The Conservation Beat

The State Engineer has denied an application to pump 54-thousand acre feet of water per year from an aquifer west of Socorro.  That's about half of Albuquerque's annual water use.

The application was submitted by Augustin Plains Ranch, LLC in 2007 and quickly met with resistance from over a thousand stakeholders, including the Interstate Stream Commission, the state Department of Game and Fish and several Pueblos.

Still the process was allowed to move forward for years…until a hearing examiner heard arguments on a motion to dismiss in February.  

Not too many teenagers have the option to write a college essay entitled “How I Sued the Governor.” But Akilah Sanders-Reed, from Sandia Park, is not like most teenagers.

A new report from Environment New Mexico finds that thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals were dumped into state waterways by industry in 2010. 

Owners of the San Juan Generating Station and San Juan Coal Company have reached a settlement with the Sierra Club over allegations of water contamination from coal ash waste.

As Albuquerque is mired in debate over a proposal to improve the I-25/Paseo del Norte interchange, local leaders have been hearing from a visitor with some different ideas about infrastructure and development.  Chuck Marohn with the Minnesota-based organization Strong Towns, is an engineer and planner with a growing national audience.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has designated about 10,000 acres in New Mexico and Arizona as critical habitat for the threatened Chiricahua Leopard Frog.

New Mexico regulators have voted to scrap a rule that would have forced major polluters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions starting next year.  KUNM’s Sidsel Overgaard has more.

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The state Environmental Improvement Board will decide the fate of a rule that aims to reduce carbon emissions from large polluters.

Trustees of the Valles Caldera National Preserve held their spring meeting today and expressed optimism about the ecosystem’s recovery after last summer’s Las Conchas fire. KUNM’s Carrie Jung has more.

Thu 3/15 8am: When it comes to recycling in New Mexico, there is nowhere to go but up. And that’s the plan! Major efforts are underway to improve the state’s recycling rate, but what will it take to get us caught up with the rest of the nation?  What would it take to get YOU in the recycling spirit?

LINKS:

Find out where to recycle almost anything here.

Albuquerque's Open Space Visitor's Center will be hosting a Recycled Art Fair on April 21.  More info here.

And you'll always fine more conservation news on our blog: earth air waves

Several of Santa Fe’s youngest environmental activists are featured in a new 120 foot mural at the city’s Warehouse 21 teen arts center.

See a video of the work-in-progress on our blog: earth air waves

At its meeting Tuesday, the Bernalillo County Commission is scheduled to consider putting 1.5 million dollars of open space funding toward preserving UNM’s north golf course for the next 25 years.

An amendment to the federal transportation bill could help secure the future of a proposed Wildlife Refuge in Albuquerque.  KUNM’s Sidsel Overgaard reports.

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The Bernalillo County Commission will consider a proposal to require inspections of aging septic systems next week.  The commission scrapped one ordinance last year that would have required all older systems to be replaced by 2015. Advocates of the new measure say it’s a reasonable compromise.  But opponents say it’s just unfair.  KUNM’s Sidsel Overgaard reports.

Find a scedule of public meetings on this issue here.

Advocates for a free-flowing Gila River are breathing a sigh of relief this week...though their fight is not over.  KUNM’s Sidsel Overgaard explains.

New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman has introduced a bill that sets a national standard for the clean generation of electricity.  KUNM's Sidsel Overgaard reports.

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New Mexico’s largest electric utility released numbers today showing a 25 percent increase in earnings from 2010 to 2011.  Environmentalists say those profits are just one more reflection of PNM’s misplaced priorities.

Albuquerque is tripling the size of its automated recycling program.  KUNM’s Conservation Beat reporter Sidsel Overgaard explains what that means.

Find out if you're one of the lucky few who no longer has to wrestle with paper bags full of newspaper!  Click here.   And find more conservation stories on our blog: earth air waves

Today, the New Mexico Game Commission will vote on whether to reconsider a planned release of river otters into the Gila River.  KUNM’s Sidsel Overgaard reports.

if you think this is funny, you otter get out more: earth air waves

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reclassified two fish found in New Mexico and Arizona as “endangered.”  The Spikedace and Loach Minnow were previously considered “threatened.”

The Xeriscape Council of New Mexico holds its annual Water Conservation Conference and Expo starting Thursday.  This year, the event is dedicated to a man who worked for decades to transform Albuquerque into a more water conscious place.  KUNM's Conservation Beat reporter Sidsel Overgaard has this remembrance.

A push to reintroduce endangered wolves to an area just south of the US border is off to a rocky start.  KUNM’s Conservation Beat reporter Sidsel Overgaard explains.

more conservation stories on our blog: earth air waves
 

A recent analysis by the New Mexico Recycling Coalition shows that access to recycling has nearly doubled in the last four years.  KUNM’s Sidsel Overgaard has more.

more conservation stories on our blog: earth air waves

The Bernalillo County Commission is holding a series of public meetings, including one tonight, on a proposal to require inspection of aging septic systems.

the aquifer, revealed! on our blog: earth air waves

Environmentalists appear to have won a round in continued sparring over New Mexico’s so-called pit rule.  KUNM’s Sidsel Overgaard reports.

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For the first time, a New Mexico county is putting to the test a state law passed in 2001…and federal authorities are responding with a lawsuit.  KUNM’s Conservation Beat reporter Sidsel Overgaard explains.

more conservation news on our blog: earth air waves