State

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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Luján Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

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U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District released the following statement in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins today:

“Hispanic Heritage Month represents an opportunity to reflect on the enduring contributions of a community that has strengthened the fabric of a nation whose diversity is a source of strength and pride. As one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States, Hispanics have increasingly played a vital role in our country as businessmen and women, members of the armed forces, teachers, and first Read More

Udall Introduces VOW to Hire Heroes Extension

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Bill Would Simplify Hiring Of Unemployed Vets
 
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., has joined Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in introducing the bipartisan VOW to Hire Heroes Extension Act of 2012 (S. 3536), a bill that simplifies the hiring of unemployed and disabled veterans.
 
Senators Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Jim Webb, D-Va. and Dean Heller, D-Nev., are also original cosponsors of the legislation.
 
“New Mexico has 180,000 veterans who risked their lives to defend our freedom, often at a physical or emotional cost to themselves,”
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Powering Up the Los Alamos Smart Grid & Smart House

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Let the Demo Begin!  Powering up the Los Alamos Smart Grid & Smart House

By Greg Kendall

  • First international project in the U.S. to demonstrate how to provide a significant proportion of renewable power on the electric grid to meet a community’s residential needs.

A $52 million state‐of‐the‐art, international smart grid project will power up at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17 at 1925‐D Trinity Dr. in Los Alamos, a high desert residential community of scientists, engineers and their families.

At the event, the New Energy and Industrial Technology and Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan, Read More