Oil and Gas Activity Returns to Santa Fe County - Rio Grande Chapter

Rio Grande Sierran 

News of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club July/August 2007 

Oil and Gas Activity Returns to Santa Fe County 

Santa Fe County, a diverse and beautiful area 

with substantial art and culture and archaeology, 

and containing the City Different and the seat 

of state government, may be emerging as an oil and 

gas district. In the past few months, residents of Santa 

Fe County have been contacted by at least one oil and 

gas exploration company or simply noticed the caravans 

of oilfield “services” trucks struggling down the 

dirt road that runs along Galisteo Creek. There has 

been a flurry of market activity with respect to oil and 

gas leases. 

by Sigmund Silber 

Oil and gas took a run at Santa Fe County in the 

early 1980s, but then walked away, leaving potential 

environmental problems for landowners. Right now, 

the renewed oil and gas activity is concentrated just 

north of the Ortiz Mountains and less than 20 miles 

from the Roundhouse. Will oil and gas activity reach 

the “outskirts of the city of Santa Fe,” as described 

in one of the documents on file An examination of 

the plans submitted by the oil companies in the early 

1980s shows an interest in exploration that extends 

past Santa Fe, almost to Rio Arriba County. 

Inside 

Note from the Conservation 

Chair 3 

Welcome, Shrayas Jatkar 3 

Desert Rock Draft EIS 4 

Club’s New Eco-Office 4 

National Energy Legislation 4 

More Support Needed for 

Otero Mesa Moratorium 5 

Chaco Paving Update 5 

New Valles Caldera Group 5 

Energy-Saving Tips 6 

Wolf Pack Destroyed 6 

U.S. Attorney Firings 7 

Live Earth Concerts 15 

Petroglyph Lawsuit 

Withdrawn 15 

Selected Outings 16 

Group & Branch News 

Pajarito Group 8 

Northern Group 10-11 

Taos Branch 9 

Four Corners Branch 9 

Central Group 12 

Southern Group 13 

El Paso Group 14 

Improved seismic for exploration, 

the ability to fracture (“frac”) 

the oil and gas reservoir to increase 

oil and gas flows, and even newer 

techniques for increasing recoveries 

make previously marginal 

areas attractive to the oil and gas 

companies. These technological 

advances, combined with high and 

possibly even higher future oil and 

gas prices, lead to increased interest 

in Santa Fe County and other parts 

of New Mexico that have not been 

major oil- and gas-producing areas. 

In communities such as Santa Fe, 

where the economic contribution 

of oil and gas is likely to be relatively 

small, the potential for major 

environmental damage and the cost 

to the county of regulating and 

responding can be overwhelming. 

What are the implications of 

oil and natural gas and coal-based 

methane operations I will focus on 

oil and natural gas because so far 

that is what is being proposed in Santa Fe County. But 

that might change. 

Exploration and Drilling Concerns 

• What are the implications of drilling interacting 

with aquifers 

• Drilling in and near the Galisteo Creek flood 

plain will cause increased runoff and erosion. 

Will oilfield equipment wash down a flooded 

Galisteo Creek and crash into Galisteo Dam 

• You need a lot of water to drill and “frac” wells. 

Whose water 

• In the production phase, the cleanup and 

disposal of so-called produced water, which is 

recovered from the oil and gas, becomes a major 

problem. Who will monitor the reinjection of 

this water into the local aquifer 

• Who monitors if something goes wrong Will 

there be on-site staff to deal with problems 

such as leaks or fires Will Santa Fe County be 

equipped to respond to an emergency 

• Prior to construction of a gas pipeline, any gas 

Rio Grande Chapter 

Sierra Club 

P.O. Box 25342 

Albuquerque, NM 87125-5342 

Would the governor and state legislators want oil and gas drilling in their own 

backyard at the Roundhouse It’s already happening less than 20 miles away. We 

need state and county authorities to act quickly to protect the rest of Santa Fe 

County from drilling’s devastation. (Photo collage by Sigmund Silber) 

Explore, enjoy and protect the planet 

encountered will be burned (called “flaring”). 

What are the implications of that 

• The ground-up rock that was drilled needs to be 

removed from the so-called drilling mud, and 

the standard way of doing that is by constructing 

a large pit. Later, the pit will be removed or 

simply buried. Sounds like hazardous waste. 

• Where will the gas pipeline go and what will the 

impacts be Will the pipeline redefine the route 

of the Galisteo Creek in ways similar to the way 

in which the rail line has in the past led to a 

decline in the health of the creek 

• What will be the impact of travel by heavy 

equipment on dirt roads Who will pay for road 

repair 

• After drilling is completed, the pit will be gone 

but the other facilities will remain. Not a lovely 

sight for residents. How will the wildlife deal 

with it These same issues came up with respect 

to drilling in the Otero Mesa and Valle Vidal. 

We have lots of wildlife in the Ortiz Mountains 

(continued on page 6) 

Non-Profit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Albuquerque, NM 

Permit No. 612 

March/April 2006 Please direct correspondence to Susan Martin • Sierra Club • 802 Early Street, rio Grande Santa Fe, NM Sierran 87505

Rio Grande Chapter Directory 

E x e c u t i v e C o m m i t t e e 

Susan Martin, Chair & Council Delegate 

smartin31@comcast.net 988-5206 

Norma McCallan, Vice-Chair 

nmccallan@mindspring.com 471-0005 

Laurence Gibson, Secretary 

lgibson@utep.edu 915/594-7342 

Tom Robey, Treasurer 

trobey@cybermesa.com 955-9578 

Bill Addington, El Paso Group Rep. 

aguavida@valornet.com 915/369-2541 

Ilse Bleck, Pajarito Group Rep. 

ibleck@yahoo.com 662-2368 

John Buchser 

jbuchser@comcast.net 820-0201 

Dexter Coolidge, Northern Group Rep. 

dextercoolidge@yahoo.com 988-1197 

Jane L. Grider 

jane4u2@email2me.net 526-5620 

Cliff Larsen 

clarsen1@ix.netcom.com 466-2128 

Michal Mudd 

mudd_pi@mac.com 884-3315 

Eva Thaddeus, Central Group Rep. 

evathad@nmia.com 266-9646 

David Ther, Central Group Rep. 

grelbik@worldnet.att.net 260-1553 

John Waugh, Southern Group Rep. 

cactoblast@hotmail.com 526-7116 

Margot Wilson 

margotwilson40@hotmail.com 744-5860 

C h a p t e r O f f i c e 

Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club 

142 Truman NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 

243-7767 • fax 243-7771 

http://riogrande.sierraclub.org 

Dan Lorimier, Chapter Conservation Coordinator 

daniel.lorimier@sierraclub.org 243-7767 or 740-2927 

Building Environmental Communities 

Carol Oldham, Regional Representative 

carol.oldham@sierraclub.org 243-7767 

Shrayas Jatkar, Conservation Organizer 

shrayas.jatkar@sierrclub.org 243-7767 

Building Bridges to the Outdoors 

Michael Casaus 

michael.casaus@sierrclub.org 243-7767 

S i e r r a C l u b S t r u c t u r e 

The Club has three structural levels. The National Board 

of Directors determines the overall direction of the Club. 

The National Organization is subdivided into Chapters, 

and each Chapter is further divided into Groups. One 

representative from each Chapter reports to the National 

Board through the Council of Club Leaders. 

Central Group P.O. Box 25342, Albuquerque, NM 87125 

El Paso Group P.O. Box 9191, El Paso, TX 79995 

915/594-7342 

Northern Group 802 Early Street, Santa Fe, NM 87505 

983-2703 

Pajarito Group P.O. Box 945, Los Alamos, NM 87544 

Southern Group P.O. Box 735, Mesilla, NM 88046 

Southwest Regional Office 202 E. McDowell Road #277, 

Phoenix, AZ 85004 • 602/254-9330 • 

fax 602/258-6533 

Sierra Club National 85 Second Street, 2nd Floor, 

San Francisco, CA 94105 • 415/977-5500 

Address Changes 

T 

o update your mailing address with 

the Sierra Club, please send an email 

to address.changes@sierraclub.org or call 

Membership Services at 415/977-5649. 

C o n s e r v a t i o n I s s u e C h a i r s 

Conservation Chair Ken Hughes 474-0550 b1family@comcast.net 

Agriculture/CAFO John Buchser 820-0201 jbuchser@comcast.net 

Air Quality Doug Fraser 474-7615 fraser@thuntek.net 

Energy – Biomass Margot Wilson 744-5860 margotwilson40@hotmail.com 

Energy – Efficiency Gail Ryba 955-9578 gnryba@cybermesa.com 

Energy – Wind & Solar 

OPEN 

Forests Margot Wilson 744-5860 margotwilson40@hotmail.com 

Genetic Engineering Jim Hannan 988-5760 jhannan505@aol.com 

Global Warming Eva Thaddeus 266-9646 evathad@nmia.com 

Mining, Sand & Gravel Cliff Larsen 466-2128 clarsen1@ix.netcom.com 

Rangelands 

OPEN 

State Lands 

OPEN 

Trade Richard Barish 232-3013 rdbarish@aol.com 

Transportation Ken Hughes 474-0550 b1family@comcast.net 

Valles Caldera Ilse Bleck 662-2368 ibleck@yahoo.com 

Water John Buchser 820-0201 jbuchser@comcast.net 

Wilderness Mary Katherine Ray 772-5655 mkrscrim@kitcarson.net 

Wildlife Liz Walsh 915/747-5421 ewalsh@utep.edu 

Mary Katherine Ray 772-5655 mkrscrim@kitcarson.net 

A c t i v i s m C o m m i t t e e C h a i r s 

Elections Jim Hannan 988-5760 jhannan505@aol.com 

Environmental Justice 

OPEN 

Finance Committee Tom Robey 955-9578 trobey@cybermesa.com 

Fundraising Susan Martin 988-5206 smartin31@comcast.net 

Dexter Coolidge 988-1197 dextercoolidge@yahoo.com 

Legal Richard Barish 232-3013 rdbarish@aol.com 

Listserves Tom Robey 955-9578 trobey@cybermesa.com 

Membership Dexter Coolidge 988-1197 dextercoolidge@yahoo.com 

Nominating Richard Kristin 982-1671 pakan103@yahoo.com 

Personnel Ken Hughes 474-0550 b1family@comcast.net 

Political Committee Tom Robey 955-9578 trobey@cybermesa.com 

Legislative John Buchser 820-0201 jbuchser@comcast.net 

Political Compliance Officer Richard Barish 232-3013 rdbarish@aol.com 

Sierra Student Coalition 

OPEN 

Standing Rules Richard Barish 232-3013 rdbarish@aol.com 

Webmaster Geoffrey Brown 983-7349 PricelessPubs@comcast.net 

O u t i n g s C h a i r s 

Outings Ilse Bleck 662-2368 ibleck@yahoo.com 

Norma McCallan 471-0005 nmccallan@mindspring.com 

Inner City Outings Ted Mertig 915/852-3011 tmertig@earthlink.net 

C o a l i t i o n s / W o r k i n g G r o u p s i n w h i c h t h e C h a p t e r P a r t i c i p a t e s 

Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy Jim Hannan 988-5760 jhannan505@aol.com 

Dexter Coolidge (Alt.) 988-1197 dextercoolidge@yahoo.com 

New Mexico Wilderness Coalition OPEN 

Otero Mesa Coalition Margot Wilson 744-5860 margotwilson40@hotmail.com 

River Otter Working Group Roger Peterson 983-7559 rogpete@aol.com 

Rio Puerco Management Committee Barbara Johnson 466-4935 lunah3@comcast.net 

Sustainable Energy Coalition Gail Ryba 955-9578 gnryba@cybermesa.com 

Valles Caldera Coalition Ilse Bleck 662-2368 ibleck@yahoo.com 

Valle Vidal Coalition Dexter Coolidge 988-1197 dextercoolidge@yahoo.com 

Norma McCallan (Alt.) 471-0005 nmccallan@mindspring.com 

N a t i o n a l & R e g i o n a l R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s 

Southwest Rivers John Buchser 820-0201 jbuchser@comcast.net 

Council of Club Leaders Delegate Susan Martin 988-5206 smartin31@comcast.net 

Norma McCallan (Alt.) 471-0005 nmccallan@mindspring.com 

S i e r r a n (see also page 15) 

Editorial Board Chair Norma McCallan 471-0005 nmccallan@mindspring.com 

Managing Editor Marty Peale 983-0841 mpeale@newmexico.com 

Editor Ellen Cavalli 579-0016 ellen@fireballindustries.com 

All numbers are area code 505 unless otherwise specified. 

Rio Grande Sierran July/August 2007

Info for Activists & a Word from Your Chapter 

Political Contact Information 

President George Bush 

The White House 

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20500 

202/456-1111 • fax 202/456-2461 

president@whitehouse.gov 

Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne 

1849 C Street 


202/208-3100 • fax 202/452-5124 

dirk_kempthorne@ios.doi.gov 

New Mexico 

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman 

703 Hart Senate Building 


202/224-5521 • fax 202/224-2852 

senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov 

119 East Marcy, Suite 101 

Santa Fe, NM 87501 

505/988-6647 

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici 

328 Hart Senate Building 


202/224-6621 • fax 202/228-3261 

senator_domenici@domenici.senate.gov 

1205 South Federal Place, Suite 104 


505/988-6511 

U.S. Representative Tom Udall 

1414 Longworth House Office Building 


202/225-6190 • fax 202/226-1331 

www.house.gov/tomudall/ 

811 St. Michaels Drive, Suite 104 


505/984-8950 • fax 505/986-5047 

U.S. Representative Heather Wilson 

318 Cannon House Office Building 


202/225-6316 • fax 202/225-4975 

www.house.gov/wilson/ 

20 First Plaza NW, Suite 603 

Albuquerque, NM 87102 

505/346-6781 • fax 505/346-6723 

U.S. Representative Steve Pearce 

1408 Longworth House Office Building 


202/225-2365 • fax 202/225-9599 

400 North Telshore, Suite E 

Las Cruces, NM 88011 

505/522-2219 • fax 505/522-3099 

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson 

State Capitol, Room 400 


505/827-3000 

www.governor.state.nm.us/contact.php 

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 

www.house.gov/reyes/ 

A Note from the Conservation Chair 

My wife and I recently returned from a 

wondrous trip to Cambodia. A constant 

companion, one that likely staved off 

many a tropical disease, was bottled water. In a world 

where open sewers are ubiquitous and running water 

is a luxury, everyone who can afford it utterly relies 

on bottled water. That and cell phones, of course. 

Bottled water is even more ubiquitous back home, 

so much so that many Americans use hands-free cell 

phones to free up one hand to hold the plastic bottle. 

But one wonders whether all this convenience comes 

with the touted health benefits, or whether the disappearance 

of public water fountains is a sign of a lack 

of trust in our public water systems. 

