP 

Group helps restore Frenchy’s Field 

By Teresa Seamster 


Twenty years ago, a 16-acre 

park was sold to the city of 

Santa Fe by longtime resident 

Tony Sandoval. Known 

as Frenchy’s Field, the land was named 

after the Basque farmer who had run a 

dairy herd on it for 50 years. 

The neighbors wanted the city to 

preserve the land, historically used 

as ranch land, as open space. It was 

further stipulated that no pesticides, 

herbicides, or chemical fertilizers would 

be used. It became known as “the 

first non-toxic park in New Mexico,” 

according to its first landscape architect, 

Clair Reiniger. 

Over the years, various public amenities 

were added, including a community 

garden, a sculpture and a labyrinth. 

However, the core feature of the 

field remained the native landscape. 

Today, most of the areas where native 

grasses and flowers could be grown to 

sustain plovers, prairie dogs, butterflies, 

lizards, birds and other wildlife have 

been taken over by invasive plants. 

These plants, such as horehound and 

goldenrod, are unpalatable or contain 

bitter alkaloids and are avoided by 

wildlife. 

Justine Witlox-Becker, an avid Santa 

Fe naturalist, came to the Sierra Club 

in April with an innovative idea to 

restore an area of native grassland in 

Frenchy’s Field. Wildlife contact Teresa 

Seamster of the Rio Grande Chapter’s 

Northern New Mexico Group thought 

grass and wildflower seed could be 

provided to create a native habitat at 

the field, but it would be difficult to 

get volunteers during the summer. 

Plus, the project would need professional 

supervision. Justine spoke with 

horticulturalist and master gardener 

Jeff Clark, and he immediately volunteered 

to provide technical guidance 

and training to the group. 

Photo by Teresa Seamster 

Trained New Mexico Corrections Department work crews weed and bag invasive horehound as 

part of the native-plant project being completed this summer at Santa Fe’s ‘natural park,’ Frenchy’s 

Field. 

The task facing the restoration group 

is considerable. Due to a resident 

population of declining Gunnison’s 

prairie dogs and Killdeer (groundnesting 

plovers) that live in the field, 

all restoration work has to be done 

by hand, and all nests and burrows 

protected. 

The biggest obstacle was getting 

enough manpower to get the field 

ready for seeding by July. The New 

Mexico Corrections Department 

provided a solution. Penitentiary of 

New Mexico in Santa Fe Warden James 

Lopez and Deputy Warden Donald 

Vigil agreed to meet with Santa Fe 

Mayor David Coss and the City Parks 

Division and support the group’s 

proposal by providing inmate work 

crews to do the work on the three-acre 

oval field in the center of the park. 

Mayor Coss approved the project in 

May, and work is under way. 

Crews from the New Mexico 

Corrections Department, along with 

local volunteers, are working on the 

field throughout June. Once the invasive 

plants have been removed, the area will 

be hand-seeded, covered, and watered 

according to a schedule tailored by Jeff 

Clark and the Parks Division to ensure 

germination and rapid growth. 

Anyone interested in the project may 

contact the Northern New Mexico 

Group of Sierra Club: Teresa Seamster, 

tc-seamster@q.com. 

Northern New Mexico Group Contacts 

Executive 

Committee 

Acting chair: 

Norma McCallan, 

505-471-0005, 


Secretary: Teresa Seamster, 505-466- 

8964, tcseam@qwest.net 

Treasurer: Bill Jones, 505-989-9204, 

billjones4@aol.com 

Dexter Coolidge: 505-988-1197, 

dextercoolidge@yahoo.com 

Alice Cox: 505-757-2145, 

auntiealice@cybermesa.com 

Royal Drews, 505-699-8713, 

royaldrews22@gmail.com 

Tom Gorman, 505-438-3932 

Janet Lincoln, 512-791-7366, 

lincoln.janet@gmail.com 

Alliyah Noor, alliyah.noor@gmail.com, 

(503) 381-4874 

Conservation 

Committee 

Chair: Norma McCallan, 505-471- 

0005, nmccallan@mindspring.com 

Activist Outings: 

Norma McCallan, 505-471-0005, 


Agriculture: Sig Silber, 505-473-7006 

Forest and BLM: 

Norma McCallan, 505-471-0005, 

nmccallan@mindspring.com, and 

Tom Gorman, 505-438-3932 

Water: Sigmund Silber, 505-473-7006, 

ssilber1@juno.com 

National Parks & Rangelands: 

