Environment

DeVolder: Oxygen

By MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

Probably to the relief of climate change deniers, I am not particularly worried about carbon emissions. 

Instead, I have greater concerns about oxygen levels in the atmosphere. The typical oxygen level in the atmosphere is approximately 21 percent. The minimum level required to sustain human life is 19.5 percent. In the last century, oxygen levels have decreased by approximately 0.1 percent. This would lead one to believe that there is no problem.

I began to think about combustion processes (that is, combustion of coal, oil, natural gas, wood, paper, plastic, garbage, Read More

Inverse Photo Of Pajarito Mountain

An inverse photo of Pajarito Mountain shows the patterns left by ski tracks going down the slopes on fresh snow from last weekend’s small snowstorm. Photo by Marc Bailey Read More

LAHS Students To Present ‘The Engine Inside’ March 15

LAHS News:

The Los Alamos High School (LAHS) Mountain Bike Club and LAHS EcoClub are working together to sponsor a movie event this Friday at SALA. A new film, The Engine Inside, will be showing at 5 p.m., Friday, March 15 at SALA Los Alamos Event Center. Tickets available on the SALA website and in person. 

For the past century, society has grappled with the unintended consequences of a car-centric culture. Follow the lives of six individuals from diverse backgrounds who have devoted themselves to a simple, age-old machine – the bicycle. Through their struggles and challenges, witness how bicycles Read More

Los Alamos ScienceFest Announces 2024 Dates, Opens Registration For Several Events

MainStreet & Creative District News:

Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District have announced that Los Alamos ScienceFest 2024: Creative Energy, will run July 12-16 around Los Alamos County and feature a variety of workshops, lectures, interactive science activities and more.

Registration for Exhibitor and Vendor participation in this multi-day festival has opened and includes the most well-known event of the series, Discovery Day. This year Discovery Day is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 13 at Ashley Pond Park. It features hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Read More

Los Alamos Geological Society Meeting Tuesday To Feature Talk By Dr. Matt Heizler Of New Mexico Bureau Of Geology

Dr. Matt Heizler, geochronologist at New Mexico Bureau of Geology/director of the NM Geochronology Research Laboratory, is the guest speaker at the Los Alamos Geological Society meeting Tuesday. Courtesy photo

COMMUNITY News:

The Los Alamos Geological Society will meet 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, at the Los Alamos Christian Church, 92 East Road.

The guest speaker for this talk will be Dr. Matt Heizler, geochronologist at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and the director of the New Mexico Geochronology Research Laboratory.

His presentation “Temporal Evolution of Iconic Western USA Landscapes”

Read More

Posts From The Road: San Diego

San Diego: A portion of the San Diego downtown skyline and San Diego Bay is seen from a shoreline walkway at Coronado. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Star of India: The Star of India sailing ship was built in 1863 and is the world’s oldest sailing ship. The ship was launched five days before Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address! The ship made 21 trips around the world with no auxiliary power. It is now a part of the Maritime Museum in San Diego and docked next to the shoreline walkway so that all can see and enjoy the beautiful ship. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

By GARY WARREN
Photographer Read More

New Mexico Arts Hosts Instagram Live Artist Talk With Marcus Xavier Chormicle

NMDCA News:

New Mexico Arts will be hosting an Instagram Live artist talk with NMA 2024 Artist-in-Residence Marcus Xavier Chormicle (Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians/Chicano), a Las Cruces-based multidisciplinary photographer who has been in residence at Lincoln Historic Site in Lincoln, N.M. since late February.

The talk is on Instagram at 6 p.m. Monday, March 18 @newmexicoarts.

The mission of the NMA Artist-in-Residence Program, in partnership with New Mexico Historic Sites, is to increase awareness of significant state cultural sites through the lens of contemporary creatives. Read More

NMED Petitions Environmental Improvement Board To Update Air Quality Permitting Fees

NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has  petitioned the Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) to update the fees and fee structure for air quality permits last updated nearly 20 years ago.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, New Mexico’s economy is the 13th fastest growing in the nation with agriculture, construction, and mining among its fastest growing sectors. With such economic growth, NMED’s proposed fee adjustments will improve permitting timelines, technical assistance, and compliance assurance efforts.