The truth is that throughout New Mexico we 

spend millions a year so we can have world-class water 

safe from debilitating diseases. Tap water is much 

more highly regulated than bottled water and tested 

way more often for contaminants, except for lead. By 

contrast, there are no regulations on words put on 

bottled water labels. And when it comes to taste, tap 

water often beats out bottled water in blind tests. 

The Sierra Club has found that Americans annually 

consume over 8 billion gallons of bottled water yet 

toss out 90% of the 25 billion plastic water bottles. 

Making these bottles releasing toxics such as benzene 

and ethylene oxide into the environment. Most 

bottles once used, and used once, end up in landfills. 

Welcome, Shrayas Jatkar 

Shrayas Jatkar has accepted the position as 

the Sierra Club’s newest BEC Conservation 

Organizer in Albuquerque. Shrayas is a graduate 

of the Elliott School of International Affairs at 

the George Washington University in Washington, 

DC where he majored in International Politics and 

minored in Sociology. He recently completed a stint 

at Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping 

(CARD) where he participated in the ongoing 

campaign to oppose nuclear waste reprocessing just 

outside of Roswell; he continues to volunteer in that 

effort. Prior to CARD, he was with the Center for 

Economic Justice in Albuquerque where he gained 

experience with the World Bank Bonds Boycott 

among many other things. Shrayas also served as 

a canvasser for Clean Water Action. On the labor 

front, Shrayas has worked as an organizer with the 

Campaign for Labor Rights in Washington, DC and 

interned with the Service Employees International 

Union in Los Angeles. 

In between working at CARD and the Center for 

Economic Justice, Shrayas lived in India, where he 

observed and documented village-level watershed 

development projects. He hopes to begin sharing the 

knowledge about sustainable water management in 

India with interested communities in New Mexico in 

his free time. In addition to Marathi (the predominant 

language in the state of Maharashtra, India), 

Shrayas also speaks German. 

Shrayas has found working with communities of 

color and with young people to be especially rewarding. 

He has developed strong working relationships 

with social and environmental justice organizations in 

the few years that he has lived in Albuquerque. 

Outside of work, Shrayas has a particular passion 

for theater and advocates the use of acting and theater 

in learning and education. He is part of the cooperative 

that runs Out ch’Yonda Live Artz Studio in 

Albuquerque’s Barelas neighborhood, which serves as 

Then there’s the cost. Tap water is probably too low, 

at .0015 cents per gallon. Filtered water is 13 cents. For 

bottled water, it’s a whopping $1.27 a gallon, according 

to the American Water Works Assocation. In 2002, 

Americans paid $7.7 billion for bottled water. When 

it costs 1,000 times more for bottled water than tap, 

no wonder firms such as Nestle, Coke, and Pepsi are 

making a fortune on bottled water, with the latter two 

bottling tap water with some additional treatment. 

The Sierra Club asks that you get off the bottle: 

• Use pitchers of water at work and events. 

• Use containers, preferably steel-lined, that you 

can refill with tap water when you are away from 

home. 

• If there is a problem with water quality in your 

community, use a good-quality water filter. 

• Advocate for adequate funding and good public 

management of municipal water systems. 

• Monitor unusual land purchases near natural 

springs. 

• Talk with your solid-waste authority to find out 

how plastic bottles are disposed of. If the bottles 

are recycled, can you track where they actually go 

What use is being made out of the recycled plastic 

bottles 

For more information, visit the Sierra Club website 

(www.sierraclub.org/cac/water). 

—Ken Hughes 

a space primarily for artists of color. Shrayas often acts 

in plays produced by OmniRootz, the resident theater 

company of Out ch’Yonda. 

Shrayas’s started his new job on May 21. Shrayas’s 

BEC work will be focused on our Smart Energy and 

Global Warming campaign in the Albuquerque area. 

His own personal contribution to the effort is not owning 

a motor vehicle and making good use of Albuquerque’s 

transit system. He can be reached at shrayas 

.jatkar@sierrclub.org. 

—Lawson Legate 

Rio Grande Chapter Quarterly Meetings 

The Chapter’s Conservation and Executive 

Committee meetings will be held in September. 

Location to be determined. Contact 

Conservation Chair Ken Hughes or Chapter 

Chair Susan Martin (see masthead page 2) for 

more information. Carpooling is encouraged. 

Chapter Candidates Invited 

If you would like to be considered to run for 

the Executive Committee of the Rio Grande 

Chapter, you are invited to contact your group 

representative on the election committee: Central 

Group – Eva Thaddeus; El Paso Group 

– Ted Mertig; Northern Group – Richard Kristin; 

Pajarito Group – Ilse Bleck; and Southern 

Group – Glenn Landers. (See Group pages for 

contact information.) 

Please send your representative a written 

statement explaining your qualifications and 

plans for the Chapter’s work. Include your contact 

information. The deadline is for receipt of 

proposed candidates is August 10. 

July/August 2007 rio Grande Sierran

Energy 

Your Action Needed to Stop Desert Rock 

We have had great victories on Desert Rock 

already, but you can help us do even 

more! On May 22, the Bureau of Indian 

Affairs (BIA) released a draft Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) on the Desert Rock Power Plant, 

which strongly supports it, and public hearings will 

be held starting in July. We need your help in commenting 

on the draft. We are continuing to work 

with groups in the area, including Dooda Desert 

Rock and San Juan Citizens Alliance, to make sure 

our voices are heard. 

Hearing: It looks like our comments and requests 

had some impact: hearings are scheduled for Santa 

Fe and Albuquerque. The original schedule has been 

canceled and a new schedule is expected to be announced 

for July. The new schedule will appear on 

the project website (www.desertrockenergy.com) and 

the Chapter website (http://riogrande.sierraclub.org). 

Comments: We need everyone to weigh in and say 

that they think this is a bad idea. It is best if you can 

come to one of the hearings and comment in person. 

The next best is to comment through a letter to 

the BIA. Please send your thoughts on the project to 

these two officials: Harrilene Yazzie, NEPA Coordinator, 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Regional 

Office, P.O. Box 1060, Gallup, NM 87305; Jennifer 

Pyne, Project Manager, URS Corporation, 7720 

North 16th St., Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85020. 

Please copy the Sierra Club by email (carol 

.oldham@sierraclub.org) or by regular mail 

(142 Truman NE, Albuquerque NM 87102). 

The third best is to send your comments via email 

to the BIA. Please do this by clicking on the “Comment 

on the Project” tab at www.desertrockenergy 

.com and filling out the form. Again, please email a 

copy of your comment to us at the Sierra Club and 

indicate that you are doing so on the BIA comment 

form. The reason we want copies is in case the BIA 

misplaces what you send to them. 

If you are an expert in anything having to do with 

the project (energy, toxicology, economics, etc.), 

please contact Carol Oldham and we will work out a 

way for your comments to carry special weight. 

The actual text of the draft EIS can be found on 

the project website (www.desertrockenergy.com) 

under “Project Documents/Presentations.” 

For more information about the negative impacts 

of the proposed Desert Rock power plant, visit the 

Chapter website (http://riogrande.sierraclub.org), or 

contact Carol Oldham (243-7767, carol.oldham@ 

sierraclub.org). 

—Carol Oldham 

Congress Debates National Energy Bills 

The following article pertains to legislation in 

Congress that was under debate during the 

month of June. Given the nature of legislative 

debates, it is important to note that the statements 

below were accurate at the time of writing only. 

Just as temperatures are beginning to rise here in 

New Mexico, the debate in Congress on momentous 

energy legislation is starting to heat up. People could 

save big at the pump and on their monthly energy 

bills. The legislation, however, may end up being too 

weak to provide any meaningful benefit. It is critical 

that we continue calling and reminding our representatives 

that we want meaningful action on global 

warming and real change in our energy policies. 

There are several pieces of legislation currently being 

debated, each of which could help curb global warming, 

create good clean jobs, and cut our dependence 

on oil and other polluting sources of energy. 

Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) 

At the time of writing, there is a standoff in the 

Senate on RES legislation – a mandate requiring 

utilities to supply a certain percentage of electricity 

from renewable sources (wind, solar, biomass, and 

geothermal). Senator Bingaman is sponsoring an 

amendment that would set a federal RES of 15% by 

2020. Although this standard is lower than the one 

recently passed by our state legislature (20% by 2020), 

Bingaman’s amendment is worthy of our support. 

This is because a federal RES of 15% would significantly 

curb global warming and improve public health 

by encouraging clean and safe energy generation 

rather than more coal-fired power plants. A federal 

RES would ensure furthermore that these benefits 

reach those people living in states that have not yet 

passed their own RES. The opportunity to adopt a 

strong Renewable Electricity Standard, however, may 

be squandered. Senator Domenici is currently leading 

a filibuster against Bingaman’s amendment. 

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) 

Standards 

In June, the Senate passed the “DRIVE oil savings” 

amendment, which directs the Executive Branch to set 

federal requirements to achieve a 2.5 million barrelper-day 

(mbd) reduction in U.S. oil consumption by 

2016 and a 10 mbd reduction by 2031. Also in June, 

the Senate approved a bill that would mandate that 

the average fuel economy for autos would increase to 

35 mpg by 2020. For the first time, this legislation 

includes standards for light trucks. The Sierra Club is 

working hard to strike any exemptions for automakers 

as well as other measures that would limit the impact 

of the final legislation. 

Liquid Coal 

The emphasis in Congress has been mostly on smart 

energy solutions, which went a long way towards 

defeating attempts to establish a liquid-coal industry. 

The amendment sponsored by Senators Bunning and 

Domenici – essentially a mandate of 6 billion gallons 

of liquid coal by 2022 – as well as the Tester amendment 

($10 billion in loan guarantees to less-polluting 

liquid-coal plants, co-sponsored by Senators Bingaman 

and Salazar) were both voted down in June. 

New amendments may surface, and given the record 

of our representatives, we will probably need to help 

them understand that liquid coal is in fact the dirtiest 

and most expensive energy gamble we could take. 

Several other pieces of legislation – namely energy 

efficiency standards and biofuels development – will 

come to the forefront over the summer, and we will 

need to respond immediately. With public involvement 

in the process, we can help ensure that our 

elected leaders seize the historic opportunity before 

them. Strong and resolute legislation must be passed 

if we expect to deal a serious blow to global warming 

and to lay the foundation of a new, safe, clean, and 

vibrant economy. 

If we want the laws that are passed to make a serious 

and lasting impact, then we all need to be organizers: 

to go out and talk to our family, friends, neighbors, 

and co-workers. And be leaders in our actions that 

make a real difference – turning our goals into reality. 

For more information, contact Shrayas Jatkar 

(243-7767, shrayas.jatkar@sierraclub.org) or visit the 

Chapter’s website (http://riogrande.sierraclub.org). 

—Shrayas Jatkar 

Club Moves into 

New Eco-Office 

Our new Eco-Office (ēo) functions as an 

adaptive entity, responding to climate and 

community and reflecting the intentions 

and values of the people and businesses it houses: the 

NM Wilderness Alliance, the Sierra Club, Quercus, 

and Environmental Dynamics, Inc. (EDI). Our 

landlord, EDI, is based on the vision of integrating 

building systems with green technology and sustainable 

resources to create desirable living and working 

environments. 

Site Treatment 

Developed land has a diminished capacity for 

absorbing rainfall. The resulting stormwater runoff 

can erode the earth’s surface and degrade streams and 

lakes. We increased the permeability of our site by 

breaking up asphalt and concrete slab and replacing 

it with xeric plantings. The reconfigured roof slopes 

will capture all the rainwater off the roof and store it 

in a future underground cistern system, which will 

irrigate our landscape and serve as a thermal battery 

in our radiant/solar heating and cooling system. Our 

new “cool” roof is well-insulated and covered with a 

highly reflective surface. On a portion of the roof, we 

have also installed the first demonstration green roof 

in Albuquerque. 

Water 

In addition to using captured rainfall for landscape 

irrigation, all existing fixtures were upgraded with 

water-saving aerators and devices that use lavatory 

wastewater to flush toilets. Newly installed fixtures 

are the most water-efficient presently available on the 

market. By using these strategies, we have achieved 

an estimated 30% of water savings as compared to 

baseline performance. 

Energy 

At ēo, we have reduced loads by optimizing the 

building envelope (better windows and doors and a 

new roof), introducing daylighting, and installing 

efficient lighting throughout the interiors. We are in 

the process of developing an innovative, synergistic 

prototype for heating and cooling that integrates 

solar thermal and PV panels with interior radiant 

and heat exchange systems as well as passive solar and 

ventilation technologies. This new system is expected 

to meet all energy needs and actually “spin the meter 

backwards,” generating energy for the city grid. 

Materials and Resources 

In addition to reusing 50% of the existing shell 

and structural elements of our building, over 5% of 

our purchased construction materials were reused, 

refurbished, or salvaged. 

Most of the building products have recycled 

content or content that is extracted and manufactured 

regionally and made from rapidly renewable 

materials. Over 30% of our construction materials 

have recycled content, come from regional sources, 

or are made from rapidly renewable materials. The 

innovative lime stucco application (manufactured 

from regional and recycled materials) we used on the 

building’s exterior reduces “heat-island” effect and 

protects the building’s interior. 

We have ensured indoor air quality by increasing 

outdoor air ventilation, eliminating the use of paints 

and carpets that emit VOCs, using high-performance 

filters, and designing for thermal comfort. Through 

the use of skylights, clerestory windows, and overhead 

doors, ēo provides daylight and views for 100% 

of all regularly occupied spaces. 

—Stace McGee 


Public Lands 

More Support Needed to Push Otero Mesa Drilling Moratorium 

For more than five years, the debate over drilling 

in Otero Mesa has been waged in the press and 

on the ground. For many it has been a fight 

about protecting the largest and wildest Chihuahuan 

desert grassland remaining on our federal public lands 

from the ravages of oil and gas development. 

Recently, more awareness has focused on the vast 

quantities of fresh water that lie just beneath Otero 

Mesa, in what is known as the Salt Basin. Conservative 

estimates generated by the U.S. Geological Survey, 

Interstate Stream Commission, and Sandia National 

Labs say that there’s enough fresh water in the Salt 

Basin to supply 1 million New Mexicans for 40 years. 

This is a lot of water that must be preserved for the 

future quality of life of southern New Mexicans. 

In late April, 200 people showed up to a public 

forum in Alamogordo to learn more about the wildness 

of Otero Mesa and the water potential of the Salt 

Basin. This was not a group of rabid environmentalists; 

rather, it was a cross-section of the community— 

ranchers, sportsman, housewives, retirees, and citizens 

from Ruidoso, Capitan, Carrizozo, and Las Cruces. 

What came from that meeting was a strong determination 

by the people to see a three-year moratorium 

put in place to stop any oil and gas development while 

state and federal agencies continue to study the large 

Salt Basin aquifer. 

It makes absolute sense for the federal government 

to put the breaks on and be prudent when it comes 

to our future water supplies, especially given all of the 

cases of groundwater contamination due to oil and gas 

drilling. 

In 2005, a report released by the New Mexico 

Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department 

documented 1,400 cases of groundwater polluted by 

drilling operations. 