Roger Peterson, 505-983-7559, 

rogpete@aol.com 

Wildlife: Teresa Seamster, 505-466- 

8964, tc-seamster@q.com 

Recycling/Waste: Jessie Emerson, 

505-470-1363, 

osoherbalsjessie@gmail.com 

Other Group 

Responsibilities 

Chapter Representative: Tom Gorman, 

505-438-3932 

Chapter Representative Alternate: 

Dexter Coolidge, 505-988-1197, 

dextercoolidge@yahoo.com 

Membership: Alice Cox, 505-757- 

2145, auntiealice@cybermesa.com 

Volunteers: Patricia Carlton, 505-988- 

1596, carlton505@comcast.net 

Office: Joann Lucas, 505-577-7838, 

joannlucas@comcast.net 

Staffs office on Wednesdays: Jerry 

Knapczyk, 505-466-4564, 

jknapczyk@yahoo.com 

Outings: Co-chair: Tobin Oruch, 

505-820-2844, oruch@lanl.gov 

Co-chair: Mary Thompson, 505-469- 

9499, mary14er@gmail.com 

Phone Support: Bebs Taylor, 983-9129 

Political Team: Susan Martin, 505-988- 

5206, smartin31@comcast.net 

Publicity: Open 

Book Sales: Janet Peacock 505-988- 

8929, sfdayhikes@gmail.com 

Sales backup: Chuck Duecy, 505-204- 

6859, Sierra_Club_SF_hikes@live.com 

Book mailings: Gail Bryant, 505-757- 

6654 

Regional Contacts 

Las Vegas: Betty Quick, 505-454-9123, 

betty@mathllc.com 

Farmington: Art Jaquez, 

505-326-5229, artjaquez@yahoo.com, 

and Nick Cullander, 505 334-0935, 

ncullander@hotmail.com 

Taos: Eric Patterson, 575-776-2833 

eepatt@gmail.com, 

Office Location 

The Northern Group Sierra Club office 

is at 1807 2nd Street, Unit 45, Santa 

Fe, NM 87505. See website at nmsierraclub.org 

for map and directions. 


By Jessie Emerson 

Northern Group Recycling Chair 

According to the World Resources Institute 

(2000), global energy consumption and manufacturing 

activity over the next 50 years may 

rise to three times current levels. 

Garbage is accumulating. Cities and towns are 

closing their dumps and transporting trash miles to 

other trash sites. Truth or Consequences, N.M., will 

close its solid-waste facilities in August. Environmentrelated 

health problems account for many illnesses in 

the world today. Recycling and ecological health are 

interconnected. Ecosystem health and human health 

area interconnected. 

We need to rethink our consumption patterns: 

Is this purchase really necessary? Will this purchase 

contribute to human and ecosystem health? 

Do a life-cycle analysis of the next product you buy. 

Are toxic chemicals used in making the product? These 

toxic chemicals can remain in the environment for 

many years. They need to be banned. Do a total-cost 

analysis, which includes waste disposal and effect on 

the environment. How far did this object travel to 

come into your home? 

Monitor your own trash for one week. Divide into 

NORTHERN NEW MEXICO GROUP 

Group leaders on Public Land committee 

Nominating 

committee 

The Nominating Committee for 

the Northern New Mexico Group 

is Royal Drews, Norma McCallan, 

Alice Cox, Janet Lincoln and Pat 

Carlton. If you would like to join 

the group executive committee, 

please contact any of these committee 

members (see contact information 

in directory on Page 12). 

Sierra Trail Mix: 

Outings e-mail 

Tobin Oruch, the Outings 

Co-Chair for the Northern New 

Mexico Group, has created an 

excellent weekly e-mail on outings, 

Sierra Trail Mix. It provides information 

on near term outings plus 

useful outdoor information, like 

trail conditions. He also includes 

photos from recent hikes to the 

beautiful locations that our outing 

leaders have recently visited. Send 

an e-mail to northern.group.nm@ 

sierraclub.org requesting to be 

added to the list. We now have 

more than 260 people signed up 

for the e-mail, come join the fun. 

New Mexico Commissioner 

of Public Lands Ray Powell 

in May named Rio Grande 

Chapter leaders Norma McCallan and 

Ken Hughes to be part of a 12-member 

Conservation Advisory Committtee for 

the Public Land Office. 

“I greatly appreciate the opportunity 

to work with this outstanding group 

of New Mexicans who have an interest 

in protecting the health of our 

trust lands and our communities,” said 

Commissioner of Public Lands Ray 

Powell. “They are knowledgeable and 

respected leaders who are passionate 

advocates for healthy and productive 

lands that foster economic viability and 

protect public health.” 

