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News & Views
from the
S u s t ai n ab l e S o u t h w e s t
K eeping C ultural A uthenticity
D efending
the
V alue
of
O ur L and
2015 S ustainable S anta F e A wards
the
E lvis R omero and
C osmic W hite C orvette
B uilding
a L ocal
F arming
N etwork
May 2015
Northern New Mexico’s Largest Circulation Newspaper
Vol. 7 No. 5
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Green Fire Times • May 2015
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Vol. 7, No. 5 • May 2015
Issue No. 73
Publisher
Green Fire Publishing, LLC
Skip Whitson
Associate Publisher
Barbara E. Brown
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Seth Roffman
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Contributing Writers
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Kirby, Andrew Lovato, Katherine Mortimer,
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Romero, Vicki Pozzebon
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News & Views
from the
Sustainable Southwest
Winner of the Sustainable Santa Fe Award for Outstanding Educational Project
Contents
Keeping Cultural Authenticity: A Santa Fe Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Elvis Romero and the Cosmic White Corvette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Santa Fe’s Southwest River Corridor . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 10
Op-Ed: From Ecoversity to Urban Sprawl . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 12
Defending the Value of Our Land: Agricultural Valuation . . .. . .. . .. . .. . 16
New Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Café Thriving . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 20
Farmhouse Café in Taos Helps Build a Local Farming Network . . .. . .. . .. . .21
The Local Voice: Local Soil, Local Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
CuranderApis – Hive Medicines for Interspecies Body & Spirit . . .. . .. . .. . .. 23
Pesticides Are Likely Damaging Ecosystem Services. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 24
Santa Fe Green Festival. . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 25
Fire Season: An Exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Art. . .. . .. . .. . .. 25
2015 Sustainable Santa Fe Award Winners . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 26
New Mexico Legislative Bills Signed or Vetoed by Governor Martinez . . .. . .. 31
Newsbites . . .. . .. . .. . .. . ... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 17, 20, 24, 33, 37
What’s Going On. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 38
Lisa Powers, 505.629.2655
[email protected]
Albuquerque: Shelley Shilvock, 505-492-5869,
[email protected]
Distribution
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Nick García, Andy Otterstrom (Creative Couriers),
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Andrew Tafoya, Skip Whitson, John Woodie
Circulation: 30,000 copies
Printed locally with 100% soy ink on
100% recycled, chlorine-free paper
Green Fire Times
Green Fire Times provides useful information for
community members, business people, students and
visitors—anyone interested in discovering the wealth
of opportunities and resources in the Southwest. In
support of a more sustainable planet, topics covered
range from green businesses, jobs, products, services,
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maximizing environmental as well as personal health
by minimizing consumption of meat and alcohol.
Green Fire Times is widely distributed throughout
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event listings, advertising and article submissions to be
considered for publication are welcome.
www.GreenFireTimes.com
© Janelle Cordova
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P.O. Box 5588, SF, NM 87502-5588
505.471.5177 • [email protected]
© 2015 Green Fire Publishing, LLC
Micah Roseberry, owner of the Farmhouse Café and Bakery, shares blue corn from her garden with a domesticated bison
at the Cerro San Cristobal Ranch north of Taos, New Mexico. (See story, page 21)
COVER: F
armer (and Grammy Award winning musician) Robert Mirabal of Taos Pueblo
plows a field for the Farmhouse Café and Bakery in Taos.
Photo © Seth Roffman
Green Fire Times • May 2015
5
6
Green Fire Times • May 2015
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Keeping Cultural Authenticity: A Santa Fe Story
A TEDx talk presented at Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Andrew Lovato
When you think back to your childhood,
do you get a clear picture of the place that
made you who you are today? What is it
like? Has it changed much?
Santa Fe is quite different now.The Plaza
is lined with high-priced shops selling
Southwestern art and turquoise jewelry.
Real estate prices are astronomical around
the heart of the city.
How did this happen? You could say it’s
too much of a good thing.
More than a million people from around
the world visit my hometown every year.
What is it that draws them to my humble
little community?
Could it be the magnificent Sangre de
Cristo Mountains, the pure desert air or
maybe the spectacular sunsets? Plenty
of other places equal Santa Fe in natural
beauty.
The mystique or illusion of Santa Fe is its
calling card: people come to experience
an adobe Disneyland of mesas and
margaritas, a place quaint and frozen in
time, rich in Spanish and Pueblo Indian
culture and history. Santa Fe was the
remote capital of Spain’s northern frontier
in the New World in the 17th and 18th
centuries. The people were mostly self-
sufficient.They led lives far removed from
outside resources, and a vibrant culture
evolved. The art, traditions and religious
beliefs of the people were a unique blend
of Spanish and Indian influences.
How did this legacy create a recipe for
one of the most popular international
tourist destinations and the best city for
shopping in America, according to last
year’s USA Today readers’ poll?
Take a cup of historical revisionism
(Santa Fe has not always been a paradise
of cultural harmony; there have been
many squabbles); add a sprinkle of
stereotyping (Santa Fe residents do not
live in a land of perpetual siestas); and
add a layer of chocolate frosting (in 1957,
the city passed a building ordinance
requiring brown adobe-style architecture
downtown). Bake in an oven for a few
decades, and what have you got? A tourist
industry that generates over a billion
dollars annually.
Cultural authenticity
will help sustain a vital
tourist industry.
But culture is more than just a pleasant
backdrop for commerce. At times, the
line that separates authentic culture from
commercial culture becomes blurred.
Marketing art, architecture and festivals
is central to places that cater to tourist
dollars.This isn’t true only for Santa Feans
but also native Hawaiians and Chinese
San Franciscans.
© Seth Roffman
G
rowing up in the 1960s, my friends
and I rode our bikes up and down
the streets of Santa Fe, and we felt like the
whole city belonged to us. The Plaza in
the center of town was where people met
to catch up and do some shopping. Little
adobe houses dotted the area.
Andrew Lovato’s TEDx ABQ talk, September 2014
No community wants to end up on the
trash heap of “yesterday’s in spots.” It’s
like what Yogi Berra said about a busy
New York restaurant, “No one goes there
anymore; it’s too crowded.”
Former Santa Fe Mayor Debbie Jaramillo
captured the frustration of growing
gentrification when she said, “They
painted the downtown brown and moved
the brown people out.”
At what point do stereotypes surrounding
a culture become the reality? It can be
argued that all cultures are mythical
creations. What is important is not so
much that cultures contain myth but,
rather, who controls the development and
perpetuation of these myths.
A classic example was the 1883 Santa
Fe Fiesta that celebrated the 333-year
anniversary of the founding of the city.
In reality, the year being observed had
no historical significance whatsoever.The
anniversary was concocted as a way to
promote Santa Fe business and tourism.
Maintaining authenticity ultimately
lies in the hands of host communities.
Tourists are hungry for new experiences,
and they’ll eat what they are told is on
the menu. Host cultures can prepare a
cultural menu that guides visitors to desire
a deeper and more meaningful experience.
© Seth Roffman
It’s possible to maintain a flourishing
tourist industry without killing the
proverbial golden goose.
Spectators watch the 2014 Santa Fe Fiesta entrada, a reenactment of the reentry of
Diego de Vargas and his troops, who, in 1692, reclaimed Santa Fe for the Spanish king.
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Tourism provides a tremendous social
and economic boon. Newcomers provide
influence and change that is the lifeblood
of thriving communities, but it’s also
possible to share a cup of water without
giving away the fountain.
I’d like to propose three ways that cultures
can maintain a degree of sovereignty and
sustain strong communities:
First, promote cultural education to
encourage appreciation of authentic
culture and resist simplified stereotypes;
Second, create affordable housing to
ensure that indigenous populations
remain intact;
And lastly, encourage sustainable
development that protects natural
resources and creates an economic base
that is not overly dependent on tourism.
We owe this to the children riding their
bikes through their neighborhoods today
and tomorrow, so they can declare, “This
is my hometown,” as we once did. As they
become part of the larger world, here’s
hoping that they’ll feel a connection with
their roots and cultural heritage.
After all, isn’t that what’s important in
the long run? A hometown that still feels
like home? i
Through his writings, native Santa Fean
Andrew Lovato, Ph.D., walks readers through
an exploration of Hispanic and New Mexico
cultures of yesterday and today. An associate
professor at Santa Fe Community College,
Lovato is the author
of Santa Fe Hispanic
Culture: Preserving
Identity in a Tourist
To w n ; T h e Ye a r
Zozobra Escaped:
Featuring Zozobra’s
Great Escape; and a
contributing author
of four other books.
Andrew.lovato@sfcc.
edu
Green Fire Times • May 2015
7
Elvis Romero and the Cosmic White Corvette
Chapter One: The Sun God
Andrew Lovato
E
lvis Romero was born at La
Casita Clinic in 1955, under the
watchful eyes of the Catholic nuns who
provided medical care for the working
people of Santa Fe. As soon as he
entered the world, his mother let out
a loud laugh despite her weariness and
immediately jettisoned all of the proper
Catholic names that she’d considered
and christened him “Elvis” after she
caught sight of his abundant mane of
wavy, black hair.
His earliest memory fundamentally
influenced the way he perceived the
world and how he thought about who
he was. It was not a dramatic event
or even particularly interesting. In
fact, it was one of the most mundane
experiences imaginable. But when it
happened, he was transformed, and
it opened his infant eyes to the vast
possibilities of his soul. Simply stated,
his mother placed his tiny, 10-day-old,
naked body outside in the sun.
© Seth Roffman
Throughout his life, Elvis could recreate
that day vividly in his mind. As he
reminisced through the ethers of the
decades, this is what floated back to
him: He lay dozing on clean, white
sheets on a cool summer morning
with a soft breeze whispering through
an open bedroom window. His belly
was full, and he experienced a sense
of contentment after drinking his fill
at his mother’s breast. Elvis lingered
blissfully in that netherworld between
sleep and consciousness, trying to focus
his untrained eyes on the light and dark
shapes around him. The sweet perfume
of his mother’s skin hung comfortingly
in the air. He felt her strong, warm
hands slide under his head and the
small of his back as she gently lifted
him to her body.
They moved from the bedroom and
headed out toward a small front yard
in the old, barrio section of the city. She
placed a soft, white, cotton blanket on
the earth and gently lowered him down
in the middle. Carefully and deliberately
she removed his bedclothes and, for the
first time in his brief existence, Elvis
felt the overwhelming sensation of
the sun’s rays pouring down upon his
flesh. At that moment, he began to
vibrate with a glowing, radiant energy
as his little heart expanded within his
chest, and he was filled with a feeling
of indescribable joy and wholeness.
Beneath his tightly shut eyelids, a
shimmering, golden face appeared and
gazed down upon him with limitless
love and compassion. A celestial
memory from another realm and era
emerged within him, and he intuitively
recognized the features of the Sun God.
His benefactor and source of being, the
eternal Father, was once again looking
over him to protect and nurture him
through another lifetime.
Elvis was too new to the planet to know
the names of Ra, Apollo, or Osiris but,
like worshippers from past civilizations,
he felt a power and illumination rise
in his spirit. He shared the same
conviction with those devotees that this
was the source of life and vitality within
him and all living beings. Whenever
he would feel the pangs of
pain or sorrow as a young
boy, he could close his eyes
and conjure the image of the
Sun God in his inner mind,
and the fear, stomach upset,
or other distresses that he
was experiencing would melt
away with the power of the
beneficent glow that healed
from within.
Elvis’s mom and dad knew
nothing of the strange pagan
stirrings that coursed through
8
Green Fire Times • May 2015
© Anna C. Hansen
Sun God lifts his head
My eyes fill with yellow light
One more day to live
his youthful psyche. They were more
focused on the outer, material world.
His dad’s pride and joy in life—besides
his little family—was a 1954 polo white,
convertible Chevy Corvette, with a V-6,
155 horse-powered blue-flame engine.
It sported a black soft-top, deep-red
seats and dash, whitewalls, and a
power-glide transmission. Gilbert
Romero fell in love with the car after he
had seen it in Hot Rod magazine when
he returned from the Army. He took
half of his G.I. Bill money and put it
toward a down payment on a house and
used the other half for his dream ride.
He owned one of only 3,265 Corvettes
made that year, selling at a base price
of $2,774.
with this one-time indulgence and
never again gave a thought to his own
desires before considering the needs of
Evelyn and his future family.
Gilbert and Evelyn were engaged soon
after he returned home from Fort
Hood Army Base, in Texas following
the end of the Korean War. Fortunately,
he was never called up for active
combat but, instead, spent the war at
the base manning his post as a FirstClass Private, Mail Specialist.
“Chingada, babe, listen to the sound
of that motor purring!” “Watch your
mouth, Gilbert,” Evelyn scolded, but
her voice was full of excitement.
A coming of age piece
about growing up in
the Hispanic culture in
northern New Mexico
Evelyn knew better than to stand
between Gilbert and his fantasy
car, even though there were more
immediate practical concerns that the
cash could have addressed. She knew
that fulfilling dreams and passions
was a vital part of a good husband’s
psychological make-up, just as much
as sacrifice and responsibility, and her
instincts were right. He was satisfied
She never forgot the day that the
Corvette arrived at the auto dealer’s
lot after a six-month wait. With a
beaming face, Gilbert opened Evelyn’s
passenger-side door and gently kissed
her on the forehead before proudly
strolling around the gleaming machine
and settling into the driver’s seat with
a satisfied sigh.
“Mi amor, how does it feel to be sitting
in the most beautiful car in Santa Fe
next to the handsomest man?” She
threw back her head and laughed, her
black locks shining in the sunlight.
“Well, at least, you’ve got it right
about being in the most beautiful car,”
she teased. Gilbert snorted in feigned
rejection, turned the key and the
magnificent steed came to life.
They cruised slowly through downtown
Santa Fe and then headed down
Cerrillos Road. A clean, cool breeze
fanned their faces as Gilbert smiled
widely and waved to everyone he saw. He
was like a boy on Christmas morning.
“Listen Ev, what a firme engine! Feel
how smooth the transmission shifts,
and check out the steering—it’s like
butter!” He cranked up the hi-fi radio,
and they sailed down the road with The
Crew Cuts singing “Sh-Boom” on that
magical afternoon.
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They stopped for a milk shake at
the Dairy Queen, and all of the
teenage vatos, who were hanging out
that Saturday afternoon, gathered
around and whistled and touched
the car gingerly before wiping off
their fingerprints with their tee shirts.
They looked at Gilbert as if he were a
movie star like James Dean and made
comments like, “Hombre, cool ride!”
and “Vato, you got to take us for a
cruise sometime.” Also, “Carnal, if
you ever need someone to wash your
chariot, let me know. No charge.”
He reveled in the admiration and his
newly acquired sense of abundance
and status. Although the car had cost
a pretty penny, Evelyn treasured the
sight of Gilbert as happy as she had
ever seen him.
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Eventually, they made their way to his
parents’ house, where Gilbert’s brothers
and sisters were anxiously awaiting his
arrival, and soon the whole scene began
again. Only this time, it was even more
auspicious as the whole neighborhood
congregated to celebrate his great
fortune.
The whole
neighborhood
congregated to celebrate
his great fortune.
The only voice of reason came from
Gilbert’s mother, who warned, “This
doesn’t mean you can go tearing around
town like a bat out of hell. Don’t start
acting like some kind of big shot.” He
smiled and nodded his head sheepishly as
he walked over to his mom and gave her a
hug. She relaxed, knowing she had done
her duty, and the celebration went on.
Everyone had to climb into the driver’s
seat and clasp their hands on the
leather-covered steering wheel. They
marveled at the sound quality of the
radio, and Gilbert’s younger brother,
Tony, made a joke that Evelyn didn’t
appreciate: “Hermana, you’re going to
have to keep a closer eye on Gilbert
now that all the girls see him cruising
down the street in his chick magnet.”
Finally, the day drew to a close, and even
Gilbert was weary of all the attention.
He carefully parked the Corvette in
his parents’ garage, preferring to keep
it there rather than in front of their
casita across town. He continued to
do this for a couple of weeks, until
the inconvenience became too much,
continued on page 28
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Green Fire Times • May 2015
9
Santa Fe’s Southwest River Corridor
From Pueblo Lands, El Camino Real, Cristóbal Nieto Land Grant, El Pino, Court
of Private Land Claims to Ecoversity and La Cieneguita del Camino Real
Hilario E. Romero
Early Agua Fría and the First Pueblos
W
hen the Indian Pueblos of Agua Fría were settled by Native Americans,
possibly as early as 3,000 BC, “the area was an agricultural mecca,”
according to Cheri Sheick of Southwest Archaeological Consultants. They chose
this location because of its cold water springs, little ciénegas and the longer
growing season at that elevation. They grew the trinity of squash, corn and beans
and supplemented it with wild edible plants like quilitl (quelite or wild spinach),
and used the river nearby for irrigation. They also fished in the upper river—later
to be known as the Río Santa Fe—where there was abundant trout, and collected
firewood. The forests were within eight miles to the east of their pueblo, and they
hunted wild game such as elk, deer, bear and bighorn sheep. Within the area of
their pueblo, they also hunted wild turkey—later domesticated—and rabbit, quail,
large migratory birds and other small game. This area today would include an area
running southwest along the river close to Cieneguilla, northeast along the river to
the forest, southeast to today’s I-25 and northeast to the edge of Tesuque Pueblo.
The area was an agricultural mecca.
These Pueblo people are most likely the first permanent residents to live in what
we now call Santa Fe. Eventually, they abandoned their pueblos sometime during
the 1200s. They relocated upriver because of drought; giving them better access
to water, hunting, firewood, fortified security, possible new enemies and cosmic
signs. Their new pueblo could have been built just a stone’s throw northwest
from today’s Plaza de Santa Fe, where the Santa Fe Community Convention
Center now sits. They had to build a new pueblo, create a new diversion on the
river and dig ditches for irrigation. The new pueblo presented new challenges
because the growing season was shorter upriver. They probably developed new
techniques to compensate for the rise in elevation and the proximity to the forest.
They brought with them drought-resistant seeds that were planted in their new
environment. They remained in this area for about another two centuries before
moving northwest to build Te-su-gueh Pueblo on the Río Tesuque, a pueblo that
continues to be an innovative leader in New Mexico with its agriculture.
Agricultural field, Agua Fría, New Mexico, ca. 1890. Courtesy of the Palace of the
Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA), Negative Number 015231
El Camino Real
El Camino Real—the Royal Road—brought the first new settlers as early as 1600,
when some of Juan de Oñate’s group decided to retrace their steps back to the area
now known as Santa Fe. They initially realized that the land closer to the mountain
was difficult for farming and ranching. Many moved down the Río Santa Fe to
the area known as Ojitos Frescos and south to Pin’di and Pueblo Quemado, where
the ruins of a burned pueblo lay in the Traditional Village of Agua Fría. Agua
10
Green Fire Times • May 2015
Photographer: Jesse Nusbaum. View of Agua Fría village looking northeast toward
Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico, 1912, Courtesy of the Palace of the
Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA), Negative Number 011049
Fría village extended from the Pacheco Land Grant to the southwest boundary
of the Merced de Santa Fe—Town of Santa Fe Grant. Ten years later, Don Pedro
de Peralta, under orders from the Spanish Crown through the Virrey de México,
officially proclaimed La Villa Real de San Francisco de la Santa Fe in 1610.
Great Pueblo Revolt in Galisteo,
Santa Fe and the Nieto Family
Just prior to the Great Pueblo Revolt of 1680, a group of early Spanish settlers
from the Santa Fe area traded their goods in El Paso del Río del Norte—today’s
Juárez, Chihuahua. Among them was Cristóbal Nieto, who was in El Paso del
Río del Norte while his father, Alcalde José Nieto, prepared his family back in
Galisteo for an escape, as the Tanos were revolting. Tragically, José Nieto, his wife
Lucía and Cristóbal’s sisters, María and Juana, were killed by the Tanos of Galisteo
Pueblo. Cristóbal’s wife, “Petrona Pacheco, along with two of their children were
taken captive during the confusion,” according to Hackett and Shelby from their
translations in Revolt of the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico and Otermin’s Attempted
Reconquest, published by UNM Press (1942). Cristóbal Nieto most likely received
news from the group of Spanish settlers that escaped the Great Pueblo Revolt that
his wife and children had perished along with his parents and siblings.
According to Malcolm Ebright in his article, submitted to the Office of the State
Historian and copyrighted by the State Records Center, entitled: Cristóbal Nieto
Land Grant (2004), Cristóbal Nieto returned to Santa Fe as a soldier in 1697,
17 years after his wife and children were taken captive by the Tanos de Galisteo
Pueblo. His wife had three daughters that were rescued from their captors and
returned to Santa Fe by Roque Madrid in 1692. Later that same year, Cristóbal
Nieto was reunited with his wife and three children—Simón, Maria and Lucía—
and Sebastiana and Josefa (from captivity) and the youngest, Petrona, born later
according to Don Diego de Vargas’s distribution of livestock and supplies, May
1, 1697, in John Kessell and Rick Hendricks/Meredith Dodge, eds., Blood on the
Boulders: The Journals of Don Diego de Vargas, New Mexico, 1694-97, Book 2, UNM
Press, 1998. The realization that his wife and children were still alive must have
been an emotional shock. He received a small land grant from the new governor,
Pedro Rodríguez Cubero, on the southwest side of Santa Fe, bordered on the
northeast by the Río Santa Fe, between the house of Domingo de la Barreda to
the west and the Domingo de la Barreda land grant to the east, near what was
known as the Ojito Fresco (possibly near the ditch that runs into the river on
the east end of Frenchy’s Field) and intersected on the south by el Camino de los
Carros, today’s Cerrillos Road.
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Cristóbal Nieto and his family raised sheep, some cows and a bull from the supplies
he received from Gov. Vargas. The area had to be sufficient in water and grasslands
to sustain the livestock and grow into a ranch. Oral accounts from villagers of
Agua Fría describe this area as Las Cieneguitas, or little marshes, which would
indicate that it was possible to succeed with a ranching endeavor. Cristóbal’s son,
Simón, purchased land from José Manuel Gilthomey in 1707 nearby in between
Salvador Archuleta and Capitan Luís Maese, and planted corn. (Spanish Archives
of New Mexico I, Dec. 5, 1707 #639)
According to Fray Angélico Chávez, in his Origins of New Mexico Families,
Simón Nieto, son of Cristóbal Nieto, was married to Francisca Maese, one of the
daughters of Luís Maese and his wife Josefa de Archuleta. Simón Nieto was a
soldier in Santa Fe in 1700 and was still soldiering in 1728, the same year he lost
his wife Francisca. According to a deed cited by Malcolm Ebright in his article
on the Cristóbal Nieto Land Grant: In 1727, one year before he lost his wife,
Simón Nieto sold off a tract of land bordering his father’s land grant, which was
purchased by his wife that same year from her sister several years after the death
of their father, Luís Maese.
Virginia L. Olmstead’s compilation of the New Mexico census of 1750, published
by the New Mexico Genealogical Society, shows the Nietos were represented by
Francisco Nieto (Cristóbal’s grandson); his mother, Lucía Nieto; his aunt, Petrona
Pacheco; his aunt, María Nieto; and his three children as the only Nietos listed.
The Court of Private Land Claims, Feb. 11, 1893
Juan Nieto, claiming to be a direct descendant of Cristóbal Nieto, filed a claim for
confirmation of the Merced de Cristóbal Nieto. The prosecuting attorney, James
Purdy, muddied up the entire process with his legal maneuvers and caused the
Cristóbal Land Grant to be rejected by the court without a trial on June 11, 1898
(Ebright). During its tenure, 1891 to 1904, the Court of Private Land Claims
approved only 1.9 million acres out of a total 33 million acres of land grants of
claimants. This was possibly the largest land grab in U.S. history.
continued on page 13
Map from ca. 1893s. From J.J. Bowden’s Private Land Claims in the Southwest, Southern
Methodist University, 1969, page 269
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Chicken pull (Corridos de Gallo) in Agua Fría, New Mexico. ca. 1900. Courtesy of the
Palace of the Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA), Negative Number 057659
Green Fire Times • May 2015
11
© Anna C. Hansen
Saint Isidore Church (Iglesia de San Isidro), Agua Fría, New Mexico, ca. 1904 – 1907.
Courtesy of the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA), Negative
Number 015173
This was the same year that Petrona Nieto, wife of Cristóbal Nieto, died. By 1765,
according to Malcolm Ebright, “Francisco Nieto was serving as a soldier in the
Presidio de Santa Fe (Santa Fe Garrison) and had partitioned land south of Agua
Fría that he had purchased from Andrés Montoya of Cieneguilla. This is the first
document that connects a Nieto with the place name El Pino.” However, when
looking at J.J.Bowden’s map of Santa Fe County, New Mexico, showing the Spanish
and Mexican Land Grants of Santa Fe in his Private Land Claims of the Southwest,
SMU Press (1969), he shows El Pino’s location just outside the southwestern
boundary of the La Merced de Santa Fe (Town of Santa Fe Grant), which would
put it in the area of Frenchy’s Park, Ecoversity and La Cieneguita, moving southwest
to the boundary on the Camino Real to Agua Fría Village. The Arroyo de San
Antonio eventually would be converted into Acequia de San Antonio, (which runs
off the Acequia Madre down the
slope between today’s Osage Lane
and San Ildefonso Street in Casa
Alegre and comes down to the
Camino Real (Agua Fría Road)
at today’s Pueblo Alegre. In the
1700s and 1800s it emptied into
a “tanque” (holding pond) used
by ranchers to soak their carretas.
It crossed the Camino Real and
entered the Ecoversity land, and
ran through the Boylan property
and back into the Río Santa Fe.
The last mention of the Rancho
El Pino in the 18th century comes
from a partition suit filed in 1788:
“Rita Padilla, daughter-in law of
Juan García de Noriega, who died
owning an interest in “a Rancho
of cultivable lands at the place of
El Pino, filed a partition suit in
1788.” Ebright, Cristóbal Nieto
Land Grant, Office of the State
Acequia de los Pinos, Maclovia Park, Casa Alegre 2012
Historian (2004).
Op-Ed: From Ecoversity to Urban Sprawl
Montserrat Vallès Albesa
N
ew Mexico has attracted people
from all over the United States
and the world, people with an awareness
and sensibility for healthy lifestyles,
the environment and our state’s unique
character. These are people who want to
live in a society where human values are
important and where progress is defined
as beneficial for the community-at-large,
not the kind of progress associated with
the conquest of nature that leads to
societal problems and benefits only a few
individuals.
community input. I have gone door to
door in the La Cieneguita Homeowners
neighborhood, and nobody knew about
this project. Many have signed a petition
to ask the Planning Commission to deny
the project. Neighborhoods surrounding
the Ecoversity land have created the West
Santa Fe River Alliance, which includes
all nearby neighborhood associations
and residents. They have developed a
plan to protect the river corridor against
“irrational” and “unnecessary” projects
like this one.
Recently, many people in Santa Fe have
become concerned with a proposed
high-density project called El Río, which
would consist of 450 rental apartments,
10 buildings, 40 feet high. This project
has been proposed by Blue Buffalo LLC/
Tierra Concepts on land of the former
Ecoversity, a school founded in 1999 by
Frances Harwood, on Agua Fría Street,
aka El Camino Real. Why did such a
drastic change occur—from a school that
taught care for the land, environment and
sustainability—to a project proposing to
transform agricultural land into urban
sprawl? There are many places in Santa Fe
where this project could be built without
such negative impacts to the environment,
neighborhoods, quality of life and open
space. Many questions have come into
focus regarding the city’s annexation of
the Ecoversity land, which was formerly
under Santa Fe County jurisdiction.
The proposed complex is in an area where
most of the land is zoned R-1, that is,
one dwelling per acre. The developers
are seeking to change a semirural area
to high-density, R-29, as if Santa Fe
were a big metropolis that can grow only
vertically.This is against the requirements
of the city’s General Plan, which states,
“We believe it to be essential that
growth in and around our city should
be complemented by the preservation
of neighborhoods and traditional, social
and cultural patterns… The General
Plan seeks to promote interests of the
community-at-large over private ones.” It
is also important to understand that Agua
Fría is part of the historic El Camino
Real. It was designated as a National
Historic Trail in 2000. The mission of
the National Historic Trail is to preserve
the trail and its surrounding environment.
The developers are
seeking to change a
semirural area to
high-density.
The Long Range Planning Division,
under the Housing and Community
Development Department, has expressed
serious reservations regarding the density
of the development, saying it would be
more appropriate in places such as St.
Michaels Drive, St. Francis Drive, or
Rodeo and Zarafano roads. In February,
the Planning Commission recommended
denial of the project to the City Council.
Numerous residents from the Agua Fría
and La Cieneguita neighborhoods, along
with many others from all parts of Santa
Fe have expressed their opposition to the
project.
Since the project’s inception,the developers
have not provided information or allowed
12
Testimony before the Planning
Commission meeting of February
19, 2015
The architect that designed La Cieneguita
neighborhood testified before the
Planning Commission, recommending
denial of the project for being too dense
for the property. Richard Martínez,
president of the Neighborhood Network
and of La Joya Neighborhood Association
testified, “Anytime you do an infill
project, you always want to make sure it
is compatible with your neighborhood.
This project is not. People who live in the
neighborhoods know what would be right
for them. This is why they are expressing
themselves this way.” A village of Agua
Fría resident testified,“This development
would destroy the last vestiges of the
real nature of our community and our
ecosystem along the river.” Another
resident stated, “I am going to ask you
just to consider the ethics of valuing the
development’s interest above the health
Green Fire Times • May 2015
Ecoversity property with public notice development sign, January 2015
and welfare of thousands of existing
Westside residents.” Another resident, a
35-year-old mechanical engineer living
on Calle Carmelita, said, “With all due
respect to these gentlemen, I don’t want
to live in their apartments. This isn’t New
York or San Francisco, and living three
miles outside of downtown Santa Fe is
no young professional’s dream of urban
utopia.” A Casa Solana resident, Gina
Ortiz, a 32-year-old physician’s assistant,
said, “The congestion, pollution and
carbon footprint this project will create
will affect future generations.” Former
City Councilor Frank Montaño said, “If
this project is approved, our quality of life
will be significantly deteriorated.”
Agua Fría is considered a secondary
artery and already has traffic problems.
This apartment complex would make
Agua Frí a a traffic hazard and a
dangerous artery. Agua Fría does not
have the infrastructure to handle fire
or emergencies. La Cieneguita Street is
narrow, and people have to park on it.
For 17 years, cross-traffic from Agua
Fría to Cerrillos has destroyed the street
and affected the safety of children, pets,
trees and residents. You can drive through
Agua Fría and adjacent neighborhoods
and see that the roads and streets are in
poor condition. The neighborhoods have
waited more than a decade for the city to
fix them. If this project were approved, it
would add to the unsafe conditions we
already have in this neighborhood.
There is no real demand for rentals of this
type in the city of Santa Fe. The only real
demand is for affordable housing, which
this project will not address. By law, the
developers must build 15 percent of the
total units as “affordable.”These are shown
separately on El Río’s site map. One of
the planning commissioners commented,
“The way you are addressing affordable
housing is segregation.”
The Blue Buffalo LLC/Tierra Concepts
project assumes that this high-density
development will help attract good jobs
for young professionals. The truth is that
it will only create temporary jobs for the
developers and the construction crews.
Common sense and statistics tell me that
the problem of not having more young
professionals in Santa Fe is due to lack
of jobs, not lack of housing.
Residents feel
powerless when
people with money,
political influence and
power work against
the true needs of the
communities.
The developers said this project will
bring affordable rental units for young
professionals. According to a Santa Fe
New Mexican article on Feb. 15, 2015:
“The apartments would average 850
square feet, with rent ranging from $750
a month for a studio to $1,500 for a
two-bedroom unit.” This is affordable?
Santa Fe residents can rent houses with
more space inside and with front- and
back yards for less. My stepson lives in
a 1,300-square-foot, totally remodeled
adobe house with vigas, radiant heat,
fireplace and a nice yard and pays $1,300
per month. A man who testified before
the Planning Commission said, “It
is outrageous that these people are
pretending they can rent to millennials for
this kind of money. I have seen millennials
taking internships and working part-time
jobs, several at a time, and none of them
continued on page 33
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Santa Fe’s SW River Corridor
continued from page 11
Map of Santa Fe and Village of Agua Fría in 1952, Map collection, New Mexico State Archives
On the Official Topographical Map of Santa Fe County, in 1904, which
was the same year that the Court of Private Land Claims concluded its
adjudications, the Rancho El Pino was no longer on the map because the
area has no boundaries showing. The Nieto family descendants still live
in Santa Fe. However, this history shows that the Agua Fría village was
contiguous from the southwest boundary of the town of Santa Fe. By 1952,
the map of Santa Fe County shows several small houses along the Camino
Real—Agua Fría Road—in the area where Rancho El Pino was located.
Oral accounts talk of the Corridas de Gallo (rooster pulls) that took place up
until the 1960s in this area. Rancho El Pino was sold, and several generations
of families (los Maese, now Maez; los Brito; Valencia; Sánchez; Montoya;
Gallegos and Rael) continued to live, ranch and farm on parts of the land
for the next century, possibly up until the 1990s.
Eventually, developments made their way into this old land grant through
land sales. The Acequia de los Pinos (Acequia Madre) runs through the
entire area, and during years of sufficient snowpack it carries water. Casa
Alegre was built in the upper portion of the area in the 1940s and ‘50s by
Allen Stamm, followed by Pueblo Alegre in the 1980s, and Cielo Vista in Acequia Madre, behind SF Indian School
the 1990s, along with La Cieneguita del Camino Real affordable housing subdivision, by the Housing Trust. Frances
Harwood purchased almost 12 acres in the lower portion of the ranch and, in 1999, opened Ecoversity, which is next
to the Alamo and Camino Mío neighborhoods.The Ferguson Street neighborhood, called
Aspen Creek, was the last development built, in 2002. The history of El Camino Real and
the Agua Fría community is an extremely significant part of the history of Santa Fe. We
owe a debt of thanks to the settlers, ranchers and farmers of this area for their contributions
to the survival and history of La Villa Real de San Francisco de Asís de la Santa Fe. i
© Anna C. Hansen
The 20th Century
Hilario E. Romero, a New Mexican Mestizo (Spanish/Basque/Jicarilla Apache/Ute), is a former
New Mexico state historian. He has spent the past 40 years in higher education, as professor of History,
Spanish and Education, including at UNM and Northern New Mexico College.
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Green Fire Times • May 2015
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Green Fire Times • May 2015
www.GreenFireTimes.com
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www.GreenFireTimes.com
31, 2015
Green Fire Times • May 2015
15
Defending the Value of Our Land
Agricultural Valuation in Santa Fe County
Enrique Romero
N
ambé is one of the most beautiful
places in northern New Mexico,
especially when the seasons are
changing. The transition from winter
to spring is one of my favorites. While
most everything else lies dormant
under the cold, moist soil, the wild
orchard grass and the irises, eager to
get an early start, break through the
remnants of last year’s fertility. The
snow-packed Sangres tower over the
village, reminding us of the source of
the 17 acequias that divert the Río
Nambé, providing water to over 1,700
acres of land in the valley. One of those
acequias, La Acequia Nueva, irrigates
the property of native Nambeseño
Orlando Romero.
Orlando’s property, which he has
named La Villa Enrique in honor of his
grandfather, who moved to the property
in 1929, is a wonderful balance of nature
and domesticity. During this time of
year, bees swarm around apricot trees
in full bloom. The trees are not planted
military style in organized rows or set
a certain number of feet apart. Rather,
they surround his home and have been
strategically placed, so that he can take
advantage of the deep shade the large
apricot and apple trees provide. Under
the fruit trees are picnic tables where
Orlando and his family enjoy outdoor
gatherings during the spring, summer
and fall. While the trees provide shade,
the cool acequia water that flows
through the laterals that meander just
outside his front porch cool off the
earth during the summer. The laterals
provide water to grapevines, flower and
vegetable gardens and nearly threedozen apple, cherry, apricot and peach
trees. Orlando has made creative and
efficient use of his 2.9 acres.
The law simply ignores
the historic and modern
reality of northern
New Mexico.
Now, all around the property is
evidence of spring cleaning. There are
piles of branches ready to be mulched,
new fruit trees ready to be planted
and clean laterals ready to take on
the responsibility of making this
place come to life. Orlando has been
irrigating every year since his return
from graduate school in 1976. The
spring cleaning is a lot of work, but
the rewards at the end of the year and
during the hot summer months make
the work meaningful.
In late January, Orlando received
a letter from the Santa Fe County
Assessor. The letter stated that his land
would lose its agricultural status for
property tax valuation in 2016 unless he
provided proof that it was “still primarily
used for agricultural purposes.” The
letter suggested that Orlando, as the
landowner, had the burden of showing
the assessor, by July 1, 2015, that the
land was being used for agriculture.
Orlando was outraged when he read the
letter. He says he remembers someone
from the Assessor’s Office coming to
the property a year or two ago, and that
soon afterward, his 2014 property taxes
Romero home in Nambé
16
Green Fire Times • May 2015
skyrocketed. He thinks
that it must have been
during this “site visit” that
the employee made the
determination that his
land was no longer being
used for agriculture. “The
only thing that makes any
sense,” Orlando says, “is
that this employee came
out when everything was Orlando Romero proudly showcasing some of his grapes
dormant and didn’t see the
Even with this rather expansive
laterals throughout the property. Or
definition of “agricultural products,” the
maybe the employee didn’t know what
valuation has limitations. For example,
he was looking for.”
the regulations require a minimum
Now Orlando, and every other property
of one acre of land to qualify for the
owner who received this letter, has
agricultural valuation. Landowners
to submit evidence of agricultural
who own less than one acre may still
use, including photos, inventories of
qualify if the agricultural products
agricultural products and receipts of
produced on the land are orchards,
agriculture-related purchases. The
poultry, or fish. If the land also includes
ball’s in his court now, and Orlando
a home, the regulations presume that
is preparing to refute the assessor’s
the home site is one acre. Therefore, one
erroneous conclusions.
acre will be subtracted from the land
valued as ag unless the landowner can
For Orlando, the burden of submitting
prove the home site is less than one
proof of what should be obvious was
acre. Another restriction pertains to
not the most outrageous part of the
grazing. Even if the landowner owns
letter. Rather, it was the conclusion
more than one acre of land, he or she
that “agricultural use [had] been
may not necessarily qualify for the
abandoned for an excessive number of
agricultural valuation if the land is used
years.” The letter didn’t say how many
for grazing. Each year, the Property
years but referred to the statutes and
Tax Division establishes the carrying
regulations under which the assessor’s
capacity of grazing land and bases the
determination was made.
minimum-acreage requirement on the
So what do the statutes and regs say?
carrying capacity. Currently, in Santa
Section 7-36-20 NMSA 1978 states
Fe County, the minimum acreage to
that the valuation is based on the
qualify for the agricultural valuation
“land’s capacity to produce agricultural
for Class A properties is 80 acres, and
products.” Agricultural products are
for Class B it is 54 acres.
fairly inclusive and range from the
The minimum-acreage requirement
most obvious items—plants, crops,
for grazing and for growing crops is
trees, orchard crops, livestock, dairy
what frustrates Orlando the most and
products, honey and wool—to less
is the main reason why he feels the
common products like mohair, hides,
law is flawed. The law simply ignores
pelts and fish. Basically, as long as the
the historic and modern reality of
products are either used for subsistence
northern New Mexico. Orlando, a
or sold, or used to produce other
historian and writer, says that the
products that are then sold or used
Spanish colonial record indicates that
for subsistence, state law allows the
the small plot predominated during
agricultural valuation. Landowners,
the colonial period, and, as late as the
who are resting their land to maintain
19th century, the “long lots” of northern
its capacity to produce agricultural
New Mexico were composed primarily
products later, may also receive the
of small acreages. Like today, families
agricultural valuation. Also, certain
made efficient use of plots of land
lands in federal soil-conservation
programs may qualify.
www.GreenFireTimes.com
So, for now, Orlando is going to do
what he’s always done. He’ll prune
his f ruit trees and grapevines, till
his gardens and wait for La Acequia
Nueva to deliver the lifeblood of
this valley’s history and culture. If
he is unable to convince the assessor,
Orlando is prepared to protest the
valuation in 2016 before the County
Valuation Protests Board. He doesn’t
want it to come to that, but receiving
the agricultural classification is more
than just about relieving the burden
of increased property taxes. It’s about
preserving historical continuity and the
importance of the small agricultural
plot in northern New Mexico. i
Native New Mexican Enrique Romero is
a staff attorney at New Mexico Legal Aid,
Inc., where he works exclusively in its Land
and Water Rights Program. Romero attended
the University of
Notre Dame and,
in 2014, was a
recipient of that
school ’s Shaffer
Public Interest
Law Fellowship.
Orlando Romero
i s E n r i q u e ’s
father.
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Northern New Mexico Seed Exchange
Last month, the 10th annual Pueblos y Semillas
Gathering and Seed Exchange took place in
Peñasco. The event was hosted by the New
Mexico Food & Seed Sovereignty Alliance,
which is comprises of the New Mexico Acequia
Association, Traditional Native American
Farmers’ Association, Honor Our Pueblo
Existence and Tewa Women United.
© Seth Roffman (5)
between one-half and one acre, growing
many varieties of vegetables and other
produce. Families used those small
plots for growing food for subsistence,
for sale or to give to their extended
family. When it comes to the grazing
requirement, Orlando says it was rare
for one farmer to own 50 acres of land
just for grazing. In fact, it was common,
even when he was a child, to graze goats
and cows along the riverbanks in lieu
of grazing on one’s own property. Also,
it was not uncommon for a farmer
to purchase feed from a neighboring
farmer to supplement what he grew
for his livestock.
Agricultural Lands Tax Hikes Challenged
State tax law is critical to keeping agricultural lands in production and to protecting the traditional fabric and culture of
communities with long ties to the land.
About 460 Santa Fe County residents and at least several thousand people around New Mexico are fighting to keep their
agricultural-use tax rate, which is considerably less than annual property taxes at the residential rate. An assessment in 2014 by
the County Assessor’s Office found that 1,539 of about 2,000 properties were verifiable as agricultural. The rest were questionable.
Those landowners were sent letters requesting documentation to show that their property is still agricultural.
That resulted in a lot of angry people, many of whom are challenging those assessments. In recent months, the newly elected
county assessor, Gus Martínez, and his staff have met with property owners at community meetings.
Understanding the importance of the ag valuation to agricultural communities across the state, the New Mexico Acequia
Association (NMAA) took the lead in advocating for and passing a bill (SB 112) during the 2015 legislative session by building
a statewide and bipartisan coalition to expand the definition of agricultural use for property valuation to include the resting of
land under certain conditions such as drought. Over time, some families have subdivided their properties and sold off parcels.
Changes to the initial draft bill removed the minimum-acreage requirement and the inclusion of recreational horses. The final
bill signed by Gov. Martínez provides an additional tool to help county assessors better meet the concerns of agricultural land
users. The bill states:
“Agricultural use” includes the resting of land as the direct result of at least moderate drought conditions as designated by the
USDA if the drought conditions occurred in the county within which the land is located for at least eight consecutive weeks
during the previous tax year and provided that the land was used in the tax year immediately preceding the previous tax year
primarily for the production of agricultural products.
Ag Lands Valuation Workshop – May 7 • Nambé Community Center
The NMAA is hosting a workshop on May 7, at Nambé Community Center to help Santa Fe County residents and anyone else
interested in the valuation process understand this topic. For more information, call 505.995.9644.
Green Fire Times • May 2015
17
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• Phone (505) 474-4389
• Visit: ICFWarehouseNM.com
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Green Fire Times • May 2015
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Green Fire Times • May 2015
19
New Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Café Thriving
Café Fresh uses locally roasted, organic coffee
beans from Aroma Coffee and organic dairy and
dairy alternatives such as soy or almond milk.The
café also offers local honey, organic Bhakti chai,
spicy and organic hot ginger tea. Chimayó red
chile powder is used to make Mexican Mochas.
Organic flavorings are available for coffee drinks.
Particularly notable at Café Fresh is the delicious
Heather Bradley, manager, and
green drink. The café’s baristas shop at the
Colleen O’Leary, assistant manager
farmers’ market for this healthy smoothie’s
ingredients: kale, chard and sprouts, all from local farms.The addition of organic bananas,
strawberries, chía seeds and honey create the sweet flavor.
© Anna C. Hansen (2)
If you haven’t visited the new shops at the Santa
Fe Farmers’ Market, this would be a good time.
The remodeled retail space, which includes Café
Fresh, the new espresso bar, has really hit its stride.
Café Fresh is small but has many food offerings, including soups, bagel sandwiches and
quesadillas. Whenever possible, the ingredients for soups and sandwiches come from
the farmers’ market. Gluten-free cookies and decadent pastries are sourced from local
bakeries. There is quiche from Crumpackers Bakery on Sundays, when the Railyard
Artisan Market occupies the pavilion space. The café also has handcrafted mugs for
sale, crafted by local potters.
All the proceeds from Café Fresh and the other café, in the market hall, directly benefit
the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market.The market is open year-round on Saturdays. Café Fresh
and the other shops are open an hour later than the farmers’ market, until 2 p.m. every
Saturday and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. During the Tuesday market, which
starts on May 5, the café opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 1 p.m. In June, the market will
switch to its summer hours, opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 1 p.m.”.
On April 10, roundtable discussions
were held during the 2015 Taos
County Farming & Ranching Fair.
The event’s theme: “Opportunity
for Renewal.” The stated goals: To
reaffirm, continue and strengthen
wise land-use traditions and
practices; build partnerships; and
explore innovative farming and
ranching strategies. Topics included agricultural land tax valuation, successful
field replanting, water conservation, livestock management, weed and pest control,
and making money in agriculture.
20
Green Fire Times • May 2015
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© Seth Roffman (2)
Taos Farmers and Ranchers Roundtable
Farmhouse Café in Taos
Helps Build a Local Farming Network
Seth Roffman
A
Besides providing high-quality organic local cuisine to diners,
the Farmhouse Café and Bakery supports local farmers and
is helping build a local farming network. The Farmhouse has
sourced its ingredients from over 20 local farms and ranches.
Thus far, the café has purchased 10,000 pounds of organic flour
from the Costilla-based Sangre de Cristo Wheat Project 4,000
gallons of organic oil, 8,000 pounds of locally grown Yukon
gold potatoes from White Mountain Farm, 12,000 organic
eggs from locally owned Happy Hens Farm and 600 pounds Robert Mirabal and Robby Romero
of biodynamic salad greens from Morningstar Farm. Other local sources include
Sangre de Cristo wheat, corn meal from Santa Ana Pueblo and Mary’s Organic
Top (r): UNM Kid’s Campus visit to the café’s garden. Locally sourced food includes
Chicken. Local carrots, potatoes, cabbage and salad greens are also supplied by
Chimayó red chile bison stew as well as wild mushroom barley vegan soup.
Cerro Vista Farm. Sweet Grass Beef and products made from Organic Valley
Sustainable Native Agriculture Project
the number of meals per day, add
milk and butter are also used.
in the 1980s that originally drew
several new schools to the fall lunch
Roseberry to the Taos area.
program and include weekly activities
that connect the students to their
Upcoming Sustainable
food with gardening and cooking. In
Farming Workshop
collaboration with the Taos Village
The café’s garden has produced Taos blue corn, quinoa, ancient wheat, black Nile
Roseberry has been teaching UNMFarm, Roseberry established a UNM
barley and over 500 pounds of squash, which provided the café with roasted squash
Taos’ Sustainable Farming classes
Teaching Farm last fall that will be
soup and curry squash pie throughout the winter.
for the last two semesters. She is
the site of a Community School Farm
also presenting a UNM Sustainable
The Farmhouse Café and Bakery started as a local organic farm-to-table café
project. UNM Sustainable Farming
Farming workshop from July 6 through
but quickly became a point of convergence for many community projects. Last
student mentors, high school students
July 10. The workshop will focus on
August, the café began serving 90 organic breakfasts and lunches to UNM’s Kid’s
and preschool groups will work together
growing quinoa and small grains,
Campus and the Little Bug Preschool. Roseberry uses the café’s infrastructure
to grow grains and vegetables in a field
creating a successful CSA, beekeeping,
to subsidize the production of high-quality meals for the students. Student field
and salad greens year-round in a highharvesting and marketing, planting and
trips and visits to the Farmhouse range
tunnel greenhouse.
storing vegetables for winter storage,
from garden harvest activities and picnics
making goat cheese, using biodynamic
This summer the Farmhouse garden is
to a monthly cooking day with Inspire
preparations, growing hops and much
hosting a 40-member CSA (Community
Bilingual Preschool and evening family
more.
Supported Agriculture) project that
cooking classes featuring five-star dinners.
includes a “share-a-share” program
Local food is always at the center. Pinto
For anyone interested in experiencing
for low-income families. Roseberry
beans from Vicente Valdez’s farm are an
the culture in agriculture, Robert
will share her own 12 years of CSA
example of a healthy food that costs only
Mirabal will be kicking off a summer
experience with beginning farmers in a
14 cents per serving. Last fall, Roseberry
series, “Mirabal and Friends,” by
Young Farmers Coalition to help grow
packed up her solar oven and visited
playing another benefit dinner concert
the potential production capabilities
Taos Elementary Garden and UNM
at the Farmhouse Café and Bakery on
in Taos County. Her goal is a CSA in
Kid’s Campus and helped students plant,
Saturday, May 9. The café is located at
every neighborhood. Coincidentally,
harvest and make kale chips from their
1405 Paseo del Norte in El Prado, three
one of her coalition partners, Sam
school’s garden.
miles north of Taos Plaza. For more
Gregory, is growing on a farm at New
information, call 575.758.LOVE or
As this school year is coming to a
Buffalo in Arroyo Hondo, that was the
visit farmhousecafeandbakery.com i
close, plans are underway to quadruple
home of Southwest Learning Centers’
© Bill Curry
The Farmhouse has sourced its ingredients
from over 20 local farms and ranches.
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Green Fire Times • May 2015
21
© Tina Larkin
Tiwa Farms is helping get more Taos Pueblo fields back into
production, supporting farmers’ efforts to grow healthy food
for the pueblo’s families and schools. Mirabal plowed 50 fields
last spring. Tiwa Farms provides the Farmhouse Café with
custom-ground corn meal and blue popcorn.
Mirabal photo © Seth Roffman
© Jody McNicholas (2)
seed exchange and garden blessing marked the beginning
of the growing season in Taos and brought together the
collaborative efforts of musician Robert Mirabal’s Tiwa Farms
and Micah Roseberry’s Farmhouse Café and Bakery. Mirabal
brought his native seed collection to share and, after plowing the
Farmhouse garden, played an “Iron Horse” concert with Robby
Romero. Proceeds from the concert and a farm-to-table dinner
benefitted the café’s organic school lunch program, Tiwa Farms
and an outdoor garden for the Taos Pueblo Head Start program.
The Local Voice
Local Soil, Local Food
Vicki Pozzebon
ull disclosure: I am no soil expert. I fancy myself more of an expert on water
quality, having grown up with a water well-drilling father who was, in fact, a soil
tester and certified geologist. I was the kid who did science projects on water-quality
testing and kept a pH test kit in my school bag, mostly because I liked watching the
litmus paper turn colors in the water fountain.
So how does a localist with an interest in clean water get so passionate about soil?
Maybe because, after 10 years of living in New Mexico and watching our topsoil blow
away in 40-mile-per-hour winds every spring, I have come to understand that soil is
an important component to our food and water supply. I’ve been working deeply in
the local food system movement for years now, but soil has never once entered into my
conversations. Until very recently, that is.
In early February, on an unseasonably warm day for the California
Bay area, about 30 localists, ranchers, farmers and impact investors
met on the TomKat Ranch, in Pescadero, to learn how to sequester
carbon in soil and heal our climate while growing better cattle and
food for our local food systems. I will confess, the first few hours I
walked around the ranch listening to stories about their 100 percent
grass-fed beef operation and how they brought back native grass by
allowing cattle to free forage and frequently rotating them, thereby
Jaum Barron of regenerating the healthy grassland and reducing their carbon
Fruit of the Earth footprint on the environment. I wondered out loud, “What’s this
Organics
got to do with local economies?”
Turns out, soil—composed of minerals and microorganisms—can hold up to one
billion bacteria, several yards of fungal filaments, several thousand protozoa and scores
of nematodes in just one teaspoon. What we put into our soil or, on the flipside, take out
of it, matters. Depleting soil of these nutrients with pesticides and chemicals or allowing
them to simply blow away in the wind makes for a very unhealthy environment for you,
me and the food we eat—from our beef to our poultry to our veggies and dairy. This
all makes for an unhealthy food system, too, as we rely more on large-scale farming,
where chemicals are dumped into the soil and pesticides are sprayed to keep the crops
“healthy,” and then that produce is trucked thousands of miles across the country.
Without healthy soil, we cannot have
healthy local economies.
Plants need soil to grow, and soil is the basis for everything you and I need to thrive:
food, flora, fiber, fuel. I felt like I’d somehow skipped this Soil 101 class as a kid. Why
didn’t I remember this? Why had I taken soil for granted all these years and not thought
about the how of my food grown locally? Of course, I know that organic or sustainable
farming practices are better for me and the environment. Of course, I know that grassfed beef is better for me and the environment. Of course, I knew all these things. What
I did not know was just how very depleted our country’s soil is and what some ranchers
and farmers are doing to holistically manage their production to regenerate the soil
and sequester carbon. It already holds 2.5 trillion (with a T) tons of carbon, and with
effective land management we can build carbon in soil by 1 to 3 billion tons per year,
equaling approximately 3.4 to 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide, or one-third of all
human-generated carbon emissions, annually. We all know about the drought we’ve
been experiencing in the Southwest and, with temperatures rising and megadroughts
perhaps not far off, the result will be less water in the soil, which means less food, loss
of biodiversity and wildlife habitats, all resulting in weaker local economies. Because
soil sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and stores it deep underground, it can be
our best tool to fight climate change. Through photosynthesis, plants transfer carbon
to the soil, acting as a “carbon sink” that simultaneously boosts agriculture productivity,
purifies our air and stores water. According to Peter Donovan of the Soil Carbon
Coalition, the carbon cycle is “the mother of all ecosystems services. This process does
eight times the work of all industrial energy used by humans.”
22
Green Fire Times • May 2015
So what does it all mean? This year is the International Year of Soils, and many local,
national and worldwide organizations are partnering to spread the gospel of soil. It takes
partners and education to turn our soils healthy again. Think about this, from Carbon
Cycle Institute’s home webpage:
The climate-beneficial carbon cycle solutions championed by CCI cannot be successfully
scaled unless CCI’s development partners and allies—including ranchers, conservation,
and climate agencies—clearly understand the fundamentals of the carbon cycle, its
relationship to soil and climate change, and the direct implications for our global climate.
In response, CCI developed and implemented a “Carbon Cycle 1.0” education and
outreach strategy to promote carbon cycle literacy, targeting key constituencies, decisionmakers, and thought leaders in the fields of climate change and sustainable agriculture.
A report released recently at the 3rd Scientific Conference of the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Cancún, Pastoralism and the Green
Economy—a Natural Nexus?, highlights holistic land management’s role in safeguarding
natural capital across a quarter of the world’s land area, stating that it “contributes to
water regulation and biodiversity conservation. It also provides other goods such as
high-value food products.”
Without healthy soil, we cannot have healthy local economies. It seems so simple, and it is,
so let’s not overthink it. I’m urging you, environmentalists, climate-change activists, foodies,
home gardeners, urban farmers—eaters all—to care about soil and how things are grown
in our local economy, not just where. Learn about healthy soils; ask for grass-fed, not just
grass-finished. Ask if your farmer practices holistic land management and is a steward of
the land, not just growing your vegetables for your farmers’ market salad. Food grown and
cattle raised in the holistic way on land where the soil is repaired for
generations to come can be better for us and the environment.Suddenly,
my burger tastes a whole lot better, and the air smells a little sweeter. i
Vicki Pozzebon is a localist, writer and cultivator. She is a BALLE
Fellow and the author of the forthcoming book For the Love of Local:
Confessions from the Heart of Community. Read her blog, The Local
Voice, at vickipozzebon.com and follow her on Twitter: @vickipozzebon
To learn more about
the International Year of Soils:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has information
and resources and this excellent infographic:
http://www.fao.org/resources/infographics/infographics-details/en/c/281883/
TomKat Ranch and Left Coast Grass-fed Beef
http://www.leftcoastgrassfed.com/about/our-grassfed-cattle/
Soil Carbon Coalition http://soilcarboncoalition.org/ Carbon Cycle Institute
http://www.carboncycle.org/
great books to read
Defending Beef, Nicolette Hahn Niman, Chelsea Green Publishing
“Grounded in empirical scientific data and with living examples from around the
world, Defending Beef builds a comprehensive argument that cattle can help to
build carbon-sequestering soils to mitigate climate change, enhance biodiversity,
help prevent desertification, and provide invaluable nutrition.”
The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the
Soil to Save the Planet, Kristin Ohlson, Rodale, Inc.
“Thousands of years of poor farming and ranching practices—and, especially,
modern industrial agriculture—have led to the loss of up to 80 percent of carbon
from the world’s soils. That carbon is now floating in the atmosphere, and even
if we stopped using fossil fuels today, it would continue warming the planet. In
The Soil Will Save Us, journalist and best-selling author Kristin Ohlson makes an
elegantly argued, passionate case for “our great green hope”—a way in which we
can not only heal the land but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil
carbon—and potentially reverse global warming.”
www.GreenFireTimes.com
© Genevieve Russell
F
CuranderApis – Hive Medicines for Interspecies Body & Spirit
How the Midwives of Agriculture Nurture Ecological, Biological and Psychological Health
Melanie Margarita Kirby
W
hen I was first introduced to
beekeeping as a Peace Corps
volunteer in Paraguay, nearly 20 years
ago, I had no idea that the mysterious
and lively world of beekeeping would
captivate me so. The very essence of bee
stewardship invited me to pay attention
to the flora and biodiversity all around
us. As stewards of our landscapes’
well-being, there are opportunities
to observe the majesty of the daily
synchronicity of our animal, plant
and elemental paisanos. I found the
interconnectedness of it all—from
fields to flowers to food to medicine—
awe inspiring and humbling.
And So Goes the Bloom
The manifestation of spring bloom
begins with many challenges. With the
warming weather and the melting of
the Rocky Mountains snow, cold dense
air descends into the valleys, following
the Río Grande corridor, chilling
tender early blossoms. The fragile first
steps of spring soon leap to summer
with its longer days. As the heat cranks
up, landscapes metamorphize. They can
be cultivated, manicured and planned.
They can be of mixed inputs and can
provide diverse outputs.
Landscapes can provide sustenance.
Undisturbed parcels with varying
conditions and microclimates can
provide diverse blooms to feed diverse
critters, from locusts to coyotes. The
landscape is nurtured by the prevailing
weather and climate and by what
treads, breathes and flows upon it.
The capacities of various landscapes
cannot be fully understood until
reviewed in relation to surroundings,
Zia Queenbees
Farm and Field
Institute Workshops
In celebration of their bee farm’s 10th
anniversary, Melanie Kirby and Mark
Spitzig are offering classroom and
field practicum for people interested
in honeybee husbandry. The “Intro
to Apiculture–Beekeeping in New
Mexico” workshops start May 17 and
18 for four consecutive Saturdays in
Taos and four consecutive Sundays
in Santa Fe. There is a $250 fee. To
register, call 505.929.8080. For more
info, visit www.ziaqueenbees.com
www.GreenFireTimes.com
circumstances and interactions—both
wild and cultivated. Wild interactions
can help promote cultivation and vice
versa. When honeybees are present,
their actions promote vitality and
reproductivity. The plants sing to the
bees, and the bees, in return, resonate
back. This enhanced vibrational field
energizes life’s processes.
Miel y Mas – Honey and More
Through pollination, bees help plants
bear f ruit, carrying seed that will
allow a plant’s story to be passed on.
In return, the bees are awarded a rich
mix of protein and carbohydrates.
Bees forage for nutrition to sweat
their wax, produce royal jelly, concoct
bee bread—a mixture of pollen and
honey stored in a honeycomb cell—
and transform nectar into honey. They
also forage for their own medicine in
the form of the foods they prepare.
Propolis, which is resin from plants,
shrubs and trees, is used to line the
interior of a hive, seal cracks and
contain decay and bacteria.
Planting medicinal
landscapes feeds
the land and the
community.
Nectar serves as the carbohydrate and
pollen as the protein in a honeybee’s
diet. There must be adequate amounts
of each for nutritional health. If
their forage is compromised, due to
either monoculture or toxic residues
from systemic insecticides and other
environmental contaminants, this will
contaminate their forage and food
stores. Contamination would also
spread to harvestable products such as
wax, royal jelly, pollen, bee bread, honey
and propolis.
Bees need a lot of energy to make
their comb, the skeleton of their nest.
This serves as the housing units where
a brood is reared and food stored.
Beeswax is actually the byproduct
of bees sweating. They intake a lot
of nectar and increase their body
temperature in order for their wax
glands to produce tiny “coins” of wax,
which they pass from sister to sister and
form into the hexagonal honeycomb
that will contain their nest. It takes
more than 20 pounds of nectar for
bees to sweat out just one pound of
beeswax. It is their biggest asset and
takes the most energy to produce. Once
they have their comb’s “spinal column”
formed, foraging bees will begin to
store “bee-kissed” nectar that has been
collected from flowers, brought into
the hive and passed from sister to sister,
mixing with enzymes in their mouths
and then deposited into a hexagonal
cell for dehydration and storage. Nectar
varies in consistency from plant to
plant, but it is mainly water and sucrose
that can be broken down into fructose
and glucose. The bees must dehydrate
it in order to preserve it, so that it
doesn’t ferment and can be stored and
consumed during the months when
blooms are not available. Dehydrated,
enzymed nectar turns into honey.
S ome honey s are light, others
amber or dark. It all depends on
the floral source, which depends on
the season, topography and climate.
Some crystallize quickly, while a few
never crystallize. Crystallization of
honey is a natural phenomenon. The
ratio of sugar to water determines if
crystallization will occur. The higher
the sugar content, the more likely the
honey will crystallize. This is only for
honey that has not been subjected to
high heat or pasteurization.
This pure honey is considered raw
because it retains traces of pollen, wax
and sometimes propolis. Raw honey
is more nutritious than pasteurized
honey because the quantity of essential
vitamins, minerals and amino acids is
preserved, whereas high heat will take
a lot of the good nutrients out. In New
Mexico, raw honey crystallizes rather
quickly because our arid, high-desert
environment hosts plants that are
able to preserve their water to prevent
drying out. Plants here are quite
intelligent. They know to not relinquish
precious water stores when conditions
are not conducive. For example, many
plants will produce nectar and pollen
at specific intervals of the day and will
not give up their nectar during the
hottest hours. Some will not produce
any nectar unless it is above a certain
temperature; such as alfalfa, which
will only begin producing nectar at 70
degrees F.
Additionally, not all nectar is created
equal. Some nectars have a higher sugar
content than others. For instance, some
varieties of pears begin blooming at the
same time as apples. Bees prefer apple
blossoms to pear blossoms because
the apple blossoms offer sweeter
nectar. Some plants will produce
continued on page 24
Green Fire Times • May 2015
23
CuranderApis
continued from page
pollen and nectar that, with heavy, wet
spring snow, high winds or monsoon
rains, can be washed or blown away
and, thus, will not be as attractive to
bees. Circumstances change with the
weather. If there is no moisture, there
is little or no bloom, and plants know
not to extend all their resources, so their
nectar and pollen offerings may be of a
different quality.
Medicinal plants also transmit some of
their healing energies into their nectar,
pollen and sap. It is with purpose that
the bees collect these nectars, whether
they do so knowingly or not. Once
collected, gathered and transformed
into honey, propolis and bee bread,
these essential nectars, pollens and saps
serve to nourish and to maintain health.
Planting more medicinal landscapes
feeds the land and the community.
The bees’ preservation of nectar into
bee bread creates the sustenance
for them to feed themselves, their
young and their queen. In good years,
surplus food stores can be harvested
by a beekeeper. The worker bees
have different jobs within the hive
to cover all the necessary tasks for its
maintenance. Soon after emergence
from their cocoons, new bees begin
their lives serving as nurse bees, feeding
the young larvae before pupation. And
the cycle continues.
The midwives of
agriculture include
bees, butterflies, birds,
bats, wasps, flies
and moths.
La Jalea Royal – Royal Jelly
All babies, for the first three days of
their larval stage, are fed royal jelly,
a powerful, nutrient-rich antioxidant
and anti-aging concoction made by
honeybees. Royal jelly looks like yogurt
and tastes like it, too, with a spicy kick.
After the third day, sister worker bees
and their brothers—drones—will have
their diet switched to bee bread, packed
together in layers in honeycomb. Royal
jelly is tedious to produce and harvest
and is highly prized. Only the queen
bee has a royal jelly diet all of her life.
She can live several years, whereas
workers live only a few weeks during
the foraging season. Drones can live up
to a few months.
24
23
Several Asian countries have substantial
royal-jelly production. There are not
many in the United States. One
small-scale bee farm in northern New
Mexico harvests royal jelly: my farm,
Zia Queenbees Farm & Field Institute,
which this year is celebrating a decade
of service.
El Polen – Pollen
Because pollen serves as the protein
for the bees’ diet, it is known to be
an energy booster. Pollen is a sacred
substance; it is alive and carries the
stories of the past into the future by
passing on the genetic legacy. Pollen is
like seed; it helps create the fruit that
will beget the seeds that are grown,
saved, shared and passed from one
generation to the next.
The difference between pollen and bee
bread is that pollen, in its raw form,
is a granule. All pollens have tough
silicone exteriors to protect them as
they travel through the air via the
wind or pollinators. The nutrition
contained in raw pollen is hard to
access and is not digestible due to
the exterior silicone casing. Thus, in
order to access the nutrition within
the pollen, one must pierce the tough
casing by mixing pollen into something
acidic such as yogurt, honey or juice.
Bee bread has had its exterior pierced
and is also preserved in the honey so
as not to ferment or mold. Numerous
live cultures and yeasts are found in
pollen, which is why it is referred to as
a live food.
And so it is. As the bees buzz, caressing
our enchanted landscapes, they provide
the resonance and synchronicity of
the cycles of life and health and wellbeing. Their products in various forms
and combinations help to heal the
landscape and lifecycles and, also, can
help heal humans, animals and plants.
Healing with hive medicines is called
apitherapy and includes the products
of the hive and their combinations, as
well as bee-sting and acoustic therapies.
It is with great reverence that I’ve
learned to approach our tierra encantada
and the intricacies of our multicultural
tapestry as we embrace and encourage
the cycles of life. Hand in hand, or hand
in wing, we can ride Mother Nature’s
cloak and help steward health and
well-being for the diverse forms of life
to which we are so connected and with
which we are blessed to interact.
May the buzz be with you – ¡Qué Viva
Las Abejas! i
Melanie Margarita Kirby is a native New
Mexican from Tortugas Pueblo. She and
her partner, Mark Spitzig, established Zia
Queenbees in 2005 to provide New Mexico
communities with pollination services, locally
bred pollinators, hive products, hive medicines
and research. She is the editor of kelleybees.
com, a monthly online newsletter. Visit www.
ziaqueenbees.com for more information.
Pesticides Are Likely Damaging
Ecosystem Services
Neonicotinoid pesticides are sold by agrichemical companies to boost industrial
agricultural yields of staple crops and are also widely used on annual and perennial
plants in gardens and lawns. Global sales reach into the billions of dollars.
“Neonics” are chemically similar to nicotine. A study published last month in
the journal Nature found that bees, particularly bumblebees, might actually get
addicted to neonicotinoid-laced nectar. If foraging bees prefer to collect nectar
containing this pesticide, it could have a negative impact on whole colonies and
bee populations.
In 2013, the European Commission, an influential scientific body, banned the use
of neonics on flowering plants after a separate organization, the European Food
Safety Authority, found that exposure to the chemicals created “high acute risks” for
bees. In an effort to overturn the ban, two of the main neonic producers—Syngenta
and Bayer CropScience—have sued the commission.
Last month, a report the commission released said that neonics are more damaging
than previously thought. The report says that a growing body of evidence shows that
widespread use of the pesticides “has severe effects on a range of ecosystem services
like pollination and natural pest control, as well as on biodiversity.” The report
went on to question whether the pesticides have a place in sustainable agriculture.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a moratorium on
new neonics. The agency has not yet mandated the removal of such pesticides that
are currently on the market. A study by Friends of the Earth and Pesticide Research
Institute in 2014 found that 51 percent of garden plants purchased at Home Depot,
Lowe’s and Walmart in 18 cities in the United States and Canada contained neonic
pesticides at levels that could harm or kill bees. Home Depot, the largest U.S. homeimprovement chain, has asked its suppliers to start labeling any plants treated with
neonics and is running tests to see if suppliers can eliminate neonics in their plant
production. Joining a few U.S. retailers who took similar steps last year, Lowe’s,
anticipating suitable alternatives, will phase out sales of neonics by the spring of 2019.
Some studies assert that neonic pesticides are killing off bees on such a large scale
that our food security is threatened. Honeybees pollinate plants that produce about
a fourth of the food consumed by Americans.
The midwives of agriculture include
bees, butterflies, birds, bats, wasps,
flies and moths that help pollinate
landscapes for continued biodiversity.
The wide diversity will provide food for
micro- to macroscopic life forms. In
its entirety, it is all about reproduction
of lifecycles and giving birth to beings
that exist both in spirit and in whatever
capacity their material form allows.
Green Fire Times • May 2015
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Santa Fe Green Festival – May 16, 8 a.m to 3 p.m.
© Seth Roffman (5)
The 2nd annual Santa Fe Green Festival will take place on May 16 at El Museo Cultural,
555 Camino de la Familia. Businesses and organizations will showcase the latest in
green products and services. In conjunction with the farmers’ market, festival-goers
can experience green building design and home technologies, renewable-energy
options, electric vehicles, organic food, water conservation and harvesting, interactive
exhibits for kids and much more. For more information, call 505.428.9123 or visit
santafegreenchamber.org
Scenes from the
2014 Santa Fe
Green Festival
Fire Season: An Exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Art • May 1 – July 26
Timed to coincide with New Mexico’s fire season, an exhibition at the New Mexico
Museum of Art, in Santa Fe, features work by five photographers who explore the
dynamic element of fire. Subjects include controlled burns and active wildfires, as
well as their aftermath of devastation and renewal. The exhibition opens May 1 at
5:30 p.m., with a free public reception, and runs through July 26. In honor of National
Wildfire Preparedness weekend, the museum extends a special welcome to firefighters
and their families on May 3. At 2 p.m., Dr. Alexander Evans, Research Director at the
Forest Guild, will present a free lecture, Fire and Communities: Images and Science.
Forests are of ten
referred to as the
lungs of the planet,
functioning by
absorbing carbon
dioxide while
releasing oxygen into
the atmosphere—the
opposite of people.
Ne w M e x i c o’s
abundant forests and
trees are thus a crucial
natural resource and
have long defined
its distinctive and
beloved landscape.
Wildfires are a natural
Greg MacGregor, Tres Lagunas fire, 2013
part of regulating those
ecosystems but pose a threat to human habitations, especially the uncharacteristically
severe fires of recent years. Featured in the show are two Santa Feans who have
photographed extensively in the Jémez Mountains in the aftermath of the Las
Conchas fire, which burned more than 150,000 acres in 2011. Patricia Galagan and
Philip Metcalf approached the site as both evidence of an unprecedented local fire
and as an extraordinary visual terrain, returning for numerous visits in 2012 and
2013. Working in black-and-white with infrared film, Metcalf ’s series, Fire Ghosts,
captures the skeletal remains of a once-verdant forest—stark vistas of blackened
old-growth trees and ashen ground. In Fire Frazzle, we see a portrait of a towering
individual tree destroyed by fire. Despite the sobering subject matter, Metcalf finds
www.GreenFireTimes.com
unexpected beauty in the burned trees. Galagan’s series, The Green Fuse, also addresses
the inescapable destruction of the fire-ravaged landscape but emphasizes fire’s role
in the regeneration of the forest ecosystem. Pieces in the show range from Tiny River
of Green, in which the artist highlights a small area of regrowth among the dead
trees, to August’s Garden, in which a massive fallen trunk is cradled in the grasses and
wildflowers nourished by the burn. The images, Galagan writes, “remind us that the
most essential task of a forest in our hotter, drier world is to survive.”
Unexpected beauty and renewal in burned trees
Jane Fulton Alt’s series, The Burn, began in an eventful year in which her first
grandchild was born, her sister was diagnosed with cancer, and she witnessed a
controlled prairie fire in the area bordering Chicago. Struck by the expressive
possibilities of the fire at this turbulent time in her life, Alt spent the next six years
working amidst the heat and smoke of controlled burns in Lake Forest, Illinois,
attempting to capture “the ephemeral moment when life and death are not opposed
but are harmonized as a single process…” In Burn No.93 and Burn No. 55, she uses
the subtleties of shifting smoke as visual manifestations of her own disorientation,
lucidity and emotional fluidity, using the external landscapes to reflect inner states.
Larry Schwarm, a native of Kansas, has been photographing prairie fires in vivid
color for several decades. Printed large and often appearing as fields of intense
color, Schwarm’s pictures convey the scale and force of prairie fires, along with
their terrible beauty. The most successful images, he says, “look the way it felt to be
there,” evoking the intense sight, smell, temperature and sound of a wildfire. His
image Prairie Fire Near Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, vividly suggests the velocity, heat
and light of a conflagration sweeping across the plains, while Smoke Passage, Chase
County, Kansas, shows a towering expanse of smoke ascending apocalyptically into
the sky, illuminated by the red glow of fire.
Finally, Santa Fe landscape photographer Greg MacGregor sums up in one image the
challenges of having human-built environments adjacent to forested areas. His blackand-white view of New Mexico’s Rail Runner train shows it stopped at the Santa Fe
depot with a colossal column of roiling smoke rising behind, from the Tres Lagunas
fire of 2013. The photograph is a reminder of nature’s power and its indifference to
where we build our houses, suggesting that we need to continue working to adapt
ourselves to the ongoing presence of fire in our lives. For more information, see
http://www.nmartmuseum.org/focus
Green Fire Times • May 2015
25
2015 Sustainable Santa Fe Award Winners
T
he annual Sustainable Santa Fe Awards were presented
by New Mexico State Sen. Peter Wirth on April 8 at
a gala sponsored by the city of Santa Fe’s Sustainable Santa
Fe Commission (coordinated by SSF Programs Manager
Katherine Mortimer), Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce, Earth Care,
Green Fire Times, Horizons Sustainable Financial Services and La Fonda Hotel.
The awards celebrate community members taking leadership roles in advancing
sustainability in the areas of environmental stewardship, economic health and
social justice. They recognize model projects that are helping Santa Fe reduce its
ecological footprint, mitigate carbon emissions and build resilience in the face of
climate change, in accordance with the Sustainable Santa Fe Plan.
And the winners are…
Affordable Green Building
Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity (505.986.5880, [email protected])
Habitat for Humanity built
highly energy-efficient “Passive
Homes” that require strict
benchmarks for insulation, air
infiltration, air quality, solar
Community College or Rancho Viejo, allowing Santa Feans to reduce the carbon
footprint of motorized vehicles.
Environmental Advocacy
New Energy Economy
(505.989.7262, www.NewEnergyEconomy.org)
The nonprofit advocacy group New Energy Economy—“addressing the
climate challenge with bold
solutions”—worked with people
and organizations throughout
northern New Mexico that
would be adversely affected
by PNM’s proposed powerreplacement plan. The alternative
proposal the group developed
gave people a voice for a plan that
would be healthier and more just
for all PNM customers.
Water Efficiency
Water Efficiency Rating System (WERS) Development Team
(505.603.5498, [email protected])
gain and solar panels. The homes are
expected to use only 28 percent of the
amount of energy of a conventional
home. They were made available to
low-income residents earning less than
60 percent of the area’s median income,
with zero-percent interest financing.
Renewable Energy or Energy Efficiency
Anne Alexander and Richard Khanlian with Homewise
(505.983.9473, www.homewise.org)
Ann Alexander and Richard Khanlian, working
through Homewise, have created the Santa Fe SOL
(Solar Opportunity Loan) fund, which provides
low-interest loans for solar installations to low- and
moderate-income households that would otherwise
not be able to afford solar. The initiative also provides
education about the benefits of solar.
Transportation
New Mexico Department of Transportation – District 5
NMDOT repaved the full width of Rabbit Road from Old Pecos Trail, with
rehabilitated shoulders for pedestrian and bicycle travel. The project provides
safe, nonmotorized access to those traveling between the Rail Trail and Santa Fe
T h e W ERS D e ve l o pm e n t
Team created an innovative,
performance-based, waterconservation tool for new and
existing homes. It is an easyto-use interactive software
program to assist in designing
and building or in water use to
reduce the energy and carbon
footprint required to process
drinking water.
The WERS rating was a collaborative effort of the Santa Fe Area Homebuilders
Association’s Green Building Council, Santa Fe Water Conservation Committee,
Santa Fe Community College, Build Green New Mexico and the nonprofit
Green Building Coalition. It has been accepted by the New Mexico Construction
Utilities Commission and will likely be adopted nationally.
Food Systems Adaptation
Santa Sidra Cider (505.424.6122, www.santasidra.com)
Santa Sidra Hard Cider produced 100 percent of its
award-winning handcrafted beverages with 25 tons
of apples from New Mexico growers that otherwise
would have been wasted. In 2014, this generated
over $25,000 in revenue for farmers, created local
jobs and helped keep local orchards alive and
preserve New Mexico’s agricultural heritage.
26
Green Fire Times • May 2015
© Seth Roffman (6)
Ne w M e x i c o’s
apples make
excel lent hard
cider because they
come from highdesert orchards,
grow in mineral-rich volcanic soils, get abundant
sunshine, hot days and cool nights, and are
watered by historic acequia irrigation systems.
All of this results in ciders with amazing flavors.
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Student Wellness Action Team
(SWAT) members participated in a
campaign to ban the sale of miniature
liquor bottles on Santa Fe’s south
side. SWAT members created an
educational video about the Airport
Road areas and the influence of the
availability of alcohol on underage
drinking, community self-image,
stewardship and health.
Community Outreach or Education
Santa Fe Public Schools (505.467.3445, [email protected]) and
Reunity Resources (505.629.0836, www.reunityresources.com)
This partnership launched a schoollunch waste-composting program in
Santa Fe’s elementary and community
schools that educates over 5,000
students about the effects of food waste
on the environment and the value of soil
for healthy food. The program is cost
neutral and diverts over 1,500 pounds of
food from the landfill daily, preventing
more than 810 tons of CO2 from
polluting the atmosphere. The waste is
turned into organic compost that can
be used to enrich the community’s soils.
SFPS’s energy and conservation
program has also significantly reduced
consumption of water, natural gas and
electricity and has installed 500 kW of solar photovoltaic on eight campuses.
Ecosystems
Tesuque Pueblo Agriculture Department (505.983.2667)
Tesuque Farms has built an amazing
seed bank of local heirloom seeds and
is experimenting with low-water and
space-efficient cultivation methods.
Their processing facility and several
greenhouses are powered and heated
by solar and “earth battery” technology.
Their new vertical-growing system for
strawberries allows them to cultivate
12,000 strawberry plants in a 25x60
-ft. greenhouse, with minimal water.
They are also experimenting with
fruit trees in hoop houses to protect them from early frost. These experiments will
inform the entire region about how to adapt local food cultivation to changing
climactic conditions.
Environmental Justice
Four Bridges Traveling Permaculture Institute
(518.332.3256, www.4bridges.org)
Four Bridges led the development of
the Northern New Mexico Coalition
Against GMOs (genetically modified
organisms). The group brought awareness
about the detrimental effects of GMOs to
the Española mayor and city council and
to area tribal governments. This initiative
prevented 80 acres of GMO poplar trees
from being planted and has instead inspired
sustainable agricultural development.
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Triple Bottom Line
AlphaGraphics Santa Fe
(505.473.1300,
[email protected])
The Triple Bottom Line award is presented to
a business that balances economy, environment
and equity in its practices. AlphaGraphics is the
only Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified
printer in Santa Fe. FSC standards (www.fsc.org)
help prevent clear cutting and protect indigenous
peoples’ rights.
Waste Management
Eldorado/285 Recycles
([email protected], eldorado285recycles.org)
This volunteerr u n g r o u p’s
mission is to
encourage all
residents of
Eldorado and
the 285 Corridor
t o re d u c e t h e
amount of
material they send
to the landfill by
practicing the “5
Rs”: Refusing to
buy unneeded items; Reducing unneeded packaging of what they buy; Repairing
what they can, to extend its life; Reusing other people’s unwanted things in place
of buying new; and Recycling whatever can’t be repaired or reused.
The group’s “Compost in Every Backyard” project has provided materials, labor
and education for home worm-composting to 40 homes. It is estimated that this
prevents 12 tons of food scraps from going to the landfill each year.
Green Product/Technology
Fiberspan Concrete Elements
(505.278.0464, www.ConcreteVigas.com)
Fi b e r s p a n
Concrete
Elements
has created
in n o v a tive,
sustainable
vigas, canales, headers and other elements that last at least 50 years, using a cement
that takes one-third less energy to produce than regular cement. The products look
like wood but last longer and hold up to the ravages of water and ice. This saves
homeowners having to replace wood canales every seven to 10 years.
Green Economic Development
Fruit of the Earth Organics
(505.310.7917, www.fruitoftheearthorganics.com)
Fruit of the Earth Organics produces
organic medical cannabis products in
Santa Fe, creating more than a dozen
good-paying jobs. The production
process has a nearly-zero carbon
footprint. It uses much less energy
and water than conventional growers.
The plants grow year-round in full
sunlight and are watered with spring
water and rainwater catchment.
Earth-friendly packaging is used,
with recyclable tins, compostable bioplastics (made from plants) and recycled
paper labels. i
Green Fire Times • May 2015
27
© Seth Roffman (4)
Youth Led
Student Wellness Action Team ([email protected])
continued from page
and he began to trust his car to the
open air. When Gilbert and Evelyn
eventually bought their own house,
one of the sections that he focused
special attention on was the garage that
sheltered his precious ride.
In future years, after Elvis and his
younger brother were born, the family
always looked forward to their Sunday
afternoon drives in the “vettie,” as little
Angelo called it. Because the Corvette
had only two seats, Evelyn had to hold
Angelo on her lap while Elvis straddled
the hump between the two front seats
as they drove. Elvis always asked his
dad the same question whenever they
were out for a cruise, “Dad, can I drive?”
Gilbert would respond, “So, Elvis, you
think you’re fuerte enough to handle a
Corvette?” Elvis knew this was his cue
to pull up a sleeve and cock his right
arm while making a fist, to display
his tiny bicep. Gilbert would run his
finger over it, whistle in admiration and
comment to Evelyn, “This boy of ours
is built like an adobe house. I bet he’s
going to be a heavyweight champion
someday.” Elvis basked in his praise and
hopped on his dad’s lap, his little brown
hands gripping the steering wheel as
they rolled down the street.
In the early 1960s, there were no
seat-belt laws enforced in Santa Fe,
and there were few cars on the road
They were content and
happy, perhaps with
limited resources
but with limited
desires as well.
to worry about. The Romeros loved to
drive all afternoon, waving at friends
on the Plaza or in their front yards.
Gilbert marveled at all the new tract
houses that were going up courtesy of
the G.I. Bill and the Baby Boom.
The highlight of these Sunday rides
was a visit to the 31 Flavors Ice
Cream Parlor. Elvis and Angelo took
an infinite amount of time peering
through the glass panels at the buckets
of ice cream with names like Chocolate
Peanut Butter Swirl, Dulce de Leche,
and Peaches and Cream. In desperation,
Evelyn demanded, “You locos make up
your minds before the ice cream melts
28
9
in the buckets.” Inevitably, the boys
coveted the flavor that the other had
chosen, and they ended up swapping.
The family sat in one of the porcelain
table nooks and watched the sun sink
in the dwindling afternoon. They
were content and happy, perhaps with
limited resources but with limited
desires as well.
Elvis came to love the Corvette as
much as his father did. In the evenings
after he’d finished his homework, Elvis
would wander into the garage and sit in
the driver’s seat, caressing the steering
wheel in the dark, taking in the magical
sounds of rock n’ roll on the dashboard
radio and dreaming about the day when
he had his own Corvette and people
looked up to him in the same way they
did his dad.
The men on Cerro Gordo Road
congregated outside their homes
on warm summer nights, huddled
around transistor radios, listening
as heavyweight champ Cassius Clay
knocked out one seemingly invincible
foe after another. They loved him, not
only because he was a great fighter, but
because he had so much style. He was
a champion of the people, Chicanos
included. They loved the clever things
he said to Howard Cosell after his
victories, like, “Float like a butterfly,
sting like a bee,” or “When you’re as
great as I am, it’s hard to be humble.”
That Cassius Clay had real cojones.
Everybody was also excited about
the new, young president who was
elected in 1960. John F. Kennedy spoke
about equality and opportunity for all
Americans. There was something about
him and his beautiful wife, Jackie, that
you could trust. He had kids running
around the White House just like
regular folks, and, to top it all off, he
was a Catholic. Yes, things looked
pretty hopeful for a while.
Of course, it all came to a screeching
halt on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas,
Green Fire Times • May 2015
Texas. There was
talk at school that
somebody had tried
to shoot the president.
When Elvis arrived
home, his mom and
some neighbors
were transfixed on
a 12-inch black
and white TV. Mrs.
Aranda f rom next
door was weeping
and exclaimed, “Sin
verguënza, Mis Dios,
what is this world
coming to?” The TV announcer, Walter
Cronkite, was crying, too, as he took
off his thick, black-framed glasses,
rubbed his temple and croaked out that
President Kennedy was dead.
Over the next few days as the terrible
drama unfolded, the Romero family
sat glued in front of the television. It
finally ended with their hero, along
with what seemed like their innocence,
being buried in Arlington National
Cemetery.
Elvis’s young psyche was forever
changed by these events. He began
to understand that there might be
evil in the world, and, along with
sunlight, there existed shadows. On
the night President Kennedy was
assassinated, for the first time in his
life, Elvis was afraid of the dark. The
black outside his bedroom window
was suddenly ominous, like there was
a sinister presence lurking. He pulled
the covers over his head and fell into a
troubled sleep. These events and others
taking place in the larger world had a
profound influence on Elvis and all of
the kids growing up in his little town.
Elvis’s childhood was pretty typical
for a Santa Fe muchacho. Aside from
going to school, Elvis and his best
friend, