By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have turned up in Bernalillo County, and health officials want residents to act before monsoon season makes things worse. The infected insects were collected near the Rio Grande through the joint mosquito surveillance program run by the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, with testing […]
Environment, Conservation & Climate
Stories related to our ongoing coverage of environmental issues in New Mexico.
Posted inEnvironment, Conservation & Climate
Lightning-caused Deer Canyon fire forces evacuations near Mountainair
A lightning-caused wildfire south of Mountainair sent residents of the Deer Canyon neighborhood scrambling for safety over the weekend. The fire had burned over 100 acres and was 0% contained by Monday night and 15% on Tuesday, state forestry officials said. More than 140 crew were assigned to the fire including helicopter and bulldozer crews […]
Posted inEnvironment, Conservation & Climate
Testing the waters: Feds stop paying to sample LANL runoff
By Alicia Inez Guzmán, Source New Mexico — With every spring snowmelt or heavy summer monsoon comes the chance that radioactive particles and toxic chemicals could run down the lobed canyons that are etched into the sides of the Pajarito Plateau and outside the boundaries of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Evidence of Cold War experiments […]
Posted inEnvironment, Conservation & Climate
Did you feel the New Mexico earthquake this past weekend?
Earthquakes aren’t normally cause for much thought in the quiet desert landscape across Central New Mexico, but some Valencia County residents got a reminder on Sunday that the ground under their feet is still very much active. The Valencia County Fire Department’s Facebook page generated hundreds of comments after it shared that they had received […]
Posted inEnvironment, Conservation & Climate
Tree deaths in New Mexico tripled in 2025 as warming summers increases insects, stress on forests
Tree deaths tripled in New Mexico during the second warmest year on record, according to new analysis of the state’s forest health from the U.S. Forest Service and New Mexico Forestry Division. 2025 saw a rapid expansion of bark beetle-caused deaths with 209,000 acres of conifers now dead — up from 67,000 acres in 2024 […]
Posted inPueblos
Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico’s largest winery forge grape-growing partnership
A Sandoval County pueblo and New Mexico’s largest winery are joining forces to grow premium wine grapes on tribal land — a deal both parties say will strengthen local agriculture and tribal economic independence. The Pueblo of Santa Ana and Lescombes Family Vineyards of Deming announced the partnership June 1, covering cultivation of chardonnay, pinot […]
Posted inNew Mexico Legislature #nmleg
NM revenue increases $850M due to Iran war, state economist estimates
By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico — The ongoing war in Iran means $850 million more will flow into state coffers by the end of the current fiscal year ending June 30, according to new projections from the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee. The projected windfall results from a sharp increase in the price-per-barrel of […]
Posted inCorrales
Mayor Hashimoto: Corraleños need to keep up water conservation efforts
Corrales Mayor Fred Hashimoto says recent rains are delightful, but that residents should still remember the village is in a drought. “It doesn’t take a meteorologist to tell us that,” he said, citing low winter snowpack and high early-spring temperatures. In his weekly message to the community, Hashimoto wrote that meteorologists say chances are good […]
Posted inPlacitas
Not a forecast, but a warning: US Forest Service ranger details wildfire possibilities for Placitas
By Rodd Cayton, The Paper. A recent presentation about a theoretical wildfire threatening Placitas was a success, according to leaders of the host organization. District Ranger Ken Born of the U.S. Forest Service visited the community earlier this month, using the agency’s FSPro program to demonstrate how a blaze might behave under a pair of […]
Posted inNew Mexico Statewide News
No sparks allowed: Local governments enact sweeping burn and firework bans in New Mexico
By Rodd Cayton, The Paper. State and local governments are sharing the goal of keeping New Mexico from burning up. This week, the Village of Corrales and Bernalillo County approved new restrictions aimed at fire prevention. The Bernalillo County Commission voted to ban all open burning in the unincorporated areas of the county. “One small […]