Both McCallan and Hughes are 

members of the Northern Group. 

categories: paper, cardboard, plastics etc. What are 

you recycling? What goes to the landfill? Here are five 

things you can do to reduce your waste: 

1. Wash and reuse plastic baggies 

2. Use cloth instead 

3. Set your printer to print on both sides 

4. Purchase products with little or no packaging 

5. Choose packaging that can be reused or recycled. 

Zero emissions and zero waste aim to achieve zero 

solid waste, zero hazardous waste, zero toxins, zero 

emissions and zero discharges. Zero emissions and zero 

wastes aim for businesses and institutions to do more 

with less until everything is done without producingwaste. 

It involves transforming materials once thought of 

as waste into new products. A company called Preserve 

recycles No. 5 plastics into new products. There is 

no waste, and Preserve takes back products shipped 

to it to continue the reuse phase. Preserve also has a 

credit system to reward recyclers. Another company, 

Okabashi, makes shoes, flip-flops, and sandals from 

recycled plastic. Your old unwearable Okabashi shoes 

can be shipped back to be remade into another pair of 

recycled shoes. 

Eco-efficiency promotes smarter design of products 

as prevention of waste. 

Events and contacts 

Sierra Club 

’n’ Beer 

Sierra Club ’n’ Beer is a 

lightweight social event that 

will become a mainstay of the 

Northern New Mexico Group’s 

event calendar. Not only does the 

event attract newcomers in droves, 

but it also provides a place for the 

Club’s seasoned environmental 

veterans to take a deep breath 

and relax. Stay tuned for the 

next Sierra Club ‘n’ Beer event at 

Second Street Brewery. 

Volunteer needs 

Zero Waste needs team members 

to help reduce waste in Santa Fe! 

Please contact: Jessie Emerson at: 

470-1363. 

Election helpers: Make phone 

calls or walk neighborhoods for 

our endorsed candidates. Contact 

Susan Martin 505-988-5206. 

smartin31@comcast.net. 

Public Lands activists: We need 

folks to work on off-road vehicle 

problems and protection of the 

BLM Badlands in the San Juan 

Basin. Contact Tom Gorman 

438-3932 or Norma McCallan, 

The group will address issues such 

as access to state trust land, clean-up 

of lands in a responsible manner, and 

creating partnerships with other public 

and private land owners to ensure that 

livestock, wildlife, and plant habitat are 

sustainably managed. 

Members are as follows: 

• Norma McCallan, Santa Fe 

• Ken Hughes, Santa Fe 

Reduce, reuse, revolutionize 


Santa Fe office 

meetings notice 


Excom/Conservation – 7-9 pm 

on first Tuesday of every month. 

Conservation topics will be 

addressed in the first hour. 


Political Team — 6 p.m., second 

Tuesday of each month — contact 

Susan Martin 988-5206 

Rio Grande Chapter Legislative 

Team meets 5:30-6:30 p.m. on 

the third Monday of each month. 

Call-in available. 

Rio Grande Chapter 

Communications Team meets at 

7-8 p.m., on the third Monday of 

each month. Call-in available. 

Santa Fe Office 

The Sierra Club office in Santa 

Fe is open each Wednesday 1-4 

p.m. The address is 1807 2nd 

Street, Unit 45. 

It is just north of El Patio restaurant, 

formerly Cloud Cliff. It is 

on the small, unnamed street just 

south of Lena Street. 

• Nathan Newcomer, Albuquerque 

• Carol Finley, Albuquerque 

• Michael Casaus, Albuquerque 

• Lisa Jennings, Albuquerque 

• Steve Cary, Santa Fe 

• Chris Catechis, Albuquerque 

• Steve West, Carlsbad 

• Ernie Atencio, Arroyo Seco 

• Scott Wilber, Santa Fe 

• Barbara Garrity, Albuquerque 

Northern News 

Another successful 

yard sale 

Our yard sale on May 12 attracted a number 

of visitors, and netted us an impressive $1018.95. 

Things looked a bit grim on Friday afternoon when 

a rare rainstorm blew in as we were sorting and pricing, 

but happily on Saturday it was cloudy, but dry. 

A BIG thank-you to Carole Owens for hosting 

this biannual event, and many thanks to our many 

members who brought in salable items and to the 

volunteers who sorted on Friday and/or worked sales 

on Saturday, including Ross Pope, Brenda Blume, 

Nicki Niclus, Janiece Jonsin, Dick & Suzanne 

Lawrence, Dana Middleton, Jim & Nadia Anhalt, 

Tom Gorman, Howard Kawazoe, Chuck Deucy, 

Miriam Ries, Pat Paterson, and Bonnie Detweiller. 

