By Hannah Grover U.S. Forest Service Acting Associate Chief Chris French said his agency will need assistance from state and community partners amid budget cuts and staff departures. French answered questions during a U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry this week during a hearing on the Fix Our Forests Act. The Fix Our […]
Environment, Climate & Conservation
Washington Post
Posted inEnvironment, Climate & Conservation, National News, New Mexico Statewide News, Syndicated
Park Service suspends air-quality monitoring at all national parks
Authors: Maxine Joselow Park Service suspends air-quality monitoring at all national parks The Trump administration has temporarily suspended an air-quality monitoring program at national parks across the country, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post and two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision […]
Posted inEnvironment, Climate & Conservation, Estancia
Estancia’s water situation is improving, but conservation is still needed
By Hannah Grover When the Town of Estancia sent out a notice asking residents to conserve water, there was approximately 18 feet in its storage tank and about 3 feet in the Torrance County Detention Center’s storage tank. Now Mayor Nathan Dial said the town has 38 feet of water in its storage tank and […]
Posted inEnvironment, Climate & Conservation, Sandoval County
Sandoval County opens public review for 2025 Wildfire Protection Plan
Staff report Sandoval County has announced the start of the public review period for its 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), which began May 5 and will continue until May 19. The 2025 Sandoval County CWPP, an update to the 2012 plan, was prepared by Sandoval County and SWCA Environmental Consultants, with input from other […]
Posted inEnvironment, Climate & Conservation, New Mexico Statewide News
Brace for a bleak water year on top of ‘nightmare’ fire weather season
by Danielle Prokop, Source New MexicoMay 2, 2025 New Mexico’s snowpacks melted a month earlier than usual, making a bad water situation worse for New Mexico’s rivers and the people and ecosystems depending on them. Climate change delivered a double-whammy on top of record low snow for New Mexico, said Andrew Mangham, a senior service […]
Posted inEast Mountains, Environment, Climate & Conservation
Home hardening techniques to protect your residence from fire
By Hannah Grover With more than half of New Mexico experiencing extreme drought conditions, officials throughout the state are concerned about this year’s fire season. Bernalillo County and its partners hosted a wildfire preparedness town hall on Thursday at the Los Vecinos Community Center in Tijeras. While the federal funding cuts and reductions in staff […]
Posted inEnvironment, Climate & Conservation, Estancia
Estancia residents asked to conserve water amid well issues
By Hannah Grover The Town of Estancia is asking residents to conserve water because the well is not producing enough to meet demands. Estancia posted a notice on social media and its website this week, alerting residents to the situation and asking them to conserve water. The Town Board of Trustees met with community members […]
Posted inEast Mountains, Environment, Climate & Conservation
Bernalillo County hosting town hall to help East Mountains residents prepare for wildfire
Staff report With wildfire season becoming increasingly unpredictable, Bernalillo County Fire Rescue is inviting East Mountains residents to a wildfire preparedness town hall. The event is scheduled for Thursday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Los Vecinos Community Center, located at 478 NM-333, Tijeras, NM 87059. The town hall will cover several key topics, including […]
Posted inCommunities, Environment, Climate & Conservation
Reviewing the environmental bills that passed during this year’s legislative session
By Hannah Grover As Earth Day arrives and the legislative session just behind New Mexico, we took a look at new laws areto protect the state’s environment. Each year, legislators bring hundreds of proposals to address climate change, water, wildfires, energy resources and other environmental topics. While not all of the efforts were successful, some […]
Posted inEdgewood, Environment, Climate & Conservation
Water Planning Committee expresses concerns about Campbell Ranch
By Hannah Grover Members of the Estancia Basin Water Planning Committee expressed concerns during an April meeting about how a proposed subdivision could impact water resources in the East Mountains. The proposed Campbell Ranch development could lead to 4,000 new homes as well as two golf courses being built in the East Mountains area. The […]