Preliminary reports of the Salt Basin show that the 

recharge areas of the Salt Basin are generally vulnerable 

to the introduction of contaminants. 

The Basin also contains areas of rapid 

groundwater movement, which can 

make the entire system vulnerable to 

the rapid spread of pollution. 

In February, Governor Richardson 

secured $1 million to study the 

aquifer of the Salt Basin and has 

repeatedly asked that Otero Mesa 

be protected. This spring, Senator 

Bingaman, Senator Domenici, and 

Congressman Udall wrote letters to 

the Department of the Interior and 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

requesting a moratorium on any 

oil and gas drilling and leasing in Otero Mesa. This 

bipartisan leadership clearly demonstrates that New 

Mexico’s fresh water is more important than a few 

days’ worth of oil and gas. 

However, on June 1, the Bush Administration 

rejected the unprecedented bipartisan request for a 

moratorium by our congressional delegation. This is a 

slap in the face to New Mexicans, Senators Bingaman 

and Domenici, and Congressman Udall. 

The Bush Administration is out of touch with the 

needs of New Mexicans, and the Congress and local 

elected officials that represent them. There has been 

a groundswell of support for deferring oil and gas 

activity at Otero Mesa. In addition to the delegation’s 

letters supporting a moratorium, the Doña Ana 

County Commission passed a resolution supporting a 

moratorium. 

Please contact Senators Bingaman and Domenici 

(see contact info page 3) and urge them to add a legislative 

moratorium amendment to the New Mexico 

Aquifer Assessment Act of 2007. The act, if passed, 

would study several aquifers in New Mexico, including 

the Salt Basin, to determine water recharge rates, 

Valles Caldera Coalition Passes the Torch 

to Caldera Action! 

With summer greening the Valles Caldera 

National Preserve, a new group has 

formed to advocate for the wild, natural, 

and cultural values of the Preserve and appropriate 

public access to this 89,000-acre gem of public land. 

Our new organization, called Caldera Action!, has a 

board of directors that includes steering committee 

members from the former Valles Caldera Coalition. 

Our 501(c)3 status is pending, and we invite vigorous 

participation from all who share our awe of and 

concern for the Valles. 

Here are the mission and vision guiding our work: 

Vision: Inspired by the majesty of the Valles Caldera, 

we envision the restoration and protection of its 

unique natural and cultural heritage, so that present 

and future generations can experience the sense of 

wonder that comes from individual discovery in this 

ecologically and culturally significant landscape. 

Mission: Our organization fosters active citizen 

participation in the restoration, protection, and appreciation 

of the Valles Caldera National Preserve, for 

the long-term benefit of the place itself, the American 

public, and visitors from around the world. 

Meanwhile, the Valles Caldera Trust is finally 

beginning formal, long-range, preserve-wide resource 

management planning at the Preserve. Rather than 

complete a comprehensive plan for the Preserve as 

many have long advocated, three separate National 

Environmental Planning (NEPA) processes will occur, 

led by “Forage Management” (addressing grazing 

by elk and cattle, and other uses of the grasslands). 

This will be followed by “Public Access” (addressing 

recreation, education and research), and “Forestry” 

(addressing forest and fire management). 

An open house in mid-June launched the forage/ 

grazing planning process. Anyone interested in elk 

and cattle at the VCNP can now express their views 

formally to the Trust’s board and staff. This is a critical 

opportunity for shaping the troubled cattle program 

at the Valles as well as elk management. We now have 

a chance to address serious water-quality and woodyplant 

reproduction problems at the Preserve as well as 

economic aspects of cattle grazing. Contact the Trust’s 

Natural Resources Coordinator Marie Rodriguez 

(661-3333, mrodriguez@vallescaldera.gov), the public 

outreach coordinator for Public Access planning specifically 

(mary@maryorton.com), or our organization 

(info@vcc.org). 

Three new trustees officially joined the Valles 

Board of Trustees at a public meeting in mid-June in 

Los Alamos. Appointed by President Bush, they are 

Stephen Henry (Fish, Wildlife and Recreation), James 

D. Range (Conservation), and Edward R. Tinsley 

(Financial Management). The next public board meetings 

are scheduled for September 6 in Jemez Springs 

and December 11 in Santa Fe. These meetings offer 

opportunity for direct public comment and oversight. 

For more information, contact Tom Ribe, President 

of the Caldera Action! organization (690-0305), and 

Vice President Tom Jervis (info@vcc.org). 

—Tom Ribe 

Otero Mesa grasslands. (Photo by Stephen Capra) 

the relationship between surface and sub-surface water 

flow, and the vulnerability to contamination. However, 

there is nothing legally preventing the BLM from 

moving forward with its oil and gas leasing program 

in Otero Mesa. This is why a legislative moratorium 

is paramount if we are to fully study the Salt Basin 

aquifer under Otero Mesa. 

For more info, contact Nathan Newcomer, NM 

Wilderness Alliance (843-8696, nathan@nmwild.org). 

—Nathan Newcomer 

Chaco Gas Wells 

Halted, but County 

Pursues Paving 

On June 6, Cimarex Corporation officially 

tabled its proposed gas wells south of 

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, 

saying it had indefinitely postponed its exploration 

on the leases granted to them by the New Mexico 

State Land Office. Cimarex will seek compensation 

from the state to cover what it sees as a potential loss 

in income from its decision not to drill. Public pressure 

from many groups including the Sierra Club, 

the Chaco Alliance, and the San Juan Citizens Alliance 

was instrumental in halting this disastrous venture. 

San Juan County, however, has not backed off 

its ill-fated desire to pave the remaining 13 miles of 

gravel road into Chaco. Although some county commissioners 

support improvements other than paving, 

the tenaciousness of County Commission Chair 

James Henderson appears to have triumphed, and 

the County will begin an Environmental Assessment 

(EA), which will include the paving option. San Juan 

County has produced no supporting evidence, but 

it continues to use safety and access as reasons for 

paving. 

A quarter of a millon dollars will be used to do 

the EA, thus invoking important National Environmental 

Protection Act (NEPA) standards. But Rep. 

Tom Udall (see contact info page 3) should call for 

an extensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), 

not simply the less-thorough EA. He must also be 

urged not to grant any more federal money for this 

project, and to support low-impact improvements 

to the road like good signs, good fencing, and better 

maintenance instead of paving. Please send emails to 

San Juan County Commissioner James Henderson 

(hendersonj@sjcounty.net) and Federal Highway 

Administrator J. Don Martinez (johndon.martinez@ 

fwha.dot.gov) in support of an EIS and against paving. 

Public meetings may begin this summer as part 

of the NEPA process. Visit www.dont-pave-chaco 

.com for meeting times and updates. 

—Anson Wright, Coordinator, Chaco Alliance 


Conservation 

What Can You Do to Save Energy 

We all have many opportunities to save on 

energy by reducing our energy footprint. 

Most actually save you money and are 

really not inconvenient to do. 

Water Heaters 

One of the largest energy hogs in our households 

are water heaters. There are many ways to cut our hot 

water usage without affecting our standard of life, and 

most have been published before. Even with a dog to 

prewash our dirty dishes, most of us hand wash them 

after or use a dishwasher. Don’t leave the hot water 

running while washing them; use what’s sufficient to 

scrub what the dog leaves behind, then run the hot 

water to rinse them. If you use a dishwasher, store the 

dirty dishes inside until the machine is filled, and only 

then run it. I check my electric meter daily, and it 

indicates the increased usage when I wash my dishes. 

Showers and baths are another heavy use of hot 

water. In the shower, you can greatly reduce the 

amount of hot water used by wetting down, then 

with the water off, soaping up and scrubbing, and 

then turning the water back on to rinse. Also there’s 

no reason to leave the water running while brushing 

your teeth or shaving. Another saver is a flow restrictor 

in the shower head. Dollar savings may be small 

and water savings may not seem that much until you 

consider the huge savings if several million households 

in the country implemented these actions. 

Lighting and TV 

Watch your lighting. Don’t leave your lights on all 

over the house if you’re only active in one or two 

rooms. Compact fluorescents are an excellent energy 

saver for hall lights, porch lights, and even in the 

kitchen. 

TVs also use a lot of energy. If you’re not watching 

it or are going out, turn it off. It saves energy 

and the TV will last longer. 

Vehicles 

Our vehicles also are frequently overused. Sure, 

we have to commute to work or carpool, but there 

are still many avenues for savings on our shopping 

trips in town. Unless you have to use the handicapped 

parking area, pick the first open parking slot. 

Nothing uses gas like cruising back and forth, looking 

for parking a few feet closer to the store’s front 

door. Besides, the extra distance walked adds to your 

MDR of exercise. Try to combine your shopping 

trips to stop at several stores on one trip. You save 

gas, and only have to fight traffic once. Keep your 

vehicle maintained, which will improve your gas 

mileage and should pay for itself. Again, these are 

things that will put money in your pocket. It’s nice 

to trade in your vehicle for a more fuel-efficient one, 

but for those of us that can’t do that, these suggestions 

can still lead to surprising savings from not 

visiting the money-thirsty gas pumps as often. 

For more tips, contact the Southern Group’s 

Global Warming Chair Earle Pittman (541-6281, 

espittman@zianet.com), or visit the National Sierra 

Club website (www.sierraclub.org). 

—Earle Pittman 

Wolf Pack Destroyed 

On May 26, the alpha male wolf of the Saddle 

pack in Southern NM was trapped and 

removed from the wild. His mate and their 

puppies were trapped a few days later. The alpha 

female began killing cattle only after scavenging on the 

carcass of a cow that had previously died from another 

cause, but the pack’s last depredation was two months 

ago and they may never have preyed on livestock again. 

Cattle in the wild die every day from many causes, and 

wolf depredation is among the least of them. 

The history of this pack is a tale of wolf mismanagement 

writ large. The mother of the alpha female died 

of capture-related stress two years ago. She also began 

preying on cattle after scavenging a carcass. The alpha 

female’s father was hit by a car after his pack split up 

following trapping and re-release. Most of her siblings 

and puppies from her three previous litters were killed 

by poachers or from trap-related capture and stress. 

Her first mate, even though he was genetically irreplaceable, 

was shot by government agents. Another 

pack member was shot from the air only last March. 

The alpha male of the Saddle pack was born in 

captivity and is also extremely valuable genetically. He 

is related to all three lineages of surviving Mexican 

wolves. But he will spend the rest of his life in captivity, 

along with his puppies and his mate. 

Mexican wolves are being re-exterminated from the 

wild to mollify the livestock industry. Let Governor 

Richardson (see contact info page 3) know that wolves 

belong in the wild. For more info, contact Wildlife Co- 

Chair Mary Katherine Ray (see masthead page 2). 

—Mary Katherine Ray 

Oil and Gas Activity (continued from page 1) 

and north of the Ortiz including deer, bear, 

cougar. There are migration routes along the 

Galisteo Creek dating back to Pueblo days. 

• Some say you can’t walk in the Galisteo Basin 

without being at an archaeological site. Who 

will protect them Does the Bingaman Act 

address this 

Further complicating the matter is the fact that 

most landowners in New Mexico own only the surface 

rights, not the rights to the oil and gas and other 

minerals under the surface. Many oil and gas rights 

are owned by the State Land Office and the federal 

government, which generally lease these rights to the 

highest bidder. 

If you do own the rights to the oil and gas under the 

surface, you can control your fate, right Not so fast; 

there is something called involuntary pooling. When a 

well is drilled and they start pumping, the oil or natural 

gas that they get does not observe the boundaries 

on plats. It may well come from under your land, even 

if you own the oil and gas rights and refuse to participate 

in the oil venture. Yes, you will get paid for your 

oil and gas under state law. Can forced participation in 

an oil or natural gas pool end up with drilling activity 

on your land so as to better achieve conservation of 

the oil resource That is an outstanding question. 

There are safeguards, right Well, maybe. We did 

pass the Surface Owners Protection Act in the last 

session of the Legislature. 

What the Act Does 

• Establish procedures for notifying surface owners 

of the intent of oil operators to explore for 

and possibly produce oil, and for arriving at a 

mutually agreeable agreement on restoration and 

compensation for damages 

• Require a minimal bond to cover court awards 

when no agreement is reached or if either party 

violates the agreement 

What the Act Does Not Do 

• Provide notice to communities when new oil 

and gas drilling programs are initiated 

• Establish realistic bonding levels: $25,000 for 

all the activities of an oil company statewide is 

simply inadequate 

• Provide assistance to surface owners in repatriating 

their oil and gas rights by identifying who 

owns their oil and gas rights so that the surface 

owners can attempt to reacquire those rights 

• Deal with special situations such as flood plains 

and where wildlife and or archaeological sites 

might be impaired 

• Require best technology to avoid damages 

caused by exploration and production, in 

particular the outlawing of pits in favor of 

closed-loop systems for dealing with the reuse 

of drilling muds and disclosure of all chemicals 

utilized underground 

The Environmental Protection Agency was cut out 

of the process (see www.epa.gov/epaoswer/other/oil/ 

index.htm). That pretty much takes the NM Dept of 

the Environment out of the picture, also. What about 

the State Engineer, who should be concerned about 

the potential impact on domestic wells That responsibility 

has also been given to the Oil Conservation 

Division (OCD) within the NM Energy, Minerals 

and Natural Resources Department, which is responsible 

for regulating oil and gas operations in NM. 

The OCD has been doing a pretty good job recently, 

but New Mexico benefits from oil, gas, coal-based 

methane, and coal revenues. The ability of the OCD 

to resolve conflicts with the oil and gas industry and 

replace the most destructive practices with improved 

methods to reduce the negative impacts of oil and 

gas exploration and operations is still in doubt. A 

little help from other state agencies and the expected 

federal protectors of the environment could make a 

big difference. 

What is the role of Santa Fe County The County 

has no jurisdiction with respect to what goes on under 

the surface, but it issues permits for various oil- and 

gas-related matters such as roads and structures. Right 

now, Santa Fe County is considering how to deal with 

a new situation with which it has little experience. 

The city of Lovington has developed an ordinance 

to protect Lovington’s water facilities from oil and 

gas pipelines. Other cities in New Mexico have also 

adopted ordinances to regulate oil and gas operations. 

We need to encourage counties to take an active role in 

managing their landscapes. 

The Oil and Gas Accountability Project (OGAP) 

has developed model oil and gas regulations (see 

www.earthworksaction.org/oil_and_gas.cfm). These 

regulations require: 

• A sound exploration plan 

• A sound development plan 

• A comprehensive surface restoration plan 

• Inspections 

• Fiscal responsibility and protection from 

companies with a bad prior record 

Some of the provisions in the OGAP model regulations 

are already covered by the Surface Owners Protection 

Act. Other needed protections are not, and in any 

case county regulation can be stricter than the state’s 

Surface Owners Protection Act. The OGAP regulations 

are good, but each county needs to review their 

own situation and adjust as appropriate. Enactment of 

such regulations by counties in New Mexico would go 

a long way towards mitigating the impact of oil and gas 

operations. Perhaps we should request support from 

the New Mexico Legislature to allow the New Mexico 

Association of Counties or the New Mexico Municipal 

League to provide assistance to cities and counties in 

developing and enacting such regulations. 