All unsold items were contributed to worthy 

causes: St. Elizabeth’s Shelter, Santa Fe Women’s 

Shelter, Habitat for Humanity, and the Goodwill. 

Trapping Road Show 

in Española 

Twenty eager-to-discuss residents and trappers 

from Española attended a public forum on the issue 

of fur trapping on public lands for commercial 

profit and recreation. Every year, non-target wildlife, 

domestic pets and dogs, are trapped and killed by 

the hundreds of thousands nationwide. This is an 

issue that has ignited public concern throughout 

the western states that still allow trapping. The 3 

trappers in the audience cited calf predation and 

trapping as a way one of them paid for his college 

tuition as reasons why they trap. They acknowledged 

the concerns of the other people present that 

trapping has caused some wildlife species to drastically 

decline. 

TrapFree NM, a coalition of citizens and wildlife 

groups including the Rio Grande Chapter of 

Sierra Club, Animal Protection NM, WildEarth 

Guardians and Born Free USA, hosted this event, 

part of a statewide forum on Public Lands Trapping. 

To learn more, visit nmsierraclub.org/wildlife. 

Volunteer recognition 

A lively turn out of close to 50 volunteers 

attended the Recognition Event in May at the 

Hilton Santa Fe. The food was delicious and conversation 

often turned to the upcoming elections! This 

annual event thanks all the hard working volunteers 

that make our projects, outings and events possible. 

Our appreciation to Alice for organizing this annual 

event. 

Sierra Club ’n’ Beer 

’n’ politicians! 

We had some 45 members and politicians attend 

our May Sierra Club ‘n’ Beer to enjoy a few hours 

on the Brewery patio and listen to candidates for the 

local county races and District races speak. 4 young 

campaign organizers from Martin Heinrich’s office 

came to notify the group about upcoming events 

in the last week of the campaign before the primary 

and to urge voters to participate! 


Sentinels: River monitoring, fishing 

By Eric Patterson 

The Sentinels — Rios de Taos have had a busy 

spring. 

June 2: Sentinel and Enchanted Circle 

Chapter of Trout Unlimited Board member Jim 

Morgan distributed rods and reels to children at the 

Lake Maloya fishing derby. About 80 kids participated. 

At the Santa Cruz Lake fishing derby for kids, 

Sierra Club and Trout Unlimited donated 16 rods 

and reels to participants. 84 kids participated. 

June 9: Sierra Club and Trout Unlimited collaborated 

at the Hopewell Lake fishing derby to give 

18 rods and reels, assorted fishing tackle, and Sierra 

Club backpacks to kids aged 5-12. About 100 kids 

participated. 

Water Sentinels — Rios de Taos co-sponsored the 

sixth annual Taos River and Trails Clean-up Day, 

along with Forest Service, BLM, Amigos Bravos, 

Roundup: Fracking, 

community rights 

Las Vegas passes 

community-rights 

ordinance 

A new law passed April 2 in a 3-1 

vote by the city of Las Vegas’ Council 

is not just a fracking ordinance. The 

ordinance asserts a basic “Community 

Bill of Rights,” declaring the right 

of all residents, natural communities 

and ecosystems to water from natural 

sources, to unpolluted water for use 

in agriculture, the rights of natural 

ecosystems to exist and flourish, and 

the rights of residents to protect their 

environment by enforcing these rights. 

Also enumerated is the right to a 

sustainable energy future and the right 

to local self-government. The law would 

make it unlawful for corporations to 

“engage in the extraction of oil, natural 

gas, or other hydrocarbons within the 

City of Las Vegas and its watersheds.” It 

legislates that corporations shall not have 

the rights of persons afforded by the 

U.S. and state constitutions. 

San Miguel County 

and fracking 

San Miguel County’s moratorium 

that bans the state from issuing 

permits for fracking and drilling will 

expire Feb. 12, 2013. A decision on 

whether to ban drilling permanently 

or allow fracking in the county will be 

in front of the commission within the 

next eight months. 

They will be faced with two options 

— to either protect the citizens’ water, 

air, and ecosystems or bring economic 

growth to the county in exchange for the 

natural resources: water and natural gas. 

Examples in New Mexico show 

us that the decision to drill results in 

health and environmental degradation. 

