Feds Issue Decision on Operating Plan for Rio Grande – The Associated Press
Federal officials have signed off on a plan that spells out how the Rio Grande will be allocated and delivered to users in southern New Mexico and Texas over the next three decades.
The Bureau of Reclamation announced that the record of decisions regarding the river's operating agreement was signed Thursday and that accounting and operation of the system will continue as it has for the past several years.
A decision is still pending on renewal of a contract to store water from the San Juan-Chama project in Elephant Butte Reservoir in southern New Mexico.
Approval of the operating agreement followed a review of potential environmental effects.
Officials acknowledged that projected climate change will have greater effects on water resources than any of the other alternatives that were considered.
Los Alamos Lab Earns Nearly $60M in Performance Pay – The Associated Press
Managers at the Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory received high marks during its annual performance evaluation.
The National Nuclear Security Administration released documents Wednesday showing that contractor Los Alamos National Security LLC will receive nearly $60 million for meeting, and in some cases exceeding, expectations.
The evaluation comes as the lab tries to rebuild its reputation. It was blamed for a 2014 radiation release at the nation's only underground nuclear waste repository more than 300 miles away in southern New Mexico.
The incident sent ripples through the U.S. nuclear weapons complex and cost managers a contract extension.
Despite the good marks this time, the current $2.2 billion contract is still set to run out in 2018.
Storm Closes Some New Mexico Schools, Delays Openings – The Associated Press
Schools and government offices in some New Mexico communities are closed or delaying their openings because of a winter storm dropping snow and creating hazardous driving conditions.
Schools are closed Friday in Santa Fe and Albuquerque's eastern mountains, and other Albuquerque schools delayed their openings by two hours. Gallup-area schools also delayed their openings, as did state government offices in Santa Fe and Las Vegas.
The National Weather Service says snowfall would continue through Friday morning before taping off early Friday afternoon as the storm moves eastward into Texas.
However, forecasters say many roads and highways would remain icy and snow-packed through Friday night across much of northern and eastern New Mexico.
BLM: Transmission Line Would Violate Land Plan – The Associated Press, The Santa Fe New Mexican
A federal official says a proposed high-voltage power line northwest of Santa Fe violates the land's management plan.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Hunt Power of Dallas wants the Bureau of Land Management to grant 12 miles of right-of-way for the 33-mile-long, 345-kilovolt Verde Transmission Line. The line would cross federal land, private land and pueblo land.
The BLM says the land in question is supposed to be managed in a way that retains the existing character of the landscape. According to BLM Taos field manager Sarah Schlanger, the management plan would have to be changed for the power line construction to move forward.
The agency will decide whether the plan should be changed as part of its Environmental Impact Statement on the project.
Albuquerque Faces $24 Million Budget Shortfall in 2017 – The Associated Press, The ABQ Journal
Albuquerque is facing a potential budget shortfall of $24 million in the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the financial forecast was outlined in documents submitted to the City Council on Wednesday, and predicts the largest budget gap the city has faced in six years.
The city anticipates $526 million in revenue in the new fiscal year, and increase of about 2.8 percent, but expects to spend about 2.9 percent more than in fiscal year 2016.
The increased expenses come from state tax cuts, legal settlements and the operation of new projects, including otter and penguin exhibits at the BioPark.
Mayor Richard Berry says the projected shortfall is a manageable amount that can be addressed without tax increases, layoffs or employee furloughs.
Santa Fe Mayor: Sanctuary City Will Still Apply For Grants – Associated Press & Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales says the city will continue to seek federal grants despite President-elect Donald Trump's threat to cut off federal funding to sanctuary cities.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Gonzales became a de facto spokesman for sanctuary cities last year when he defended policies like refusing to use local resources to help enforce federal immigration laws.
He made his recent comments at a news conference yesterday at which city officials announced a $150,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Santa Fe is one of five cities to receive one of the EPA grants under the President Barack Obama administration.
River and watershed coordinator Melissa McDonald says Santa Fe will use the money to write or rewrite its own storm water management plan.
Bat-Friendly Tequila, Research Play Role In Species Recovery – Associated Press
Wildlife officials say it might be time for a toast now that a once-rare bat important to the pollination of plants used to produce tequila is making a comeback.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing the lesser long-nosed bat from the endangered species list. Mexico delisted the bat in 2015, and if approved in the U.S., this would be the first bat ever removed from the nation's list of threatened and endangered species.
Jim deVos, assistant director of wildlife management at the Arizona Game and Fish Department, called the proposed delisting a great achievement.
Federal officials said it has taken 30 years of conservation efforts by biologists and volunteers in Mexico and the U.S. as well as tequila producers in Mexico to rebuild a healthy population.