I want to acknowledge the many suggestions for this 

article received from the Galisteo Watershed Partnership 

Oil and Gas Working Group. For further information 

or to volunteer to help with this issue, contact 

Sigmund Silber (473-7006, ssilber1@juno.com). 


Political 

U.S. Attorney Firing Scandal Has Potential to Impact NM Politics 

There has been some coverage in local press 

of the firing of David Iglesias, U.S. Attorney 

for New Mexico, along with seven other 

U.S. Attorney Generals, but many threads of the 

story are scattered throughout the country, making 

it hard for a casual observer to follow. This is 

an attempt at gathering many of the threads and 

examining how it affects the political scene in New 

Mexico. 

Both Republican Senator Pete Domenici and 

Republican Representative Heather Wilson have 

admitted calling U.S. Attorney David Iglesias before 

the 2006 election, inquiring about the progress of 

the U.S. Courthouse investigation. The investigation 

was widely viewed as a potential source of bad 

press for the Democrats while Wilson was engaged 

in a very tight race. According to Iglesias, Wilson 

asked about a “sealed indictment.” Evidence all but 

shows that Domenici was responsible for getting 

Iglesias added as a late addition to the list of U.S. 

Attorneys who were fired. Congressional ethics rules 

bar contact with U.S. Attorneys during most active 

investigations in order to avoid influencing them. 

An ethics charge has been filed in the Senate against 

Domenici. The House requires another member 

to request an ethics charge, and currently there is 

a truce among members, so Wilson may escape a 

House ethics investigation. 

Fired Prosecutors 

U.S. Attorney Carol Lam of San Diego had 

prosecuted Republican Congessman Randy Cunningham, 

now in jail, and had expanded her investigation 

to Republican Congressman Jerry Lewis. 

Her investigation resulted in the resignation of the 

head of the CIA, Porter Goss, and the number-three 

person in the CIA had been indicted. Lam’s request 

for additional time to transition ongoing cases was 

rejected “at the highest levels.” As a result, Lam’s 

prosecution of Brent Wilkes, who was the person 

accused of bribing Randy Cunningham, ground to 

a halt. U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton of Arizona was 

investigating Republican Representative Rick Renzi. 

U.S. Attorney John McKay of Seattle, who had received 

the Navy’s highest civilian honor and positive 

evaluations, was pushing for the federal government 

to investigate the death of a friend, Thomas Wales. 

Wales, assistant U.S. Attorney General for Seattle, 

was killed by gunshots in 2001, possibly the first 

time that a federal prosecutor had been slain due 

to his position. McKay’s office was recused from 

the investigation due to his relationship with the 

victim. Off-duty, Wales was a strong advocate of 

gun control. Kyle Sampson stated that he may have 

put McKay on the list due to being too aggressive 

in pushing for more resources in investigating the 

Wales murder (half of the four FBI agents assigned 

to the case were removed in June 2006). Washington 

State Republicans felt that McKay should be 

putting more emphasis on investigating voter fraud 

in a close gubernatorial election that was lost by the 

Republican candidate. 

McKay, Bud Cummins of Arkansas, and another 

U.S. Attorney reported phone calls after their dismissals 

from Michael Elston, chief of staff to Deputy 

Attorney General Paul McNulty, that all three interpreted 

as a veiled threat to keep silent about their 

firings. Elston and McNulty are among the five from 

the Justice Department that have announced their 

resignations. 

Partisan Prosecutors 

Some people have suggested that if those who were 

fired were not partisan enough, we should look at the 

actions of those who did not get fired. Chris Christie, 

U.S. Attorney for New Jersey and Bush Pioneer, 

issued subpoenas two months before the 2006 

election, alleging corruption on the part of Senator 

Bob Menendez, who appeared to be in a close race at 

the time. The allegations now appear to be groundless. 

U.S. Attorney for Wisconsin, Steven Biskupic, 

prosecuted Georgia Thompson before the 2006 election 

when Governor Jim Doyle was facing a tough 

race with Republican Representative Mark Green. 

Georgia Thompson was convicted, but an appeal 

resulted in the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals 

taking the very unusual step of summarily acquitting 

and releasing Thompson immediately after oral arguments, 

saying that there was no evidence to support 

the charges. 

Lest some say that these incidents are just isolated, 

Professors Donald Shields and John Cragan compiled 

a study of 375 investigations and/or indictments 

of candidates and elected officials since Bush 

became President. Democrats were seven times more 

likely to be targets. 

While Domenici and Wilson appear to have violated 

ethics rules, how serious were those violations 

The above incidents show that the U.S. Attorney 

purge should be of grave concern to all citizens, but 

supporters may say Domenici and Wilson were only 

peripherally involved. Critics may note the casual 

manner they employed in acts that certainly would 

influence a criminal investigation, and that they still 

have not admitted that such phone calls were wrong 

and violations of ethics rules. Both have stated that 

they were merely relaying the concerns they had been 

hearing from their constituents. 

Both have been viewed as not among the extreme 

right wing of the Republican Party and portray 

themselves as moderates. Both are generally viewed as 

having good records with regards to ethics. Wilson has 

always had close races in her district, which is more 

Democrat than Republican. While Domenici has enjoyed 

wide support, even among Democrats, a recent 

Survey USA automatic phone survey shows Domenici’s 

approval rating dropping to 51%. There have also 

been concerns about Domenici’s age and persistent 

rumors of retirement, perhaps late in the race to pave 

the way for Wilson taking his seat while opponents 

have little time to mount a viable challenge. 

Former Republican Governor David Cargo has 

stated, “This has the potential to really cripple the 

[state] Republican Party.” Certainly, the loss of both 

would have a tremendous impact on New Mexico 

politics, and the results are hard to contemplate. 

For more information, contact Political Committee 

Chair Tom Robey (see masthead page 2). 

—Tom Robey 

Democratic Challengers Line Up 

Democratic challengers have emerged against 

both Domenici and Wilson even though 

the election is still well over a year away. Martin 

Heinrich, Albuquerque City Councilor, and Rick 

Homans, NM Economic Development Department 

Head, both appeared to express interest in 

challenging Wilson for her House seat. Feeling 

that a primary contest would be detrimental, 

the party support has solidified behind Heinrich 

(www.MartinHeinrich.com). Heinrich was 

instrumental in the fight for the Ojito Wilderness 

and has roots in the environmental community. 

Wilson has a rating from the League of Conservation 

Voters of 17% in 2006, not great but not 

among the worst of the Republicans. Republicans 

for Environmental Protection (REP) rank her at 

29, which included recognition of her support 

for protecting Valle Vidal. 

Jim Hannan (www.jimhannan.com), past 

Chair of the Rio Grande Chapter, has announced 

he is running against Domenici. At 

press time, Don Wiviott of Santa Fe also announced 

his intention to run for the race. If Domenici’s 

health or popularity drops further, then 

other candidates are more likely to enter the fray. 

Domenici has a League of Conservation Voters 

rating of 14%. REP ranked Domenici at -7 on 

a scale of 0-100, which included recognition of 

his support of protecting Valle Vidal, which was 

offset by leading efforts for recognizing speculative 

revenues from drilling in the Arctic National 

Wildlife Refuge and sponsoring a bill for drilling 

in sensitive areas in the Gulf of Mexico. They 

also gave him the award among Republicans as 

“Worst in the Senate in 2006.” 

—Tom Robey 

Jim Hannan-US Senate 

www.jimhannan.com 

As your US Senator, I will work to slow global 

warming by supporting the following: 

1. Increase fuel standards for vehicles to 40 

miles per gallon by 2020. 

2. Adopt a national energy efficient building 

code, moving to zero energy passivhaus 

type buildings by 2020. 

3. A huge increase in development of 

concentrating solar power generation. Our 

two New Mexico national labs can help. 


Pajarito Group News 

Pajarito Group Directory 

Meetings 

http://riogrande.sierraclub.org/pajarito/ 

mainpaj.asp 

Executive Committee 

Chair: Ilse Bleck 


Vice-Chair: Jody Benson 662-4782 

Secretary: Deirdre Witherell 

witherell@lanl.gov 661-8249 

Treasurer: David Gemeinhart 

ddgem@losalamos.com 672-6267 

Mat Johansen 

matjohansen@cybercrossings.com 662-9763 

Michael DiRosa 

mdd@stanfordalumni.org 663-0648 

Mark Jones 

jonesnm1@comcast.net 662-9443 

There will be no general meeting in July or 

August. 

Wednesday, September 5, 7:00 p.m. • Upstairs 

Meeting Room, Mesa Public Library 

Tom Jervis, Tom Ribe: A New Advocacy Group 

for the Valles Caldera National Preserve: 

Caldera Action! 

The Valles Caldera Coalition, of which the Pajarito 

Group is a member, is morphing into a new, 

standalone nonprofit organization. A group of concerned 

citizens, including several members of the 

former coalition’s steering committee, has incorporated 

a new organization named Caldera Action! 

The Vision: Inspired by the majesty of the Valles 

Caldera, we envision the restoration and protection 

of its unique natural and cultural heritage so that 

present and future generations can experience the 

sense of wonder that comes from individual discovery 

in this ecologically and culturally significant 

landscape. 

The Mission: The new organization advocates 

for the restoration, protection, and appreciation of 

the Valles Caldera National Preserve for the longterm 

benefit of the public and the ecosystem. We 

promote extensive public participation in decisionmaking 

on the preserve as an essential means to 

this end. 

Come learn about upcoming activities, tours, 

workshops, and the state of public participation in 

and access to the Preserve. If you are interested in 

hearing news as the new Caldera Action! organization 

develops, send an email to info@vcc.org. 

Committee Chairs 

Conservation: Michael DiRosa 

mdd@stanfordalumni.org 663-0648 

Energy, Transportation: Deirdre Witherell 

witherell@lanl.gov 661-8249 

Grazing, National Forests, Wetlands, 

Wilderness: David Gemeinhart 

ddgem@losalamos.com 672-6267 

Outings, Parks/Refuges: Ilse Bleck 


Newsletter Editor, Publicity, Sprawl, 

Endangered Species/Wildlife: Jody Benson 

662-4782 

Environmental Education: Pauline Wilder 

xxmpxx@gmail.com 662-7768 

Political: Mark Jones 

jonesmm1@comcast.net 662-9443 

Membership: Gita Carey 

gitacarey@yahoo.com 661-9604 

Membership Co-Chair: Diane Madrid 

rogregma@rogregma.cnc.net 672-1597 

Programs, Genetic Engineering, Water, Marine: 

Mat Johansen 

matjohansen@cybercrossings.com 662-9763 

Global Warming: Charles Keller 

alfanso@cybermesa.com 662-7915 

Webmeister: Jennifer Macke 

jpmacke@comcast.net 695-9275 

ExCom Election 

Nominating Committee 

The Nominating Committee for our 

Group Executive Committee elections 

has three members: Michael DiRosa, Mat 

Johansen, and Deirdre Witherell. If you 

would like to be a candidate, please contact 

one of them. See the directory for contact 

information. 

Third Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m., throughout the 

summer • The Sierra Club Trail Maintenance 

Group – As you will see from our article by Mark 

Jones (see below), we now have a monthly trail 

maintenance effort. Throughout the summer we 

will meet with Craig Martin, who will lead us to 

various areas to do maintenance for two hours. 

Most recently, this work has been done on the 

Perimeter Trail behind Pajarito School. Wear long 

pants and boots. Bring work gloves and water. 

Craig provides the tools. Contact Mark Jones 

Since the Cerro Grande fire in 2000, which 

destroyed many of the existing trails in the 

Los Alamos area, most of the trails have been 

rebuilt and many new connecting trails created. 

Thousands of volunteer hours have been required 

for this work. Many Sierra Club members have participated 

in this effort as individual volunteers, but 

this year the Pajarito Group decided to get involved 

in trail work as an organization. We have committed 

to working one evening a month during the summer 

on local trails. We think this is a good advertisement 

for the group, a chance to work together with fellow 

members, and a way of paying our share for the 

pleasure we get from using the trails. 

Los Alamos is fortunate to have a strong county 

trail-building and maintenance program headed by 

Craig Martin. Craig is choosing the locations for 

our work and providing tools and oversight to make 

sure our work is effective and safe. There is a lot of 

work to be done near trailhead parking, so we can 

get a fair amount done between 5:30 and dark. 

Our first outing on May 23 was a qualified success. 

Eleven of us completed three water-diversion 

dips before rising winds made Craig decide that for 

safety reasons (there are still dead trees that haven’t 

fallen near the trail), we should abandon our efforts. 

The main problem we deal with in trail maintenance 

is erosion of trails by storm runoff. We 

Outings 

Pajarito Group Trail Work 

(jonesmm1@comcast.net) for updates on times 

and locations. 

Saturday, July 21 • Leonardo Lakes, Sheepshead, 

Trampas Lakes Loop hike – Twelve-miles round 

trip, 3700-foot elevation gain, strenuous. Michael 

DiRosa (663-0648). 

Sunday, July 29 • Ponderosa Campground to 

Bandelier Visitors Center – Join us and beat 

the summer heat in an eight-mile, easy/moderate 

hike along the stream in cool Frijoles Canyon. Ilse 

Bleck (662-2368 after July 25). 

construct waterbars and graded dips to prevent 

water from running down the trails. We also place 

rocks in the runoff area downslope of the trail to 

slow the water and prevent creation of a new gully 

across the trail. Sometimes trail erosion is so deep 

that we need to re-route the trail around a section, 

and fill the abandoned section with rocks and 

branches to prevent further erosion and discourage 

hikers from continuing to use it. 

We get lots of practice in the use of McCleods (a 

long-handled tool that has on one side of the head 

a large rake with rounded tines, and on the other 

side a moderately sharp flat edge, like a wide hoe for 

scraping and moving dirt) and Pulaskis (which have 

an axe head on one side and a 4-inch-wide pick axe 

tip on the other). We also use shovel and pail for 

moving dirt and rocks. The occasional use of buck 

saws to remove sections of fallen trees from the 

trail gives us a great appreciation for just how hard 

forestry work was before chainsaws. 

A couple hours of work by a dozen volunteers can 

accomplish a significant amount. It leaves us tired 

but pleased with our progress, and very appreciative 

of the tremendous amount of work done by 

other volunteers on the many trails we enjoy hiking 

throughout the West. 

—Mark Jones 


Taos Branch News 

Sentinels Celebrate 

River Cleanup Week 

On June 2, as part of National River Cleanup 

Week 2007, Sentinels-Rios de Taos co-sponsored 

a river cleanup day on the Rio Pueblo 

with Amigos Bravos, the Rio Pueblo de Taos Watershed 

Alliance, and the BLM. Volunteers from all four 

organizations picked up trash and recyclables from the 

recreation area by the Taos Junction bridge. 

