Environment

Los Alamos: Stunning Fall Colors, Three National Parks

Scene reflects beauty and serenity of Ashley Pond in downtown Los Alamos. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com

COUNTY News:

Los Alamos—where discoveries are made—invites travelers to explore vibrant fall colors and jaw-dropping scenery this autumn.

In addition to photo-worthy sights, Los Alamos offers the opportunity to visit three nearby National Parks (Bandelier National Monument, Valles Caldera National Preserve and Manhattan Project National Historical Park), hiking and biking trails, and historical and cultural sites.

“Fall is the perfect time to visit Los Alamos. With Read More

Fire Danger Remains High On Santa Fe National Forest

SFNF News:

SANTA FE — The Santa Fe National Forest has experienced higher than normal temperatures and lower than normal precipitation for this time of year, raising concerns about the risk of wildfire well past the historical end of fire season.

Fire managers are monitoring fire indices, including fuel moisture levels which are atypically low for this time of year, and forecasted weather to keep a close eye on the very real risk of wildfire heading into October. The good news is that shorter days, increased cloud cover and the possibility of wetting rain in the first week of October are expected Read More

Daily Postcard: Hermit Thrush On Barranca Mesa

Daily Postcard: A Hermit Thrush perches on the branch of a Colorado spruce tree recently in the yard of a residence on Barranca Mesa. An unassuming bird with a melancholy song, the Hermit Thrush lurks in the understories of northern forests in summer and is a frequent winter companion across much of the country. It forages on the forest floor by rummaging through leaf litter or seizing insects with its bill. Source: allaboutbirds.org. Photo by Selvi Viswanathan Read More

NNSA Awards $7 Million To Minority-Serving Institutions In New Mexico And S.C. To Support Plutonium Pit Production

NNSA News:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) awarded $7 million for workforce development and training supporting plutonium pit production to minority-serving educational institutions in New Mexico and South Carolina.

NNSA provided $3.5 million for partnerships in each state to be distributed among selected institutions, including historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges and universities.

“NNSA is dedicated to building a diverse capable workforce, and Read More

Heinrich Opens Hearing On Electrifying Homes, Buildings

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), delivered remarks to open the hearing, “Examining the Economic Benefits of Electrifying America’s Homes and Buildings.”

VIDEO: Heinrich Opens Hearing On Economic Benefits Of Electrifying Homes, Buildings [HD DOWNLOAD LINK HERE]

A full recap, including witness testimony, will be released at the conclusion of the hearing.

Sen. Heinrich’s opening remarks as prepared for delivery:

This hearing will come to order.

Thank you, Chairman Read More

Los Alamos County Environmental Services Concrete And Asphalt Recycling Operations Halted For 30 Days

 

COUNTY News:

Los Alamos Environmental Services is working on issuing a new contractual agreement to continue the concrete and asphalt recycling operation.

Until this contract is in place, Los Alamos County Eco Station will not accept concrete or asphalt for  recycling or disposal starting Oct. 1, 2021 for 30 days.

Below you will find a list of potential disposal sites for asphalt and concrete. Contact the business in advance to ensure they are able to accept concrete and asphalt for disposal:

  • GM Emulsion, 505.471.9981, near Santa Fe Airport Road, accepts concrete and asphalt, No
Read More

Speaker Egolf Announces 2021 New Mexico Climate Summit

New Mexico House Speaker Brian Egolf

STATE News:

SANTA FE — As many parts of New Mexico continue to experience near-record or record-breaking temperatures, New Mexico Speaker of the House Brian Egolf has announced the first-ever New Mexico Climate Summit, to be held Oct. 25-26 at the State Capitol. 

The two-day event will gather nationwide experts and leaders from across the state to develop bold new policies that address the climate crisis and include a just energy transition for all of New Mexico’s diverse communities.

The summit is presented by Speaker Egolf, in partnership with organizations Read More

Construction Underway At Smith’s Parking Lot In White Rock

Workers are removing old asphalt this morning from the parking lot at Smith’s in White Rock. A Smith’s employee said the project should end by Sept. 29 and will cover the front and rear lots. Photo by Dave Lannen

Construction underway this morning at Smiths parking lot this morning in White Rock. Photo by Dave Lannen

Scene of construction this morning on the parking lot at Smith’s in White Rock. Photo by Dave Lannen Read More

SFNF Waives Fees For National Public Lands Day

SFNF News:

SANTA FE — The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) will waive fees at many day-use recreation sites for National Public Lands Day (NPLD) Saturday, Sept. 25.