The San Miguel County Commission 

has been working on a regulatory ordinance 

since 2010. A regulatory ordinance 

allows drilling to take place — it 

simply regulates it. A ban via moratorium 

is only temporary, so does not fix 

the problem, just delays it. You cannot 

ban fracking under the existing system 

of law. What the San Miguel County 

Taos Contacts 

Eric Patterson, Director of Water Sentinels— 

Rios de Taos, 575/776-2833, eepatt@gmail.com 

Anna Walters, email alert list, annaainsworth@ 

kitcarson.net 

William Brown, The Climate Project, 

575/758-8008, nmglobalwarming@yahoo.com, 

www.nmglobalwarming.org 

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps and Centinel Bank. 

One hundred sixteen people showed up to clean up 

rivers and trails in the Taos area and collected over 

3,000 pounds of trash and recyclables. 

June 13: Water Sentinels—Rios de Taos held 

a training session in Valdez. Attending were the 

Sentinels and coalition allies from the board of 

directors of the Enchanted Circle Chapter of Trout 

Commission can do is to ban drilling, 

either by passing a “Community 

Rights”-based ordinance such as the 

city of Las Vegas or Pittsburgh did, or, 

within the existing structure of regulatory 

law, pass a regulatory ban such as 

France, the Czech Republic, Quebec 

Province and communities around the 

country and world have done. 

Mora County 

Commission 

Mora County Commission candidate 

Alfonso Griego pledged his 

commitment to the Mora County 

Community Water Rights and Local 

Self-Government Ordinance that will 

protect our water, land, health and 

future by banning fracking and oil and 

gas development. He beat the incumbent 

in the June 5 primary and faces no 

opposition in the general election. 

The current make-up of the 

commission has resulted in the 

Community Rights ordinance hanging. 

With incoming Griego supporting 

a ban on fracking, Mora County 

can expect to see a vote and a passage 

of this Community Rights Ordinance 

by the new Commission make-up 

sometime in early 2013. 

Coalition forms for 

community rights 

In June, citizens from several 

New Mexico communities formally 

launched the New Mexico Coalition 

for Community Rights. 

The creation of the coalition follows 

the adoption by the Las Vegas, N.M., 

City Council of the first Community 

Rights Ordinance in the state. That 

ordinance creates a Community Bill of 

Rights and bans natural gas fracking 

within the municipality. The Coalition 

will work to support the residents 

of Las Vegas to enforce their ordinance, 

and will work to replicate the 

ordinances across the state. For more 

information, contact Kathleen Dudley, 

(575) 666-2529, info@nmccr.org, 

www.nmccr.org. 

— Kathleen Dudley 

14 Rio Grande Sierran July/August/September 2012 

photos—michael berman 

Unlimited. ECTU is interested in monitoring the 

water quality of the Red River while the superfund 

clean-up takes place, and has volunteered five board 

members to assist in monitoring water quality. 

Rachel Conn, Sentinel and Amigos Bravos policy 

analyst, spoke about water-quality issues in Northern 

New Mexico and then explained how Sentinels’ 

data has been accepted and used by both the state 

U.S. Environment Department and the EPA to list 

streams as impaired. 

Everyone from both groups was trained in the use 

of our new streamside monitoring equipment. A little 

practice at streamside in the Rio Hondo concluded a 

very pleasant day. 

June 14: The first water monitoring of the season 

and the first ever for Trout Unlimited members. 

Samples were taken and analyzed form the Rio 

Pueblo de Taos, Rio Fernando de Taos, Rio Hondo 

and the Red River. 

8th annual 

river festival 

the wild river speaks! 

Come listen to New Mexico’s 

last free-flowing river! 

September 13–16, 2012 

Silver City, NM 

craig childs Author of 

The Secret Knowledge of Water 

michael berman Photography, 

Gila: Radical Visions, The Enduring Silence 

electro gila Multi-media electronic art exhibit 

kayaking, guided hikes, & more! 

schedule /registration 

www.gilaconservation.org 

Partially 

funded by 

Silver City 

Lodger’s 

Tax

Outings, continued from Page 16 

14er - Mt. Columbia. For details 

contact Royal Drews (505-699- 

87130). 

Saturday 28 Strenuous Hike to 

Glorieta Baldy/Thompson loop, 

including Ruiz Caynon approach and 

Glorieta Cayon (ghost town) return. 

About 16 miles, 3100’ gain, 1-2 dogs 

OK. Tobin Oruch (505-820-2844). 

August 

Saturday 4 A Walk in the Park: A 

hike between moderate and strenuous 

in the San Pedro Parks Wilderness. 

Expect about 10-12 miles round trip 

on easy-ish trails with little elevation 

gain on paths reaching the headwaters 

of several Northern NM streams. 