On June 9, Water Sentinels co-sponsored with 

Centinel Bank and Amigos Bravos a cleanup of the 

Rio Fernando. More than 50 community volunteers, 

sporting Sierra Club T-shirts, came together to do 

a serious cleanup of the Rio Fernando. “This is the 

largest group of volunteers ever gathered in Taos for a 

river cleanup,” said Rachel Conn, Clean Water Circuit 

Rider for Amigos Bravos. The community volunteers 

removed a surprisingly large amount of trash from the 

river and its banks. “We ran out of garbage bags in 

the first hour and had to buy more,” said Jim White, 

organizer from Centinel Bank. Afterwards, the community 

volunteers were treated to a cookout lunch 

furnished by Centinel Bank. 

Steering Committee 

Eric Patterson, Taos contact and Director of Rios de 

Taos Water Sentinels • 776-2833, eepatt@gmail.com 

Anna Walters, email alert list • 

annaainsworth@kitcarson.net 

Norma McCallan, Northern Group contact • 

471-0005, nmccallan@mindspring.com 

William Brown, The Climate Project • 758-8008, 

nmglobalwarming@yahoo.com, 

www.nmglobalwarming.org 

Global Warming Presentation 

The Village of Taos has signed on to the Cool 

Cities agenda, in response to a Sierra Club 

presentation to the Village Council. Leading 

the way on this is Mr. William M. Brown, resident 

of Ranchos de Taos. 

William M. (Bill) Brown was an earth scientist 

with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s U.S. 

Geological Survey for 36 years prior to retiring in 

2003. Throughout his career, he served our nation 

as an earth sciences and industry expert, offering 

broad-reaching environmental expertise and contributions 

within U.S. and international governments. 

He participated in creating environmental 

and sustainability initiatives, leading to policy for 

federal, state, county, and local governments. 

Bill was one of 1,000 people worldwide selected 

by Al Gore and The Climate Project to learn and 

present the global warming story in 2007. Bill attended 

intensive training in Nashville, Tennessee, 

in early January 2007 with Al Gore and his expert 

team. His training focused on the history, content, 

architecture, and style of the story; presentation 

and communication skills; and a suite of solutions 

including individual, community, corporate, governmental, 

and international actions. 

Bill now offers Al Gore’s slideshow free of 

charge to all communities in New Mexico and the 

southern Rocky Mountains. He presents the most 

current version of the show as it is continuously 

updated with new information. He focuses on local 

and regional issues, and seeks ideas for solutions 

from his audiences. 

Bill presented his version of Al Gore’s slideshow 

for the organization Sustain Taos on April 25 at 

the Kit Carson meeting room. It is an outstanding 

presentation. Bill keeps the presentation current 

and up-to-date. It is totally non-partisan, extremely 

upbeat, and optimistic. He talks about things that 

we, as individuals and communities, can do right 

now to help alleviate global warming. He will give 

his presentation again on August 7 at 7:30 p.m., 

at the Fort Burgwin summer campus of SMU, just 

east of Ranchos de Taos. 

This presentation is suitable for a wide variety 

of groups from grade school to adults. It is very 

non-partisan, so it is especially suitable for community 

groups. See Bill’s contact information in the 

directory. 

—Eric Patterson 

River Analysis Begins 

in Taos County 

Sentinels-Rios de Taos received their 

final training in April and have started 

to obtain data relating to the health of 

Taos County rivers. Some problems have 

been found in sections of the Rio Hondo, 

the Rio Pueblo, and the Rio Fernando. 

We will be doing further analysis on all 

three streams in an effort to determine the 

sources of pollution. 

For more information, contact Sentinels 

Director Eric Patterson. 

Four Corners Branch News 

Potluck Gathering 

Elisa Bird for the Sustainable San Juan folks 

announces the 1st Annual Potluck Gathering 

for all our area groups to meet and share 

what we are doing. This is to bring all our area’s 

sustainable, environmental, and social justice groups 

together. It will be on Saturday, July 7, 5-7 p.m., at 

Minium Park – next to Safeway on Main Street in 

Historic Downtown Aztec. To make things simple, 

just bring a dish to share, something for you to 

drink, and silverware. If you want to grill meat, there 

is a outdoor grill you can use. At 7 p.m., we will 

introduce ourselves and someone will tell a little bit 

about their group. We are inviting all the sustainable 

groups: Sierra Club, San Juan Peace, San Juan Citizens 

Alliance, Oakhaven. Let us know if there is a 

group we need to invite – we certainly don’t want to 

leave anyone out! Email Elisa.Bird@nmcdnet.net. 

Steering Committee 

Art Jaquez, Co-Chair 

326-5229, 360-0176 • artjaquez2@yahoo.com 

Nick Cullander, Co-Chair 

334-0935 • ncullander@hotmail.com 

Gordon Glass, Air Quality, Outings 

564-4460 • agglass@earthlink.net 

Desert Rock Update 

The draft Desert Rock EIS, released on May 

22, strongly supports the Desert Rock Power 

Plant. As Ben Luce has noted, “...while it’s 

true that emissions are being reduced at some of the 

other plants in the region (BIA’s main excuse for 

supporting Desert Rock), this is happening because 

those plants were out of compliance with EPA standards 

to begin with, and their emissions have already 

severely damaged New Mexico as a result. It’s ludicrous 

to turn around and let another conventional 

coal plant be built just because the existing plants got 

caught red-handed and now have to clean up their 

act. This would be like justifying that one person be 

allowed to commit a crime because another just got 

caught!” We strongly recommend that everyone who 

can, attend one of the public input meetings. As of 

this writing, the revised dates are uncertain, but at 

least a large public outcry made the BIA add a number 

of meeting sites. The text of the draft EIS can be 

found on Sithe’s website (www.desertrockenergy 

.com), under “Project Documents/Presentations.” 

To stay tuned into alerts and upcoming events, 

and participate in some lively discussions, join the 

Four Corners listserv (sjcsierraclub@yahoo.groups 

.com), or contact one of our steering committee 

members. 

Support America’s Red 

Rock Wilderness Act 

We in the Four Corners are particularly 

interested in the further protection of 

Wild Utah. New Mexicans are in a particularly 

good position to influence the progress 

of this initiative. Senator Jeff Bingaman can 

encourage the first hearings on this bill. 

Please write Senator Bingaman urging him 

to become a co-sponsor of SB 1170 and ask 

him to help in scheduling a public hearing 

on the merits of this bill in 2007. 

The greater number of citizens from all 

over New Mexico who let Senator Bingaman 

know of their support for this effort, the 

better chance movement can begin on this 

longstanding goal. 

Gordon Glass is also willing to speak with 

public groups of all kinds regarding the 

lobbying efforts that he has participated in 

for the RRWA. Feel free to contact him at 

agglass@earthlink.net. 

—Gordon Glass 


Sunday, July 29, 2007, 5-9 PM 

SUMMER POTLUCK PICNIC 

The Commons, 2300 West Alameda 

(corner of Camino Carlos Real) 

As a special treat, this year we will furnish most of the food. We will 

have green chile chicken enchiladas, red chile veggie enchiladas, veggie 

beans and calabacitas. Please bring a beverage (beer, wine, sodas, etc.), 

salad, appetizer, dessert or just yourself. Social hour will be from 5-6, and 

dinner from 6-8, with our program beginning at 8. Please RSVP if you 

plan to attend so we will know how many to plan for. To RSVP, or if you 

need more information, contact: 

Jean Watts (505-989-5010 / jeanwatts@comcast.com) or 

Alice Cox (505-757-2145 / auntiealice@pecosplaze.com) 

Please join us for good food, good conversation and an opportunity to 

meet and enjoy your fellow Sierrans. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Martin Heinrich, wilderness advocate and Albuquerque City 

Councilor, will share his experiences with a slide show featuring current 

and potential wilderness areas in New Mexico. Martin is running as a 

Democratic candidate for Congress against Heather Wilson. 

Group Executive Committee: 

Tuesday, August 7, 7 PM 

GROUP COMMITTEE MEETINGS 

Sierra Club Office, 802 Early Street 

Tuesday, July 3, 7 PM 

Tuesday, September 4, 7 PM 

Group Conservation Committee: July 7, 7 PM 

Forest Subcommittee: Contact Norma McCallan 471-0005 

GROUP CHAIR 

Northern Group News 

Northern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club 

802 Early Street, Santa Fe, NM 87505 

505 ⋅ 983 ⋅ 2703 http://riogrande.sierraclub.org/santafe/ 

John Buchser 

Our population keeps growing, and the 'undeveloped' world seeks to 

emulate our energy-gobbling ways. The slow progress we are making 

towards decreasing our energy footprint is painfully slow. Brilliant energy 

activist Ben Luce has started a new organization, Break the Grip. In an 

open letter to Governor Richardson, Ben states, “I was appalled by the 

more recent efforts of your Administration to entirely exclude citizen 

advocates from the development of proposed legislation for the 2007 

Session affecting electric utilities, and, much more importantly, the heavyhanded 

efforts by your staff to push through highly flawed proposals that 

closely matched the known agenda of PNM.” He closes with, “We will 

attempt to build real momentum for major ethical reforms ... and point New 

Mexico towards a truly sustainable future, by and for the people.” I hope 

that we, and Ben, are successful. 

NORTHERN GROUP CANDIDATES INVITED 

If you would like to be considered to run for the Executive Committee 

of the Northern Group of the Rio Grande Chapter, you are invited to 

contact Carol Raymond (989-8600, ext. 27 or Carol@SFSR.com). Please 

send a written statement explaining your qualifications and plans for the 

group’s work. Include your contact information. The deadline for receipt of 

proposed candidates is August 10. The Northern Group is running on the 

same election schedule as the Rio Grande Chapter. 

DAY HIKES IN THE SANTA FE AREA 

The Northern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club is pleased to 

present the sixth edition of its Day Hikes, the authoritative trail guide for 

the area. It is now even more useful. All hikes appearing in previous 

editions were re-hiked, two hikes dropped, and 14 new hikes added, for a 

total of 60 fabulous hikes within a day’s reach of Santa Fe. Best of all, 

every hike description in this book is written by an experienced local hiker 

– someone who knows the hike best. A big thank you to these volunteers. 

Money earned by sales of Day Hikes has been used by the Sierra Club 

to support many environmental campaigns in New Mexico, including 

efforts to save old timber stands from logging, protect pristine wilderness 

areas from mining operations, keep foothills east of Santa Fe and the 

National Forest lands near the ski basin free from development, have the 

East Fork of the Jemez declared a National Recreation Area, dedicate the 

Valles Caldera to public ownership, pass New Mexico’s hard rock mining 

bill, and most recently, help pass legislation to protect Valle Vidal. The 

Group also contributes to the support of other local environmental groups. 

Day Hikes is available at Travel Bug, Borders, Garcia Street Books, 

Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works, Wild Mountain Outfitters, La Fonda 

Newsstand, Bandelier National Monument Bookstore, Public Lands 

Bookstore, and http://riogrande.sierraclub.org/santafe/publications.asp. 

THANKS ALSO TO TRAVEL BUG! 

Thanks to the generosity of Travel Bug on Paseo de Peralta for the 

book-signing in May and to Greg Ohlsen for the elegant, easy-to-use topo 

maps, which make route finding much easier. Ohlsen also provides specs 

for those wishing to use GPS in conjunction with the hike maps. THANKS. 

CONSERVATION CHAIR 

Dexter Coolidge 

Considerable progress has been made with the Santa Fe City Council in 

getting our Climate Protection Budget adopted. Two proposals – changes in 

the building codes to make buildings more energy-efficient and hiring of a 

full-time energy specialist – are likely to be in the new budget. The others 

are on hold until the city comes up with new money. Our proposal includes 

new taxes and bonding to cover increased expenses. Our ideas have been 

met with tentative acceptance, and we are going ahead with plans to push 

these, probably in two steps, between now and March 2008. 

Senator Bingaman released a draft of a bill we considered woefully 

inadequate. The Northern Group and the Rio Grande Chapter started a 

letter and telephone campaign to get him to strengthen it, joined by other 

NM environmental organizations. As a result of the flood of messages, the 

Senator’s staff asked us to call off the campaign because he was rewriting 

his draft. We are optimistic it will be stronger than the original. Thank you 

for your letters and calls. We can take pride in what we have done. 

The Step It Up program in Santa Fe, organized by Carol Oldham, was 

actively supported by the Group and was a great success. We handed out 

hundreds of CF light bulbs and received interest from the community. 

Have a great summer! I am off to Canada, and, in the meantime, Norma 

will be Conservation Chair. 

♦ ♦ NORTHERN NEW MEXICO GROUP OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS ♦ ♦ 

Chair – John Buchser * ‡ jbuchser@comcast.net 820-0201 

Vice-Chair – Norma McCallan * ‡ nmccallan@mindspring.com 471-0005 

Secretary – OPEN 

Treasurer – Anne Stauffer arsinnm@comcast.net 986-1412 

Chapter Rep – Dexter Coolidge * dextercoolidge@yahoo.com 988-1197 

Membership – Alice Cox auntiealice@cybermesa.com 757-2145 

Newsletter – Kay Carlson kcarlsonwp@earthlink.net 982-3926 

Outings – Norbert Sperlich bsperlich@cybermesa.com 474-4354 

Tobin Oruch oruch@lanl.gov 820-2844 

Political Committee – Susan Martin smartin31@comcast.net 988-5206 

Tom Robey trobey@cybermesa.com 955-9578 

Phone Answerer – Bebs Taylor 983-9129 

Publicity – Richard Kristin * rkristin@csf.edu 982-1671 

Social Cohesion – Jean Watts jeanwatts@comcast.net 989-5010 

Las Vegas Branch – Betty Quick betty@mathllc.com 505-454-9123 

Taos Branch – Eric Patterson eepatt@gmail.com 776-2883 

Farmington Branch – Art Jaquez artjaquez@yahoo.com 505-326-5229 

Nick Cullander ncullander@hotmail.com 505-334-0935 

Web Master – Monika Bittman 505-581-0130 

Dan Rusthoi rusthoi@lanl.gov 474-3965 

Mark Walztoni * mark@effectiveleadershipchanges.com 466-2695 

Carol Raymond * 

Carol@SFSR.com 989-8600, ext 27 (w) 

Conservation – Chair – Norma McCallan for the summer 

Activist Outings–Norma McCallan * ‡ nmccallan@mindspring.com 471-0005 

Air Quality – Doug Fraser fraser@thuntek.net 474-7615 

Santa Fe Nat’l Forest – Ami Diallo a.diallo@zianet.com 471-2414 

John Green jegzuni@aol.com 995-8749 

Carson Nat’l Forest – Eric Peterson 

emozart@cybermesa.com 

Marke Talley 505-747-2422 

Genetically Engineered Food – Jim Hannan jhannan505@aol.com 988-5760 

Mining – Cliff Larsen clarsen1@ix.netcom.com 466-2128 

Cool Cities Campaign 

Lead Organizer – Voitek Byszewski * ‡ swinia@comcast.net 466-6211 

Eco Footprints – Brian Skeele brianvida@nm.net 984-1739 

Resources – Ken Hughes ‡ b1family@comcast.net 474-0550 

Valle Vidal – Dexter Coolidge * dextercoolidge@yahoo.com 988-1197 

Norma McCallan * nmccallan@mindspring.com 471-0005 

Water – Sig Silber ‡ ssilber1@juno.com 473-7006 

Paul Paryski ‡ pparyski@aol.com 992-1984 

Wildlife/Nat’l Parks/Rangelands - Roger Peterson ‡ rogpete@aol.com 983-7559 

* Member of the Northern Group Executive Committee 

‡ Member of the Core Conservation Committee 

10 Rio Grande Sierran July/August 2007 

10 RIO GRANDE SIERRAN July/August 2007

Northern Group News 

Sat Sun July 

NORTHERN GROUP OUTINGS 

1 Easy Hike to Tent Rocks. Dogs on leash okay. Leave 9 AM. Eliza 

Schmid (474-5846) 

7 Strenuous Hike but Moderate pace, to the Rio Nambe via upper Rio 

en Medio (from Ski Basin) and Borrego Trail. Abundant wildflowers. 

Dogs okay. 10.5 miles RT, 2600’ gain. Norma McCallan (471-0005) 

7 Strenuous Hike to Wheeler Peak. 15 miles RT, 4300’ gain. Early 

start. Patrick O’Keefe (820-2359) 

14 Moderate Hike to Hamilton Mesa. About 7 miles RT, high clearance 

vehicles helpful. Michael Goldey (820-7302) note change in date 

14 Strenuous Hike to Santa Fe Baldy. 14 miles RT, 3600’ gain. Dogs 

okay. Dan Rusthoi (690-8967) 

15 Moderate Hike to Cerro Grande (Bandelier) and on Valle Grande 

Trail (Valles Caldera). Wonderful views. 6 miles RT, 1600’ gain. 

David Van Winkle (820-1006) 

15 Strenuous Hike in High Country. Marcia Skillman (699-3008) 

21 Santa Fe River Cleanup Anne Stauffer (986-1412 or 

scsftreasurer@comcast.net) 

21 Easy Birdwatch Walk jointly with Audubon Society. Bring 

binoculars. Ron Duffy (982-2890) 

21 Strenuous Loop Hike Leonardo Lakes, Sheepshead (12,696’), 

Trampas Lakes. About 12 miles RT, 3700’ gain. Some steep off trail 

sections. Michael DiRosa (663-0648) 

22 Easy/Moderate Hike near Pajarito Ski Area. Dogs okay. Leave 9 

AM. Eliza Schmid (474-5846) 

28 Moderate Hike along East Fork of Jemez. Some hiking in water, 

some off trail, some scrambling. Norbert Sperlich (474-4354) 

29 Strenuous Hike to Pecos Baldy Lake and Pecos Baldy. 17 miles RT, 

3800’ gain. Dogs okay. Tobin Oruch (820-2844) before 8 PM 

PLEASE ALWAYS CALL THE OUTINGS LEADER PRIOR TO 

A HIKE FOR CONFIRMATION AND DETAILS. 

All outings are open to the public and free unless otherwise noted. 

For additional outings in Northern New Mexico, please check the 

Pajarito Group page in this newsletter. 

Sat Sun September 

1 Strenuous Hike Gold Hill near Taos, 14 th highest peak in NM, 

spectacular views, alpine flowers, and possibly sightings of bighorn 

sheep. 10 miles, 3400' gain, 12,716'. Norbert Sperlich (474-4354) 

2 Moderate Hike maybe Borrego Loop or Tesuque Creek near town, 4- 

7 miles, 1000' gain, dogs okay. Tobin Oruch (820-2844) before 8 PM 

8 Moderate/Strenuous Hike maybe Nambe Lake, 7 miles, 2100' gain, 

steep in spots, dogs okay. David Van Winkle (820-1006) 

9 Very Strenuous Hike Lobo Peak near Taos, located between Rio 

Hondo and Red River, sweeping views in all directions. 10 mi, 3800' 

gain, 12,115', dogs okay. Tobin Oruch (820-2844) before 8 PM 

Friday, September 14 We're gauging the interest in weekday hiking with a hike 

to the La Cieneguilla petroglyphs with guide Chip Conway. Few 

miles, rock scrambling, dogs okay, limit 10. Dan Rusthoi (690-8967) 

15 Moderate/Strenuous Hike in high country, 7-10 miles, 1500' gain. 

Marcia Skillman (699-3008) 

15 Strenuous Hike Lake Katherine, an alpine lake in a spectacular 

setting; marmots are plentiful. 14.5 miles, 3300' gain, limit of 15, dogs 

okay. Les Drapela (438-3306) 

15 Easy Birdwatch Walk jointly with Audubon Society, bring 


15 SF River Cleanup Anne Stauffer (986-1412 or 

scsftreasurer@comcast.net) 

16 Easy/Moderate Hike to Rio en Medio waterfalls near Tesuque, a 

lovely streamside hike through lush and shady vegetation to cascading 

water. 6-7 miles, 1000' gain, dogs okay. Eliza Schmid (474-5846) 

16 Moderate mushroom hunting basics hike, maybe up Raven's Ridge 

near ski area. Art Judd (982-3212) 

16 Strenuous Hike Jicarita Peak, north end of Pecos Wilderness, 11 th 

highest in NM. Optional side trip to Serpent Lake on return. 11-12 

miles, 2500-3000' gain, summit 12,835', limit of 15, dogs okay. 

Patrick O’Keefe (820-2359) 

22 Moderate/Strenuous Mountain Bike Ride Cebolla and Calaveras 

cnyns, moderate skill level. Michael Di Rosa (667-0095 or 663-0648) 

22 Strenuous Hike Kachina Peak in Taos Ski Valley. -10 mi, 3300', 

summit 12,481', dogs okay. Page Press (946-0169) 

23 Strenuous Canoe upriver from Cochiti Lake up to Capulin Cyn in 

Bandelier, Easy Hike to Painted Cave. Some spaces for non-boatowners. 

Tobin Oruch (820-2844) before 8 PM. 

23 Easy/Moderate Hike Otowi Mesa. Los Alamos, ±5 miles, 500' gain, 

some rock scrambling, great views. Michael Goldey (820-7302) 

Sat Sun August 

4 Strenuous Hike Deception Peak and Lake Peak. Steep and direct, 

stunning views and beautiful alpine flowers. -7 miles, 2200' gain, 

summit 12,409', dogs okay. Michael Goldey (820-7302) 

5 Easy Hike Hyde Park Circle, winding through piñon, ponderosa, 

spruce, fir, Gambel oak, ±4 miles, 1100' gain, steep at times. Dogs on 

leash. Eliza Schmid (474-5846) 

Saturday and Sunday, August 11 and 12 – Car Camp & Moderate Hikes 

(±8 miles each) Continental Divide Trail at Cumbres Pass. Good trail, 

steep sections, great vistas. Drive up late Friday, stay at Trujillo 

Meadows C.G. Dogs okay. Norma McCallan (471-0005) 

11 Strenuous Hike Santa Fe Baldy, classic hike to highest peak in SF 

area, with 360º unsurpassed view and alpine flowers. 14 miles, 3600' 

gain, summit 12,622', limit 15, dogs okay. Les Drapela (438-3306) 

12 Moderate Hike East Fork Box along and above the Jemez River with 

cliffs, wildflowers, many river crossings. 5-8 mi, 800' gain, optional 

wading into box canyon, dogs okay. Dan Rusthoi (690-8967) 

August 17-19 or 22, Friday-Sunday, or Wednesday Pecos Wilderness trails 

maintenance project by Forest Service and Sierra Club, a max of 7 

miles hiking. We carry only daypacks. For details call Craig (505- 

753-7331 or csaum@fs.fed.us) or Norma McCallan (471-0005) 

18 Strenuous Hike Trampas Lakes and Hidden Lake, a gradual uphill 

trail through thick forests, near a fast-running stream, culminating at 

hidden lakes surrounded by towering peaks. 12.5 miles, 2700' gain, 

limit of 15, dogs okay. Patrick O’Keefe (820-2359) 

18 Easy Birdwatch Walk jointly with Audubon Society, bring 


18 Santa Fe River Cleanup. Paige Grant (982-5180 or 

paigeanna@comcast.net) 

19 Moderate/Strenuous Hike to high country, maybe to La Vega, 7 mi, 

1500' gain. Marcia Skillman (699-3008) 

19 Strenuous Hike to Glorieta Baldy, a steady ascent through the woods 

to a prominent summit east of Santa Fe, with historic fire-lookout 

tower. 11.5 miles, 2800' gain, dogs okay. Eliza Schmid (474-5846) 

25 Moderate/Strenuous Hike in the cool high country, dogs okay. 

David Van Winkle (820-1006) 

26 Very Strenuous Hike Wheeler Peak, highest in the state, from 

Williams Lake; panoramic views and wildflowers. ±8 miles, 2900' 

gain, very steep/rough, dogs okay. Dan Rusthoi (690-8967) 

September (continued) 

29 Easy/Moderate Hike Chamisa to Hyde Park Circle trail via an 

abandoned connecting trail. 5-6 miles, 1700' gain, steep in spots, dogs 

okay with leash. Norma McCallan/Bob McKee (471-0005) 

29 Strenuous Hike Hermit Peak near Las Vegas, NM. An extended 

return hike through El Porvenir Cyn is possible. 14 miles, 2800' gain, 

many water crossings near the end. Norbert Sperlich (474-4354) 

30 Easy Hike Diablo Cyn, 5-6 miles, 400'. Victor Atyas (438-9434) 

Outings Notes – Unless otherwise noted, outings leave from the Sierra office, 802 Early Street, one block 

east of St. Francis running between Marquez Place and Cerrillos Road. 802 is easily reached by turning 

south onto Early Street from Cerrillos Road. Office is the first building on the right. Carpooling is 

encouraged. It is routine that each rider pays the driver 10 cents/mile, rounded down to nearest dollar (7.5 

cents/mile when 100+ miles and 3+ riders). Bring lunch, water, sturdy hiking boots or shoes and clothing 

suitable for the weather. Leader reserves the right to turn away anyone whose equipment or experience 

appears unsuitable. Leader may alter destination of hike or cancel trip due to weather, other unfavorable 

conditions, or insufficient number of participants. Unaccompanied minors need written permission from 

parents or guardians to participate–ask leader for form. Dogs permitted only if so noted in write up. To 

participate you will need to sign a liability waiver at meeting site. 

SANTA FE RIVER CLEANUP 

AND VEGETATION MAINTENANCE 

Saturday – 10 AM to 12:00 PM – July 21, August 18, September 15 

Help keep our river looking great! Park at Lower Alto Street north end of 

Closson. Bring work boots, gloves and drinking water. Call listed outing leader 

on each date. 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 

Volunteer Coordinator – Dexter Coolidge (988-1197) Recruit members 

Publicity – Richard Kristin (982-1671 or rkristin@csf.edu) 

Help get out announcements of our meetings and other events 

Grants Writer – Richard Kristin (982-1671 or rkristin@csf.edu) Creative 

person to explore possibility of getting grant money for projects such as 

curriculum units on global warming for elementary and middle school. 

Forest issues – Norma McCallan (471-0005) Be part of a team overseeing issues 

in SF Nat’l Forest. Also help to provide comments for Travel Management 

Plan designating roads and trails that will be open to motorized use. 

Social & environmental events – Jean Watts (989-5010) Organize events 

Cool Cities Campaign – Voitek Byszewski (983-2703) This campaign seeks to 

lessen our carbon footprint. Needed – coordinator for educational outreach. 

July/August 2007 rio Grande Sierran 11 

July/August 2007 RIO GRANDE SIERRAN 11

Central Group News 

Central Group 

Directory 


P.O. Box 25342 

Albuquerque, NM 87125-0342 

Michal Mudd, Chair 

mudd_pi@mac.com 884-3315 

Eva Thaddeus, Co-Chair, Secretary, Global 

Warming Issue Chair 

evathad@nmia.com 266-9646 

David Ther, Treasurer, Outings Chair 

grelbik@att.net 260-1553 

Patrick Redmond, Political Chair, Water Chair 

redmonpa@law.unm.edu 298-1298 

Rick Preston, Newsletter Editor 

pepreston@gmail.com 

Howard Karnes 

einstructionhk@aol.com 379-1294 

The Executive Committee meets on the 2nd 

Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., at the 

Sierra Club office, 142 Truman NE, Albuquerque. 

Great Chain of Being Conference 

The Center for Action and Contemplation 

will hold a 2007 summer conference, The 

Great Chain of Being: Simplifying Our Lives, 

at the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town, Friday- 

Sunday, August 3-5. Many organizations will 

be tabling at the event, and the Central Group 

plans to participate. For more information or to 

register, please visit www.cacradicalgrace.org or 

call 242-9588. 

New Member Joins Group ExCom 

Rick Preston has joined the Central New 

Mexico Group Executive Committee. Rick 

is an attorney who recently relocated to Albuquerque 

from Washington, DC. When he not 

busy doing his lawyer thing, he spends a lot of 

time cycling, hiking, and doing photography. 

Call for ExCom Nominations 

Are you interested in running for the Central 

Group Executive Committee We are currently 

accepting names and statements from 

people interested. The ExCom meets monthly 

(2nd Tuesday of the month) at the Sierra Club 

office in Albuquerque, and sets policy for the 

Central Group. We expect a lot of electoral 

activity in 2008, along with our usual work of 

designing interesting general meetings, supporting 

the Cool Cities campaign, and working on 

local issues in coalition with other environmental 

groups. We are in particular need of a Membership 

Chair. This person’s job would be to 

track membership, reach out to new members, 

and encourage people to get active in the Club. 

For more information please contact one of 

the members of the nominating committee: 

David Ther, Eva Thaddeus, or Rick Preston. 

Saturday, July 21 • Mt. Taylor via Gooseberry 

Trail hike – Easy to moderate hike to 11,301'. 

This is the prominent peak on the western skyline 

from Albuquerque, higher than Sandia Crest. 

Superb views in all directions. Cool and pleasant 

temperatures. Expect good weather, but come prepared 

for afternoon showers. Meet at Smith’s, Carlisle 

at Menaul, 8:00 a.m. Hike: 5.5 miles roundtrip. 

Elevation:1900'. Drive: approximately 150 

miles round-trip. Leader: David Ther (260-1553, 

grelbik@att.net). 

Saturday, August 11 • Sandia Mountain Wilderness 

hike – This is a good time of year to enjoy 

our backyard treasure, the Sandia Mountains. We 

A 

proposal being heard before the Albuquerque 

City Council would require a basic level of 

energy efficiency in new construction and 

major renovation (renovation costing over 50% of 

the value of the building). Ordinance #0-07-73, 

sponsored by Councilors Benton, Heinrich, and 

Cadigan, contains requirements including: 

• Ducts must be insulated and sealed to minimize 

leakage. 