As the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands, NPLD is a great opportunity for more Americans to get outdoors and connect with their public lands.

The Forest Service participates in fee-free days with other federal agencies to encourage Americans to visit their public lands. The final fee waiver day in 2021 will be Thursday, Nov. 11, in honor of Veterans Day, which commemorates the end of World War I and Read More

Valles Caldera Partners With ABQ BioPark In Zoo-Park Partnership For America’s Keystone Wildlife

View of Valles Caldera National Preserve. Courtesy/NPS

ABQ BioPark Director Stephanie Stowell

NPS News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Valles Caldera National Preserve and the ABQ BioPark recently established a Zoo-Park Partnership for America’s Keystone Wildlife to provide vital support in the recovery of New Mexico’s native wildlife found at the national park site.

They join eight other partnership pairs involving national parks across the country as part of the Zoo-Park Partnerships Project hosted by the Wildlife Restoration Foundation and supported through an agreement between the National Read More

Drought Tests Centuries-Old Water Traditions In New Mexico

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández

From the Office of U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández:

ABIQUIU — At the edge of a sandstone outcropping, U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández looks out on the Rio Chama. The river tracks a diverse landscape from the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains through rugged basalt hillsides, layers of volcanic tuff, and the red and yellow cliffs made famous by painter Georgia O’Keeffe.

Here marks the genesis of New Mexico’s centuries-old tradition of sharing water through irrigation systems known as acequias. 

It’s also one of the many spots in the arid West facing more pressure Read More

Rotary Speaker Discusses Maui Sea Turtle Rescue/Rehab

Sea turtle conservation technician Chanel Browne with an injured green sea turtle brought to the Marine Institute in Maui for rehabilitation. Courtesy photo

By LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

“We inspire lifelong environmental stewardship,” began Chanel Browne, sea turtle conservation technician for the Marine Institute of the Maui Ocean Center (MOC). During the Aug. 31 meeting of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos, she described the Institute’s mission, via Zoom from Hawaii.

“We ensure the survival of coral reefs and sea turtles in Hawaii through science-based conservation Read More

Weekly Fishing Report: Sept. 21, 2021

By GEORGE MORSE
Sports And Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post

The State Department of Game and Fish stocked 77,741 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat trout in the Rio Grande Gorge above Pilar. The stocking was part of the Department’s program of expanding the range of the cutthroat trout

One of two species of trout historically native to New Mexico, the other being the Gila trout, Rio Grande cutthroats inhabited the main stem of the Rio Grande and its major tributaries in New Mexico. Habitat degradation, over-fishing and the introduction of non-native species of trout have resulted in over 90-percent Read More

Daily Postcard: Full Harvest Moon Casts Glow Over Trees

Daily Postcard: The September Full Harvest Moon casts a glow on the leaves of a tree very early Monday morning at a residence in White Rock. This year, September’s full Harvest Moon rose in the southeast just after sunset Monday, two days before the fall equinox. The full moon that happens nearest to the fall equinox (Sept. 22 or 23) always takes on the name ‘Harvest Moon’. Unlike other full moons, this full moon rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row, giving farmers several extra evenings of moonlight and allowing them to finish their harvests before the frosts Read More

LANL: How Microbiomes Help Secure The Food Chain

Greenhouse laboratory at TA-51 used by the Earth System Observations group. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Drought seems to be a persistent reality in New Mexico and across the Southwest. While the monsoon season provided the state with much-needed precipitation — resulting in more rainfall this year than previous years — we’re still in a state of drought.

(According to drought.gov, Santa Fe County received 1.11 inches more rain in July than usual, but is still considered to be in extreme drought.)

With no end in sight, farmers will continue to struggle in drought-affected areas. Scientist Sanna Read More

Daily Postcard: Red-naped Sapsucker Sips Sap From Tree On Barranca Mesa

Daily Postcard: A male Red-naped Sapsucker is spotted clinging to the side of a tree recently at a residence on Barranca Mesa. Red-naped Sapsuckers are industrious woodpeckers with a taste for sugar. They drill neat little rows of holes in aspen, birch and willow to lap up the sugary sap that flows out. The presence of sap wells is a good indication that they are around, but so are their harsh wailing cries and stuttered drumming. Source: allaboutbirds.org. Photo by Selvi Viswanathan

A male Red-naped Sapsucker is lapping up sugary sap that is flowing out from a tree recently at a residence on Barranca Read More

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