There were once thought to be fewer than 1,000 lesser long-nosed bats in 14 known roosts throughout the region. Now, there are about 200,000 of the nectar-feeding animals and dozens of roost sites.
"Many entities in both the U.S. and Mexico have worked tirelessly toward recovery and this announcement stands as testimony that dedicated efforts and sound management practices can lead to recovery of endangered species," he said in a statement.
The flying mammal ranges from Mexico to southern Arizona and New Mexico. It depends on the nectar of agave, cactuses and other flowering plants in the desert region.
In Mexico, tequila producers who rely on agave are integrating more harvest and cultivation practices in recognition that the bats are key pollinators. Some are even marketing "bat-friendly tequila."
In southern Arizona, residents for a decade have monitored night-time bat use of hummingbird feeders. This provided biologists with a clearer understanding of migration timing and allowed for the opportunity to capture bats and affix radio transmitters that aided in finding roost sites.
Federal land managers in New Mexico and Arizona, including at the U.S. Army's Fort Huachuca, are including forage plants such as agave, saguaros and other cactuses in their resource management plans to help the species.
Limiting human access to caves with roost sites and abandoned mines in the U.S. also has benefited bat populations, officials said.
Recovery efforts also have included education aimed at changing attitudes about bats and improving identification of different species. Historically, the lesser long-nosed bat was a victim of early campaigns to control vampire bats over rabies concerns and their effects on livestock.
According to a recent assessment, the Fish and Wildlife Service says the threats to the lesser long-nosed bat have been eliminated or reduced to the point that the bat has recovered and no longer meets the definition of an endangered or threatened species.
Biologists also considered the potential effects that climate change may have on the "nectar trail" that the bats follow as they migrate. They say the bat is flexible and adaptive enough to remain viable under changing conditions.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is taking comments on the proposal through March 7. A final decision will follow.
A species of buckwheat once found in only one spot in southeastern New Mexico also has been proposed for delisting. The agency pointed to the discovery of additional populations of Gypsum wild-buckwheat and efforts to limit grazing and off-roading in the areas where the plant is found.
Spanish-Language Vme TV Dropped in Large Hispanic Region – The Associated Press
New Mexico PBS is dropping Spanish-language TV channel Vme from its lineup due to low ratings.
The move comes as Vme TV — the first and only Spanish broadcast television network associated with public television stations — recently announced it was transitioning to commercial cable over the next year.
New Mexico PBS marketing manager Michael Privett says Vme TV just never caught on in the Albuquerque area despite the region's large Latino population. The Albuquerque station had broadcast Vme TV for seven years.
Launched in 2007, the Miami-based Vme TV broadcast in more than 40 markets and partners with WNET in New York.
New Mexico PBS is replacing Vme TV with a new 24-hour PBS Kids Channel.
Albuquerque City Council Looks to Address Rape Kit Backlog - Associated Press and The Albuquerque Journal
The Albuquerque City Council is taking steps to address the backlog of untested sexual assault evidence kits.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the council adopted a bill this week directing city leaders to work with local colleges to encourage students to train in forensic science, including instituting a scholarship program.
The resolution also creates a team to monitor the city’s efforts in tackling the backlog and calls for a study of whether the city is paying its forensic scientists enough.
A report by the state auditor's office this year revealed that New Mexico has the worst per capita rape kit backlog in the nation.
Morales Files Bill To Rework State’s School Grading Formula –The Santa Fe New Mexican
Democratic state senator, Howie Morales of Silver City, has filed a bill to eliminate the complicated method for grading public schools and change it to something much easier to understand.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that New Mexico’s Public Education Department has been grading public schools since 2012. Critics say the approach is cryptic, complex and flawed.
Some schools have received an A, the highest grade possible one year only to be demoted to a D the very next year. In cases like this, how the grades are determined are difficult for school staff as well as parents of students to truly understand.
The bill calls for creating a representative state council made up of teachers, principals, superintendents, school board members, and other educational experts and community members to develop a new grading system.
Attorney General Sides With Newspaper in Public Record Fight – The Associated Press, The Roswell Daily Record
State officials have asked that the city of Roswell reconsider its refusal to make some personnel records available to the public.
The Roswell Daily Record reports that the newspaper requested former city zoo superintendent Elaine Mayfield's personnel records after learning she was placed on administrative leave as superintendent of the Spring River Park & Zoo.
The newspaper filed a complaint with the state Attorney General's Office in September, alleging the city violated state public records laws by denying the production of records.
The Attorney General's Office has since said the city used an invalid justification to withhold records in Mayfield's personnel file from the Daily Record. The AG's Office requested the city re-examine its denial of documents and produce the documents to the newspaper.