• South-facing windows must be shaded to maximize 

solar gain in winter and minimize it in 

summer. 

• All appliances installed by contractors must be 

Energy Star rated. 

• All cooling equipment shall meet a minimum 

efficiency level of 15 SEER, or use evaporative 

cooling. 

• Solar-thermal heating will provide the primary 

source for heating swimming pools and be used 

for preheating in industrial processes. 

Do these sound like no-brainers Indeed, according 

to Julie Pearson, green architect and member of 

Albuquerque’s Cool Cities core group, the practices 

detailed by the ordinance are already standard among 

environmentally responsible architects and builders. 

We are having a party! All Sierra 

Club members are invited to visit 

our new office space at 142 Truman NE, 

on Saturday, July 28, starting at 6 p.m. 

We are holding this event instead of a 

general meeting for the month of July, 

because the heart of summer seemed like 

a good time for a party. 

We have a lot to celebrate! We are 

going to use the occasion to: 

• Thank our volunteers for all the great 

work done over the last year 

• Celebrate the Club’s recent successes 

• Honor the graduates of the recent 

Leadership Development Program 

Outings 

will do a one-way, basically downhill hike from 

the crest to Sulphur Springs, a drop of nearly 

3000' in 8-9 miles. Note that downhill does not 

always equate with easy, especially at elevations of 

10,000'. Wear boots; bring rain gear, lunch, and 

plenty of liquids. We will carpool from the city 

and do a car shuttle at the trailheads to accommodate 

the one-way hike. Meet in Albuquerque 

at 9:00 a.m in the northwest corner (near gas 

pumps) of Smith’s parking lot at Tramway and 

Central, just south of I-40. For more information, 

contact hike leader Carol Chamberland (341- 

1027). No need to reserve a spot; simply showing 

up is fine. 

Sierra Club Supports Albuquerque 

High-Performance Building Ordinance 

However, that doesn’t mean that responsible practices 

are as widespread as they should be. According 

to the ordinance, “These standards will help use 

energy, water and materials more efficiently, reduce 

greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the cost of 

building operations... These requirements establish 

the minimum standards that should be expected in 

any building.” 

Councilor Isaac Benton, a green architect who 

was the primary author of the ordinance, spoke at 

our Sierra Club group’s general meeting in April. 

He invited his own contractor to the meeting, who 

came and stayed for the whole meeting but sat there 

so quietly, not revealing his point of view. Later, 

Councilor Benton asked him, “Would this put any 

burden on you or your clients” He shook his head 

and answered, “It’s really useful for me to be able to 

tell my clients: Look, it’s the law.” 

Ordinance #0-07-73 is currently scheduled to be 

heard at the Council meeting on June 18, so with 

luck it will be law by the time you receive this newsletter. 

To read the whole text online, and to find out 

what happened at the meeting, please visit the City 

Council website at www.cabq.gov/council/ and click 

on “find legislation, meetings, agendas.” 

Central Group HOOTenanny 

• Show off our new green office space 

• Eat, drink, and maybe even dance! 

Come hungry. 

In addition, we plan (barring technical 

difficulties) to show the movie HOOT on 

the side of the building once darkness 

falls. This is a movie about a bunch of 

kids who work together to protect owls 

in their habitat. It got good reviews and 

should be family entertainment! 

If you will be attending, please let 

Shrayas Jatkar know (243-7767, shrayas 

.jatkar@sierraclub.org). Shrayas (rhymes 

with “play-us”) is the National Club’s new 

conservation organizer in Albuquerque. 

12 Rio Grande Sierran July/August 2007

Southern Group News 

Outings 

Please call your outing leader to confirm the hikes 

or outings – changes might be possible to due various 

reasons. 

Sunday, July 15 • Pine Tree trail hike, in the Organ 

Mountains – Moderate/off-trail 7-mile hike. Meet 

at K-Mart parking lot on I-70 at 8 a.m. Fee area; 

bring food, water, sunblock. John Waugh (526- 

7116, cactoblast@hotmail.com) for leader info. 

Sunday, July 22 • Day hike in the vicinity of the 

lower end of Bear Trap Canyon in the San Mateos 

– Take a mostly easy off-trail walk in a beautiful 

mid-elevation canyon with neat rock formations, 

Gambel Oaks, Ponderosa Pines, and, if the rains 

hold, a little brook. Meet at the Black Range District 

office parking lot at 8 a.m. Bring lunch and 

sturdy shoes. Margot Wilson (744-5860) or Mary 

Katherine Ray (772-5655). 

Sunday, August 12 • Carbonate Canyon hike – Dan 

Boone is the leader on a hike up Carbonate Canyon 

on the eastern slope of the Black Range. This is 

a moderate-to-easy hike in an old mining district. 

Meet at the General Store in Hillsboro for breakfast 

and be ready to start for trailhead at 8:00 a.m. Bring 

lunch, hats, sturdy boots. Dan Boone (743-0054). 

Southern Group 

Mountain Jamboree 

Saturday-Sunday, July l4-l5 

Gila National Forest – Black Range 

Iron Creek Campground 

Saturday hike: Hillsboro Peak – meet at 

Emory Pass at 9 a.m. 

Or light hike near campground with plant 

and bird identification 

Cook out, camp out 

Music around the campfire 

Sunday pancake breakfast 

Sunday hike, too! 

Come for part or all, come late or early 

Bring potluck for Saturday dinner, BYOB, 

sack lunches, musical instruments 

To RSVP and for general info, contact 

Margot Wilson at 744-5860, or 

Lou McCall at lou@pixelcircus.org. 

For hikes, contact John Waugh at 

526-7ll6, cactoblast@hotmail.com. 

Coulda, Shoulda – At Least Preserve 

What’s Been Promised 

Here is the essence of the controversy over 

development plans for 6,000 acres at Vistas 

at Presidio and another 6,000 acres of State 

Trust Land on Las Cruces’ East Mesa in the shadow of 

the Organ Mountains. 

How it should have been done: 

1. The State Land Office and the City determine it 

is time to sell East Mesa land for development. 

They announce to the public that a planning 

process is underway. 

2. The State and City contract an experienced 

urban planning firm to create master plans for 

the entire 12,000 acres, including set-asides for 

schools, required open spaces, and needed improvements 

on adjacent roads and infrastructure 

that already exist. Estimated cost: $3-$6 million. 

3. The contractor solicits community participation 

to determine key design elements at the beginning 

of the planning process. After the first draft 

is completed, final public comments are gathered 

and incorporated as appropriate before the plan 

is adopted. 

4. The State Land Office auctions off parcels to the 

highest bidders according to phasing specified in 

the plan. 

How it is being done: 

1. The State Land Office quietly signs a series of 

no-bid business planning leases with local developers 

to design master plans. Estimated planning 

cost: $50-$100 million. Lost land-sale revenue is 

difficult to calculate. 

2. Developers work through the city planning 

apparatus under the same rules as any private 

development. Citizens complain they have been 

kept in the dark. 

3. Community concerns with the plans are dismissed 

as infringements on developer property 

rights. Taxpayers will bear the cost of acquiring 

open space, school land, and any other amenities 

that are not included in the plans. 

4. A series of disjointed plans for pieces of the East 

Mesa are adopted; leapfrog development ensues. 

Opportunities for well-planned development in 

harmony with open-space infrastructure are lost. 

Given recent revelations about campaign contributions 

by Philip Phillipou to State Land Commissioner 

Patrick Lyons, you may get the sense that New Mexico 

State Trust Land is being managed for the benefit of 

a few major campaign contributors rather than the 

general public. 

But for the conservation community, the impacts 

go even deeper. About 2 square miles of the land 

Energy Fair a Success 

The Southwest Energy Alliance held an 

Energy Fair in Las Cruces on May 12, at 

the newly renovated Downtown Mall. The event 

was co-sponsored by the Southern Group. 

Skip Dunn of GreenWheels in Los 

Alamos shows off the all-electric Zenn 

Car, top speed of 45 mph, which gets the 

equivalent of 245 miles per gallon of gas. 

(Photo by Chris Dahlin) 

giveaway being engineered by the State Land Office 

is territory that the Las Cruces City Council and the 

Dona Aña Board of County Commissioners have 

endorsed for preservation as either a National Conservation 

Area, or a BLM Area of Critical Environmental 

Concern. That would include all the State Trust Land 

east of Weisner Road. 

The Las Cruces City Council’s enthusiastic endorsement 

of rapid development plans for East Mesa State 

Trust Lands appears to directly contradict their resolution 

to protect lands east of Weisner Road. Either the 

council is ignorant of the State Land Office plans to 

sell the land east of Weisner, or has had a change of 

heart. This would be a double disappointment for the 

many Las Crucens who were led to believe they would 

have a say in development plans for Las Cruces East 

Mesa through the vision 2040 comprehensive planning 

process, and were then blindsided by the Vistas 

at Presidio and State Land Office sale plans. 

While it may be too late to change the Vistas at 

Presidio Master Plan, no final disposition has been 

made on the State Trust Lands east of Weisner Road. 

Please send an email to Las Cruces City Council 

(citycouncil@las-cruces.org) and to the Doña Ana 

County Commission (jessw@donaanacounty.org), 

asking them to adhere to their resolutions to protect 

the Organ Foothills east of Weisner Road. Ask them 

to work with the State Land Office and also the BLM 

to engineer any land trades that may be necessary to 

insure this protection. Please make your message brief 

and polite. 

It’s our heritage and their promise. We’d like to see 

the Las Cruces City Council and the Doña Ana Board 

of County Commissioners preserve both. 

—Steve Fischmann 

Southern NM Group 

Directory 


P.O. Box 735, Mesilla, NM 88046 

Margot Wilson 

Chair, Conservation Chair, Parks/Refuges 

margotwilson40@hotmail.com 744-5860 

Glenn Landers 

Vice Chair, Pollution, Grasslands Issues 

glenn.landers@gmail.com 525-0491 

Cheryll Blevins 

Treasurer, Editor Southern NM 

Group Page 

spotblev@earthlink.net 524-4861 

Mary Katherine Ray 

Wildlife, Membership 

mkscrim@kitcarson.net 772-5655 

Jane L. Grider 

Political, Alternate Chapter Delegate 

jane4u2@email2me.net 526-5620 

Lou McCall 

lou@pixelcircus.org 312-3174 

John Waugh 

Outings, Endangered Species/ 

Wildlife, Chapter Delegate 

cactoblast@hotmail.com 526-7116 

Earle Pittman 

Global Warming 

espittman@zianet.com 541-6281 

July/August 2007 rio Grande Sierran 13

El Paso Group News 

Two Nations and Three Cities Take the Stand Against ASARCO 

The governing bodies of three sister cities in the Borderland – El Paso, 

Sunland Park, N.M., and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico – came together May 1st, 

2007 in a historic joint meeting to discuss several issues facing their 

communities, chief among them being the possible reopening of 

ASARCO. The mayors and their respective city councils held the meeting 

before several other elected officials, community leaders and members of 

the public and media at Monument 1, the area near the Rio Grande banks 

where the two countries’ and three cities’ borders converge. 

The unprecedented ceremony was presided over by Dr. Tony Payan, an 

assistant professor of international law and foreign policy in UTEP’s 

political science department. In convening the meeting, Payan told the 

councils and audience, both in English and Spanish, just how the 

gathering would proceed: each government was to commence its meeting 

according to its own protocols and traditions, Ciudad Juarez first, Sunland 

Park second, and El Paso third; then the joint meeting would be open to 

discussion and action regarding the various chosen topics. 

After each council formally convened, they began to debate the selected 

issues, the first being that of ASARCO. 

The Juarez council debated and quickly voted to join its sister cities in 

an official stance against ASARCO’s air permit renewal. The Sunland Park 

and El Paso councils followed suit, entering into an unprecedented binational 

agreement against what many claim is an outdated industry that 

will have a negative impact on the region. 

Sunland Park Mayor Ruben Segura stated that his city is a fast-growing 

municipality in one of the fastest-growing counties in New Mexico and 

that it has become a hotspot for tourism and entertainment in the area. 

“This is our lifeline in regards to our municipality,” he said. “I ask 

members of council and members of the public that we unite as a 

community” against ASARCO, Segura added. 

El Paso Mayor John Cook told the delegations that while ASARCO is 

located in the state of Texas and the city of El Paso, it has an impact on 

Sunland Park and Ciudad Juarez as well. 

The delegations heard from State Senator Eliot Shapleigh, who was in 

favor of the resolution, and they also heard from Dr. John Haines, a 

toxicology expert who spoke on the alleged health hazards he said would 

be posed by ASARCO emitting of several tons of pollutants into the air 

annually. 

Haynes, the son a mining engineer, also said that El Paso has the highest 

level of lead contamination ever encountered in a community in North 

America. He said the contamination was accidentally discovered by a 

pediatrician, and that the effects of elevated lead levels can be devastating 

to children, especially neurologically. 

Possible Economic Impact 

Just one day prior, ASARCO held a press conference on the grounds of 

the smelter to announce the findings of an economic impact study 

conducted through UTEP’s Institute for Policy and Economic 

Development (IPED). 

The study claims that the El Paso area will gain a total of 6.25 new jobs 

for every job created by the re-opening of ASARCO. With ASARCO 

planning to create over 300 new jobs at the smelter, the job creation spinoff 

would equal 1,819 new jobs throughout the region. Additionally, the 

study states that regional economic output would increase by $1.159 

billion and generate $73 million in new labor income. 

The backdrop of the press conference, behind a vinyl banner saying 

“let’s get to work”, was a green area of land between the smelter entrance 

and I-10, not the actual operations facilities and towering smokestack. 

Tom Aldrich, Vice President of Environmental Affairs for ASARCO, 

said the copper smelter would be a valuable asset to the El Paso 

community and not cause any harm. “The community is not being asked 

to trade air quality for economic prosperity,” Aldrich stated. “There is 

nothing about this smelter that we would expect to be any different.” 

Responding to claims that the smelter would drive away newer jobs in 

other industries, such as the technology field, Aldrich said he believes that 

ASARCO can coexist with those other industries. “Part of our labor pool 

we’ll be looking at is the tech industry,” he added. 

But Mayor Cook disagrees that the economic impact of ASARCO reopening 

would be a positive one. “We could make a lot of money in El 

Paso by legalizing prostitution, but I don’t think we want to take that bold 

step,” Cook said during the special council meeting. 

Danny Arrellano, a former employee at ASARCO for 24 years, agrees 

with Cook. He said the wages paid to workers is not something that will 

benefit the community. “A lot of us came out sick,” he said. To pay for 

medical bills associated with a blood disorder he claims is a result of 

working at ASARCO, Arrellano said he and other employees have had to 

sell a lot of the properties they have accumulated through the years. 

“What did we gain,” he asked. 

