State

First New Mexican Tapped to Lead EPA Regional Office

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Photo: Ron Curry
 
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., issued the following statement on the appointment of Ron Curry to be the Environmental Protection Agency‘s Administrator for the South Central Region 6, which includes the State of New Mexico.
 
“For more than three decades, the State of New Mexico has entrusted Ron to be a custodian of our natural resources,” Udall said. “Today, I applaud the Environmental Protection Agency for entrusting him with the responsibilities and challenges that come with leading this important regional office.
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Valles Caldera Prescribed Burn Planned for Monday

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VALLES CALDERA News:

The Valles Caldera Trust will implement a prescribed burn project that will begin Monday, Sept. 24 and possibly run through Wednesday, Sept. 26 if weather and associated conditions permit. 

The prescribed burn will be on the Valles Caldera National Preserve, south of N.M. 4 near mile marker 30. 

Because of the location and elevation, smoke from the burn will be visible from all directions coming into the Jemez Mountains area.

The burn is the final stage of a project to reduce fire hazard and improve forest health. 

The area has been thinned and most of the Read More

Visitors Suffer Heat Related Illness at Bandelier

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Courtesy/NPS

BANDELIER News:

Today at approximately 2:45 p.m., Bandelier National Monument rangers responded to a report of two visitors from England suffering from what appeared to be heat exhaustion at the top of Alcove House located on the Main Loop Trail in Frijoles Canyon.

Bandelier staff called the Los Alamos Fire Department Technical Rescue Team from Station 5 to assist in evacuating the couple from the top of the steep trail.

The severity of the couple’s heat related illness was lessened by two visitors, one a physician from Taos and the other a nurse, who provided medical assistance Read More

Valles Caldera Expands Rabbit Mountain Access

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Valles Caldera Trust News:

The Valles Caldera Trust has expanded public access and use to the Rabbit Mountain area of the Valles Caldera National Preserve.  

Free  hiking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing will now be available on all existing logging roads and trails including Coyote Call trail.

Rabbit Mountain is bordered by New Mexico Highway 4, Bandelier National Monument, and the Santa Fe National Forest. 

Access to the expanded area is possible from Forest Roads 289, 268 and 36. Overnight camping, the use of motorized vehicles, or any other outdoor recreation Read More

Public Invited to Comment on Future of Transportation to Bandelier

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Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott with sign on N.M. 4. Photo by Rod Torrez 
 
BANDELIER News:
 
The National Park Service (NPS) at Bandelier National Monument is developing a Transportation Plan/ Environmental Assessment to improve transportation conditions in Bandelier National Monument. 
 
The public and interested agencies are encouraged to attend one of two open house workshops Monday or Tuesday to learn about the Plan/EA and comment early in the planning process.
 
Attendees will learn about the current status of this effort and park staff
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Volunteers needed for VCNP Fish Study

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Los Amigos de Valles Caldera News:

A study of the movements of trout in the Valles Caldera National Preserve will be conducted from about 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Oct. 23 and 24. 

Dave Menicucci of the University of New Mexico is conducting the study as principal investigator. 

Colleen Caldwell of New Mexico State University is an expert on fisheries and co-principal investigator and technical advisor on the project.

Members of the public interested in participating in the project should contact Volunteer Coordinator Jim Counce of Los Amigos de Valles Caldera at jcounce1111@gmail.com Read More

International Dignitaries Tour NEDO Smart House

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Dignitaries from Japan join officials from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos County, Gov. Susana Martinez and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan in Monday’s NEDO Smart House Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Photo by Greg Kendall/ladailypost.com

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Los Alamos County Council Chair Stover, NEDO Chairman Kazuo Furukawa and other dignitaries tour the NEDO Smart House Monday. Photo by Greg Kendall/ladailypost.com

Local, state, national and international officials tour the NEDO Smart House including this garage area. Photo by Greg Read More

Roundabout Under Construction Near Cities of Gold

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NMDOT News:

The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) District Five began construction Friday of a new roundabout at the intersection of West Gutierrez Street and Cities of Gold Road in Pojoaque. 

The project includes installation of a new sidewalk with curb and gutter, improved drainage and new lighting.

Universal Constructors, Inc. of Albuquerque is the contractor for the project, which is expected to be completed in December.

The intersection of West Gutierrez Street and Cities of Gold Road will remain closed while work is in progress.

Motorists traveling northbound Read More

East Road Gas Line Tunneling Underway

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The gas line tunneling project near the Crossroads Church on East Road involves placing both a 6 inch and an 8 inch line in separate tunnels. It is cheaper to dig a tunnel for the new gas lines with a $350,000 machine than to do it the old fashioned way by digging a trench. Tunneling doesn’t wreck driveways and sidewalks. This strange machine in the photo bores a tunnel underground for placing the new gas lines. One crew member operates the machine with a support three or four person support team. The pipe extending from the front of the machine is the drill pipe that is connected to the boring bit
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Rep. Jim Hall Meets Property Owners

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By Dist. 43 Rep. Jim Hall

I attended two Sierra Los Pinos meetings Sept. 8. 

The first meeting discussed upgrades to the Sierra Los Pinos water system.  

The Association is proposing an upgrade to the system to meter individual properties (now unmetered) and a special assessment to defray the cost. 

There were numerous questions from the audience about the installation process, short and long term costs, and expected benefits. 

Meeting participants seemed favorable, but approval will require a two thirds “yes” vote with at least 60 percent of the owners voting. 

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