Coal kills - Rio Grande Chapter

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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 8 Rio Grande Sierran July/August/September 2012
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 July/August/September 2012 rio Grande Sierran 9
Page 1 and 2: Rio Grande Sierran News of the Rio
Page 3 and 4: This is it: A chance to kick coal B
Page 5 and 6: SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO GROUP Mining in
Page 7: CENTRAL NEW MEXICO GROUP Albuquerqu
Page 11 and 12: PAJARITO GROUP Pajarito Group riogr
Page 13 and 14: By Jessie Emerson Northern Group Re
Page 15 and 16: Outings, continued from Page 16 14e

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