Call or write Michael Di Rosa (work: 

505-667-0095, home:505-663-0648). 

mddbbm@gmail.com) for details. 

Sunday 5 Easy hike on the NorSKI 

trail, just below the Windsor Trailhead. 

3.5-mile loop. Beautiful forest, flowers, 

scenery. Starting at 10,000 to 10,400. 

Friendly dogs welcome. Call Jo-Ann 

(505-919-9352). 

Saturday 11 Strenuous Hike to San 

Leonardo Lakes/Trampas Lakes loop. 

Very steep, off-trail section over spectacular 

Terrible Ridge, no exposure. 

About 14 miles, 3500’ gain. 1-2 dogs 

OK. Tobin Oruch (505-820-2844). 

Saturday 18 Moderate-Strenuous 

hike to Trampas Lake. 12 miles r/t. 

1200’ elevation gain. All day. Leave 

Santa Fe 6:30am. Cinny Green (505- 

699-4747). 

Saturday 18 Santa Fe River Cleanup, 

9a-11am Meet at Closson Street 

Footbridge by 9am. Bring work gloves, 

rubber boots helpful if recent rains. 

Leader will supply trash bags. Contact 

leader if attending. Damian Arndt (505- 

919-8289, damianarndt@gmail.com). 

Sunday 19 Strenuous hike to 

Deception Peak, possible 3-peak loop, 

depending on conditions. 7 or 11 

miles, 2500-3000’ gain. An exhilirating 

hike for experienced hikers. Dag Ryen, 

To contribute to the Sierran 

The Rio Grande Sierran is published 

four times a year, January, April, July 

and October, by the Rio Grande 

Chapter of the Sierra Club as a benefit for 

members living in New Mexico and West 

Texas. 

The opinions expressed in signed articles in 

the Rio Grande Sierran are the opinions of the 

writers and not necessarily those of the Sierra 

Club. Articles may be reprinted for nonprofit 

purposes, provided that credit is given to the 

author and the Rio Grande Sierran. (Please let 

us know if you reprint.) Products and services 

advertised in the Rio Grande Sierran are not 

necessarily endorsed by the Sierra Club. 

Contributions — articles, photos, artwork, 

poems, letters to the editor, paid advertisements 

— are welcome. Send to the editor 

(see directory, Page 2). Submissions by Rio 

Grande Chapter members will take precedence 

over others. Articles are subject to editing. 

Letters to the editor may be up to 500 words. 

The contributor’s name and email address will 

be printed as a source of more information, 

unless the contributor specifies otherwise. 

Submissions must be received by the 10th of 

Photo by John Roybal 

All kinds of critters greet outings participants. This guy 

showed up for a sunny day on Otowi Peak. 

(505- 466-4063). 1-2 dogs OK. 

Saturday 25 Moderate hike along 

the beautiful Goose Creek Trail in the 

Columbine Hondo Wilderness Study 

Area, near Red River. Peggy Nelson, 

longtime local resident and activist, 

will be our guest leader on this exploratory 

outing into the eastern portion of 

this high-mountain WSA, important 

for its watersheds and lush forests, 

which we are working to protect. The 

wildflowers should be good. Norma 

McCallan (505-471-0005). 

Sunday 26 Moderate-Strenuous hike 

to Deception Peak. 6 miles, 2300 feet 

elevation gain. Great 360 degree views 

from top. Extension to Lake Peak for 

anyone interested. Dogs OK. Michael 

Goldey (505-820-7302). 

Sunday 26 Mushroom hike, perhaps 

to La Vega or in that direction. Latest 

word from the weather service is that 

the monsoons will return by then. Art 

Judd (505-982 3212). 

Friday-Sunday, Aug. 31-Sept. 2 

Colorado 14er Wilson Peak. For details 

contact Royal Drews (505-699-8713). 

September 

Saturday 1 Strenuous hike to Gold 

Hill in Taos. 10 miles, 3,100 ft gain. 

Early start time, limit 10 people and 2 

the month prior to publication. 

Editorial practices as developed and 

adopted by the Rio Grande Chapter will be 

used in production of the Rio Grande Sierran. 

Contents of the Group pages are the 

responsibility of the editor for that Group 

and any policies that are in place from that 

Group. 

Nonmember subscriptions are $10 per 

year. Notify Norma McCallan (nmccallan@ 

mindspring.com) of your interest and mailing 

address; send check to our bookkeeper, 

Brintha Nathan, 1724 Callejon Emilia, Santa 

Fe, NM, 87501. Please allow eight weeks for 

processing. For extra copies, e-mail monablaber@gmail.com. 

If you wish to opt out of the mailed copy 

of this newsletter and read it online: Please 

contact our volunteer Ishwari Sollohub in 

Santa Fe (505-474-3945, ishwarisollohub@ 

yahoo.com) and tell her you want to be on 

the opt- out list. Put SIERRA CLUB in the 

subject line of your email. You will receive an 

email from Ishwari each time our quarterly 

paper has been put up on the website, so you 

can read it on your computer. 

dogs. Miguel Deluca (505-820-0042). 

Saturday 8 Strenuous hike: Santa 

Fe-Pecos crossover (groups start on 

each side with key exchange). 12 miles 

3000 ft, limit of 8 hikers. Daisy Levine 

(505-466 8338). 

Sunday 9 Easy/moderate hike to 

Deer Trap Mesa outside Los Alamos. 

About 5 miles -500 feet elevation gain 

- some rock scrambling on and about a 

mesa top which at times is narrow. No 

dogs. Michael Goldey (505-820-7302). 

Friday-Sunday, 14-16 Colorado 

14ers Mt Shavano and perhaps 

Tabaguache. For details contact Royal 

Drews (505-699-8713). 

Saturday 15 Santa Fe River Cleanup. 

9-11 a.m. Meet at Closson Street 

Footbridge by 9 a.m. Bring work gloves; 



leader if attending. Kathleen Davis 

(505-795-3286, kdav40@gmail.com). 

Sunday 16 Easy to Moderate East 

Fork of Jemez River 4 miles RT. 

Beautiful hike through forest, views, 

wild flowers, the river below and a 

great trail, could do a car shuttle and 

end up at Las Conchas trailhead — 

hike could then be 5 miles. Drive 

miles 110 RT. Friendly dogs welcome. 

Jo-Ann (505-919-9352). 

Outings notes 

Check group websites for 

updated information. All mileages 

are round-trip. Participants must 

sign a liability waiver. Bring water, 

lunch, sturdy hiking boots or 

shoes and clothing suitable for the 

weather. 

Leader reserves right to turn 

away anyone whose experience 

or equipment appears unsuitable. 

Leader may alter destination 

or cancel trip due to weather, 

unfavorable conditions, or insufficient 

number of participants. 

Unaccompanied minors need 

written permission from a parent 

or guardian. Ask leader for form. 

Dogs permitted only if so noted 

in write-up. Always call leader 

ahead to confirm participation and 

details. Please see nmsierraclub. 

org/outings for the most up-todate 

information. Send an e-mail 

to northern.group.nm@sierraclub. 

org to receive Tobin Oruch’s 

weekly email with updated 

outings information. 

Saturday 22 Strenuous hike to 

Ladrone Peak (near Bernardo). 

Gratifying when the summit is made, 

and always an adventure. Off trail 

on rugged terrain. Contact Michael 

Di Rosa (work 505-667-0095, home 

505-663-0648, mddbbm@gmail.com) 

for details. 

Sunday 23 Strenuous hike to Jicarita 

Peak. 11 miles, 2500’ gain. Classic 

northern NM high country hike. Dag 

Ryen, (505-466-4063). 1-2 dogs OK. 

Saturday 29 Strenuous Hike, Gold 

Hill (Taos) loop. Up Long Canyon, 

spectacular off trail, wide ridge above 

treeline, return on Gavilan Trail. About 

12 miles, 4000’ gain, early start, 1-2 

dogs ok. Tobin Oruch (505-820-2844). 

Want 9,000 readers to know your 

business supports the environment? 

Support our work and reach New Mexicans and 

El Pasoans by advertising in The Sierran! Write to 

monablaber@gmail.com for more information. 


Photo by Dag Ryen 

Hikers take a break on Burro Trail in Bandelier during an April 29 outing. Check Pajarito Outings for opportunities to help clean 

up debris and maintain Bandelier trails damaged by last year’s wildfires. 

OUTINGS: July, August, September 

Pajarito Group 

Saturday, July 14 Easy/moderate hike 

to Coyote Call and/or Rabbit Ridge in 

the Valles Caldera National Preserve. 

See how the forest is regenerating after 

the Las Conchas Fire. Ilse Bleck (505- 

662-2368, ibleck@yahoo.com). 

Saturday, Aug. 4 A Walk in the 

Park: A hike between moderate and 

strenuous in the San Pedro Parks 

Wilderness. Expect about 10-12 miles 

round trip on easy-ish trails with little 

elevation gain on paths reaching the 

headwaters of several Northern NM 

streams. Call or write Michael Di 

Rosa (work:667-0095 home:663-0648 


Saturday, Sept. 22 Strenuous hike 

to Ladrone Peak (near Bernardo). 

Gratifying when the summit is made, 

and always an adventure. Off trail on 

rugged terrain. Contact Michael Di 

Rosa (work: 667-0095 home:663-0648 


Sunday, Sept. 30 Bandelier trail 

work with Kevin Stillman, trails 

ranger. Help Kevin clean up some of 

the debris and downed trees from the 

Las Conchas fire along the backcountry 

trails. Long pants, sturdy boots & 

gloves needed. Ilse Bleck (505-662- 

2368) & Norma McCallan (505-471- 

0005). 

Southern Group 

Wednesday, Aug. 22 A relaxed 

Updated ‘Day Hikes’ is here! 

By Dag Ryen 

After untold hours of effort, 

the new edition of Day Hikes 

in the Santa Fe Area is available 

in local bookstores and outdoors 

shops. 

This new edition — the seventh 

since the guide was first published in 

1981 — features a wealth of updates 

and improvements, making it a 

must-have for outdoor enthusiasts 

across the region. 

Work on the new edition was 

already underway when last 

summer’s wildfires and subsequent 

flash floods brought devastation to 

many trails favored by local hikers. 

The dedicated reporters and editors 

responsible for the book redoubled 

their efforts, working with National 

Parks and Forest Service officials 

to determine which trails were still 

available, reconfiguring impacted 

hikes, and adding a few new ones to 

trek to Hillsboro Peak, leaving from 

the Forest Service office in TorC at 

7:30. Bring what you need for a day 

out with views and adventures. Call 

Margot at (575) 744-5860 for details 

and arrangements to meet in Hillsboro 

or at the trail head. This is an all day 

outing with elevation changes, bring 

reflect current conditions. The result 

is the most up-to-date and comprehensive 

hiking guide available for the 

Northern New Mexico area. 

The 7th edition of Day Hikes 

includes updated hiking directions, 

refined mileage and elevation data, 

and the latest information on trail 

conditions. 

While eliminating trails that are 

no longer open to the public, it 

includes new short hikes that will 

appeal to the novice hiker. Valuable 

features from earlier editions, such 

as the excellent maps provided by 

Greg Ohlsen at the Travel Bug and 

the hike summary chart, have been 

retained. In fact, the new version 

contains more than a dozen new or 

updated maps. 

Check the Sierra Club website, 

nmsierraclub.org, for information on 

where to get your copy of Day Hikes. 

rain gear, lunch, etc. 

Saturday, Sept. 22 Climb Sawyer’s 

Peak. We will meet at the General 

Store in Hillsboroat at 8 a.m. for 

breakfast and enjoy a lovely day on the 

trail. This will be an all-day outing; 

come prepared! Call Margot at (575) 

744-5860. 

Northern Group 

16 Rio Grande Sierran July/August/September 2012 

July 

Sunday 1 Columbine-Hondo trip 

POSTPONED to Aug. 25 

Wednesday, 4 Strenuous hike to 

Santa Fe Baldy. 14 miles, 3600’ gain. 

Traditional holiday ascent to Santa Fe’s 

towering icon. Fairly early start. 1-2 

dogs OK. Dag Ryen, (505-466-4063). 

Saturday 7 Moderate/Strenuous hike 

to Nambe lake. 7 miles, 2,100’ total 

gain. Limit of 10 people and 2 dogs. 

Miguel Deluca (505-820-0042). 

Sunday, 8 Moderate hike to 

Hamilton Mesa. 5-6 miles, 1000’ 

elevation gain. Great 360 degree views 

from extensive and flat mesa top. 

North of Pecos — 90-minute drive. 

Last 5 miles on dirt/gravel road. Highclearance 

vehicles desirable. Dogs OK. 

Michael Goldey (505-820-7302). 

Saturday 21 Santa Fe River Cleanup, 

9 to 11 a.m. Meet at Closson Street 

Footbridge by 9 am. Bring work gloves; 



leader if attending. Damian Arndt, 

505.919.8289, damianarndt@gmail. 

com 

Sunday 22 Moderate-strenuous hike 

to Trampas Lake. 12 miles r/t. 1200’ 

elevation gain. All day. Leave Santa Fe 

6:30 am. Cinny Green (505-699-4747). 

Friday-Sunday, 27-29 Colorado 

Continued on Page 15

Coal kills - Rio Grande Chapter

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