Communities vs. Corporation 

ASARCO officials, in response to the special city council meeting and 

the resolutions adopted by the city governments, claimed that the 

resolutions contained misleading and false information about the 

community’s health. According to Lairy Johnson, the plant’s environmental 

manager, “air emissions from ASARCO have been scientifically proven to 

be safe and will not cause or contribute to air pollution in our 

community.” Johnson also stated that ASARCO is a “great place to work 

and all of the employees want clean air where they work, live and play.” He 

contends that the resolutions passed ignored the investigations conducted 

by local, state and environmental departments and other institutions. 

But a point was clearly made at the special council meeting: the 

communities and their leaders do not want this industry in the middle of 

their cities. Segura stated that the cities of El Paso, Sunland Park and 

Juarez must cooperate to resolve important issues because of their 

proximity. “We’re forced and encouraged to work together because of our 

mere geography,” he said. Cook agreed that bi-national cooperation should 

be the aim of the three governments. “That should be the goal,” he stated, 

“a day when we could truly live without borders.” 

Editor’s note: This piece was originally published on June 1st, 2007 at 

newspapertree.com, El Paso’s alternative media source. It is reprinted here with 

permission from the author. 

Rene Leon can be contacted at rene@newspapertree.com 

El Paso Group Directory 

http://texas.sierraclub.org/elpaso 

by Rene Leon 


Chair: Laurence Gibson lgibson@utep.edu 915/309-5419 

Vice-Chair: Gil Pinon bifflehead@yahoo.com 915/307-3398 

Secretary: Ann Falknor afalknor@sbcglobal.net 915/833-9162 

Treasurer: Kathy Sunday sundayt@zianet.com 915/584-9301 

Bill Addington aguavida@valornet.com 915/369-2541 

Bob Geyer 915/834-8242 

Juan Garza projectair@sbcglobal.net 915/565-2690 

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

Committee Chairs 

Chapter Delegate 

Bill Addington aguavida@valornet.com 915/369-2541 

Chapter Delegate (Alt.) 

Juan Garza projectair@sbcglobal.net 915/565-2690 

Editor, Outings 

Laurence Gibson lgibson@utep.edu 915/594-7342 

Inner City Outings, Membership 

Ted Mertig tmertig@earthlink.net 915/852-3011 

Outings 

Rollin Wickenden rwickgila@aol.com 915/855-6697 

Webmaster 

Terry Sunday sundayt@zianet.com 915/584-9301 


Preservation 

Live Earth Concerts 

to Reach Billions 

Al Gore is on the mission of a lifetime to educate 

the world about the climate crisis. First 

there was his slideshow, given one city at a 

time. Then the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, 

took the message from the slideshow far and wide. 

Now he has teamed up with producer Kevin Wall 

to put on another massive event, this time to inspire 

individuals, corporations, and governments all over 

the world to act now to solve the climate crisis. 

Live Earth is a 24-hour series of concerts, one on 

each of the world’s seven continents, all on July 7. 

The concerts will feature over 150 of the world’s 

top musicians, including The Police, Dave Matthews 

Band, Genesis, Kelly Clarkson, Jack Johnson, 

Madonna, Kanye West, Bon Jovi, and more. 

On the North American continent, the concert 

will take place in New York City. But even though 

we here in New Mexico don’t have a concert taking 

place close to us, we can still take part in Live Earth. 

The concerts will be streamed via satellite feed and 

shown on MSN’s website, and the NYC concert will 

be aired on NBC. 

Several events are taking place in Albuquerque, 

Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and elsewhere. To find an event 

in your area, and to learn more about the concerts, 

visit www.liveearth.org. Or contact Lisa Hummon 

(248-0118 ext. 5, lhummon@defenders.org). 

—Lisa Hummon 

Sign up online 

www.sierraclub.org/membership 

or return this form: 

My Name _____________________________ 

Address _______________________________ 

City _________________________________ 

State ____________ Zip _________________ 

Email ________________________________ 

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Check enclosed, made payable to: 

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Exp. Date ____ / ____ 1700 

Join us! 

Parties Agree to Dismissal of Petroglyph 

National Monument Lawsuit 

The Sierra Club has agreed to the dismissal 

of the lawsuit over the extension of Paseo 

del Norte through Petroglyph National 

Monument. The lawsuit was currently pending 

in the New Mexico Court of Appeals. All other 

plaintiffs remaining in the suit, which include the 

National Trust for Historic Preservation and three 

individuals, as well as the City of Albuquerque, 

agreed to the dismissal. 

After an adverse decision in the district court, 

the plaintiffs attempted to have construction stayed 

while their appeal was decided. Motions for a stay 

were denied by both the district court and the 

Court of Appeals. As a result, construction proceeded 

during the appeal. Since construction of 

the road has now largely been completed, the Club 

determined that there was no longer anything to be 

gained by pursuing the lawsuit and that any further 

legal action was moot. As of the date this article 

was written, the lawsuit remains pending until the 

Court of Appeals enters an Order of Dismissal. 

Appellants had argued that the City failed to 

undertake “all possible planning to preserve and protect 

and to minimize harm to the significant prehistoric 

or historic site” in locating the four-lane (and 

potentially eight-lane) highway through the monument, 

as required by the New Mexico Prehistoric 

and Historic Sites Preservation Act. 

“It was a tough decision to give up on this case, 

Membership Categories 

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Contributions, gifts, and dues to the Sierra Club are not 

tax-deductible; they support our effective, citizen-based 

advocacy and lobbying efforts. Your dues include $7.50 for 

a subscription to Sierra magazine and $1 for your 

Chapter newsletter. 

because we’ve devoted so much time and energy 

into protecting very significant cultural resources 

for more than a decade,” said Betsy Merritt, 

Deputy General Counsel for the National Trust. 

The City maintains that cutting a 165-foot swath 

through the Petroglyph National Monument was 

necessary to relieve the traffic woes on the Westside. 

However, Lora Lucero, one of the appellants and 

a land use planner, stated: “The extension of Paseo 

will not relieve traffic problems on the west side. 

The road will be congested the minute it opens 

because it was always meant to serve more development 

on the far west side – and it will eventually 

lead to even bigger traffic jams. The only people 

who will benefit from this road are developers, not 

the folks who live on the west side. 

“In the future, the City needs to make sure that 

new development is tied to responsible transportation 

planning,” Lucero added. “For all the talk 

about cutting CO 2 

emissions and green development, 

City officials certainly didn’t walk the talk in 

this case.” 

—Richard Barish 

To Contribute to the 

Rio Grande Sierran 

The Rio Grande Sierran is published six 

times a year – early January, March, 

May, July, September, and November – 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 freely 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 masthead page 2). Submissions by Rio 

Grande Chapter members will take precedence 

over others. Articles are subject to 

abridgement. 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 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. Send checks to Thomas Robey, 145 W. 

Zia Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Please allow 

eight weeks for processing. 

Extra copies are often available. Please contact 

the editor (see masthead page 2) or the 

Group Chair in your area (see Group pages). 

July/August 2007 rio Grande Sierran 15

Outings 

Selected Sierra Club Outings for July, August, September 2007 

Saturday, July 14 • Santa Fe Baldy hike – 14 miles, 3600' gain, strenuous. 

Dogs OK. Dan Rusthoi (690-8967 – Northern Group). 

Sunday, July 15 • Cerro Grande (Bandelier) and Valle Grande Trail (Valles 

Caldera) – 6 miles, 1600' gain. Great views. David Van Winkle (820-1006 – 

Northern Group). 

Saturday, July 21 • Leonardo Lakes, Sheepshead, Trampas Lakes loop hike 

– 12 miles, 3700' gain, strenuous. Michael DiRosa (663-0648 – Northern & 

Pajarito Groups). 

Saturday, July 21 • Mt. Taylor via Gooseberry Trail hike – 5.5 miles, 1900' 

gain, moderate. Superb views. David Ther (260-1553, grelbik@att.net – 

Central Group). 

Sunday, July 22 • Bear Trap Canyon hike in the San Mateos – Easy off-trail 

walk, neat rock formations, Gambel Oaks, Ponderosa Pines. Mary Katherine 

Ray (772-5655 – Southern Group). 

Saturday, July 28 • East Fork of Jemez hike – Some water and off-trail, easy/ 

moderate, dogs OK. Norbert Sperlich (474-4354 – Northern Group). 

Sunday, July 29 • Ponderosa Campground to Bandelier Visitors Center hike 

– 8 miles, easy/moderate. Ilse Bleck (662-2368 after 7/25 – Pajarito Group). 

Sunday, July 29 • Pecos Baldy Lake and Pecos Baldy hike – 17 miles, 3800' 

gain, strenuous. Dogs OK. Tobin Oruch (820-2844 before 8 p.m. – Northern 

Group). 

Saturday, August 4 • Deception Peak and Lake Peak hike – 7 miles, 2200' 

gain, summit 12,409', strenuous. Dogs OK. Michael Goldey (820-7302 – 


Sunday, August 5 • Hyde Park Circle hike – Dogs OK on leash. Eliza Schmid 

(474-5846 – Northern Group). 

Saturday, August 11 • Santa Fe Baldy hike – 14 miles, 3600' gain, strenuous. 

Dogs OK. Les Drapela (438-3306 – Northern Group). 

Saturday, August 11 • Sandia Mountain Wilderness hike – One-way, downhill 

hike from the crest to Sulphur Springs, a drop of nearly 3000' in 8-9 miles. 

Carol Chamberland (341-1027 – Central Group). 

Saturday-Sunday, August 11-12 • Continental Divide Trail at Cumbres Pass 

car camp and hike – 8 miles each day, moderate. Great vistas, dogs OK. 

Norma McCallan (471-0005 – Northern Group). 

Sunday, August 12 • Carbonate Canyon hike, in the Black Range – Easy to 

moderate. In an old mining district. Dan Boone (743-0054 – Southern Group). 

Sunday, August 12 • East Fork Box hike, in the Jemez – 5-8 miles, 800' gain, 

moderate. Dogs OK. Dan Rusthoi (690-8967 – Northern Group). 

Saturday, August 18 • Trampas Lakes and Hidden Lake hike – 12.5 miles, 

2700' gain, strenuous. Dogs OK. Patrick O’Keefe (820-2359 – Northern 

Group). 

Saturday, August 18 • Birdwatch Walk with Audubon Society – Bring 

binoculars, easy. Ron Duffy (982-2890 – Northern Group). 

Saturday, August 18 • Santa Fe River Cleanup – 12 noon. Paige Grant 

(982-5180, paigeanna@comcast.net – Northern Group). 

Sunday, August 19 • High-country hike to La Vega – 7 miles, 1500' gain, 

moderate/strenuous. Marcia Skillman (699-3008 – Northern Group). 

Sunday, August 19 • Glorieta Baldy hike – 11.5 miles, 2800' gain, strenuous. 

Dogs OK. Eliza Schmid (474-5846 – Northern Group). 

Sunday, August 26 • Wheeler Peak from Williams Lake hike – 3300' gain, 

very strenuous. Dogs OK. Dan Rusthoi (690-8967 – Northern Group). 

Saturday, September 1 • Gold Hill hike, near Taos – 10 miles, 3400' gain, 

strenuous. Norbert Sperlich (474-4354 – Northern Group). 

Sunday, September 2 • Rio en Medio waterfalls hike, near Tesuque – 

6-7 miles, 1000' gain, easy/moderate. Dogs OK. Eliza Schmid (474-5846 – 


Saturday, September 8 • Nambe Lake hike – 7 miles, 2100' gain. David Van 

Winkle (820-1006 – Northern Group). 

Sunday, September 9 • Lobo Peak hike, near Taos – 10 miles, 3800' gain, 

strenuous. Dogs OK. Tobin Oruch (820-2844 before 8 p.m. – Northern 

Group). 

Friday, September 14 • Weekday hike to La Cieneguilla petroglyphs with 

guide Chip Conway – Some rock scrambling, dogs OK. Dan Rusthoi 

(690-8967 – Northern Group). 

Saturday, September 15 • High-country hike – 7-10 miles, 1500' gain, 

moderate/strenuous. Marcia Skillman (699-3008 – Northern Group). 

Saturday, September 15 • Hike to Lake Katherine – 14.5 miles, 3300' gain, 

strenuous. Dogs OK. Les Drapela (438-3306 – Northern Group). 

Saturday, September 15 • Easy Birdwatch Walk with Audubon Society – 

Bring binoculars. Ron Duffy (982-2890 – Northern Group). 

Sunday, September 16 • Jicarita Peak hike – 11 miles, 2500' gain, strenuous. 

Dogs OK. Patrick O’Keefe (820-2359 – Northern Group). 

Sunday, September 16 • Moderate mushroom-hunting basics hike – Maybe 

up Raven’s Ridge. Art Judd (982-3212 – Northern Group). 

Please check the five Groups’ pages for more information on these trips and additional activities. 

Area code is 505, except as noted. All mileages are round trips. Participants must sign a liability waiver. 

Trail Work Volunteers Needed 

August 17-22 

The Espanola Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest is 

working with the Northern Group on a Pecos Wilderness trail 

maintenance project. Various projects are under discussion, but the 

dates will be Friday-Wednesday, August 17-22. 

The Backcountry Horsemen of NM have volunteered to pack in 

equipment and camping gear, so that volunteers need only carry their 

daypacks. We would go in on Friday with the pack animals, a maximum 

of 6-7 miles of hiking. Craig Saum, the Trail Crew supervisor, will 

provide training Saturday morning, and for the rest of the trip we’ll be 

engaged in a variety of trail maintenance activities, including restoring 

tread, clearing vegetation, and cutting out downed trees on the trail. 

Volunteers who can only spend the weekend are most welcome. The 

Forest Service received no funding for trail work this year – let’s help 

them out by cleaning up some of our special trails! 

Please contact Craig Saum (753-7331, csaum@fs.fed.us) so he can see 

how much interest there is – we’d like to see a minimum of six volunteers. 

Norma McCallan (471-0005, nmmcallan@mindspring.com) is 

the Sierra Club contact. 

New Edition of Day Hikes in the 

Santa Fe Area Released 

Sixth Edition 

by the Northern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club 

$16.95 

The Northern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club is pleased 

to present Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area, Sixth Edition. Due to 

extensive revision and updating, the new edition is even more useful. 

All hikes that appeared in previous editions were re-hiked, 2 hikes were 

dropped, and 12 new hikes were added, for a total of 60 fabulous hikes 

within a day’s reach of Santa Fe. 

Emerging and experienced hikers alike will appreciate the wellorganized 

summary of round-trip distance, hike time, elevation range, 

difficulty rating, driving distance, map choices, and seasonal suitability 

that precedes each hike. Every hike is accompanied by an easy-to-use 

map, courtesy of Greg Ohlsen of Travel Bug. Ohlsen also provides specs 

for those wishing to use GPS in conjunction with the hike maps. New 

to this edition are 54 photographs of the hikes and environs. 

The book is available at local bookstores such as Travel Bug, Borders, 

Garcia Street Books, Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works, Wild Mountain 

Outfitters, La Fonda Newsstand, Bandelier National Monument 

Bookstore, and the Public Lands Bookstore.

Oil and Gas Activity Returns to Santa Fe County - Rio Grande Chapter

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