“Air permit fees are insufficient Read More

Daily Postcard: More Snow Falls On Pajarito Mountain

Daily Postcard: Another 14 inches of snow fell on Pajarito Mountain Ski Area in the last 24 hours. Pajarito is open every day until March 17. For details, visit pajarito.ski. Courtesy/Webcam

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area is open every day until March 17. Courtesy/Webcam

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area is open every day until March 17. Courtesy/Webcam

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area is open every day until March 17. Courtesy/Webcam

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area is open every day until March 17. Courtesy/Webcam

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area is open every day until March 17. Courtesy/Webcam  Read More

Op/Ed: State Parks Fees Study

Selena Connealy, Chair
NM State Parks Advisory Board
Albuquerque

More than five million people visit New Mexico’s State Parks in an average year, a testament to the integral role that parks play in the state’s outdoor recreation economy and their essential contribution to our quality of life. Our 35 State Parks give New Mexicans—and out-of-state visitors—a matchless opportunity to experience the beauty, adventure, and unique character of New Mexico’s landscapes.

For the State Parks system to continue providing the best experience for New Mexicans and visitors alike, we must invest in Read More

LANL Team Works To Protect Water Quality

Los Alamos National Laboratory sits perched atop the Pajarito Plateau, a vast volcanic rise cut deep by canyons carved by water over millennia. These same canyons funnel water from the mesa tops to the Rio Grande below. Because of this, the laboratory proactively monitors potential contaminants in stormwater, surface water and groundwater that could make their way to the river. We do this year-round, not just because it’s our job, but because it impacts us personally — after all, many of us live in the communities that sit downstream from the lab. Read the full article here. Courtesy/LANL Read More

Ashley Pond Park Electrical Upgrade Project

Ashley Pond Park Work Zone. Courtesy/LAC

COUNTY News:

Los Alamos County Capital Projects and Facilities Division will begin the Ashley Pond Park Electrical Upgrade Project this week to improve the existing electrical panels used to supply power for food trucks and other vendors during events held at the park at 2300 Trinity Drive.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by June 15, 2024.

The project consists of digging a trench for conduit for the new wire, and increasing the existing transformer size to increase power to the existing power panels. The existing power panels will also be upgraded Read More

Daily Postcard: Groomed Ski Tracks At Valles Caldera

Daily Postcard: Groomed ski tracks between the Entrance Station and Cabin District Wednesday at Valles Caldera National Preserve. This is the last chance to sign up for this weekend’s Winter Soundscapes Ski Tour. During Valles Caldera Winter Fest on Saturday, March 9, join a park ranger for a guided ski tour to awaken your senses to winter soundscapes in the caldera. Registration is required. For this program, participants must bring their own skiing equipment. Learn more and register here. Courtesy/NPS Read More

NMHM: Walking Tours Of Santa Fe, Docent Training

NMHM News:

SANTA FE — Friends of History, the nonprofit volunteer organization of the New Mexico History Museum, announce walking tours of historic downtown Santa Fe will resume Wednesday, April 3 and run through December.

Friends of History walking tour docents are volunteer storytellers and the only Santa Fe guides trained under the auspices of the New Mexico History Museum, with dozens of hours of online training, self-study and supervised practice.

Spring 2024 training for anyone 21 years of age or older begins with free introductory sessions live on Zoom: 4-4:45 p.m. Tuesday, March Read More

Five New Mexico Companies Awarded $1M+ Federal Grants For Climate Tech Development

EDD News:

SANTA FE — Five New Mexico small businesses have been awarded grants of over a million dollars each from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science to further technology innovation and commercialization in climate tech, New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) Acting Cabinet Secretary Mark Roper announced today.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants are competitive federal grants that support small businesses engaged in research and development with a potential for commercialization. The DOE recently Read More

McQuiston: Springing Into Strong Winds And Storms

By ALLEN MCQUISTON
Jemez Insurance Agency
Serving Los Alamos Since 1963

If the wind was strong enough to pick up Dorothy and Toto and pull her entire house into a tornado and send them to the magical Land of Oz, there is no telling what it could do to your property. Spring season is here, and with that comes storms. Rain, hail, wind, lightning and those nasty tornadoes can cause serious damage.

So, instead of getting your magical shoes ready, follow these simple steps to minimize damage to your home:

Maintain trees and branches.

Trim any loose tree limbs and branches and dispose of them. You will be thankful Read More

LAHS EcoClub Leaders Attend Green Schools Conference

LAHS EcoClub Leaders Charlotte Butcher and Samuel Carmer represented Los Alamos recently when they attended the Green Schools Conference. Pictured above is Butcher and Carmer touring the Blue Bird All Electric School Bus during their trip. Courtesy/Charlotte Butcher

Leaders Charlotte Butcher, shown here, and Samuel Carmer represent Los Alamos at the conference, meeting climate educators from all around the country and making connections to help Los Alamos Public Schools go green. They attended many lectures and meetings that address climate anxiety among students, the process of Read More

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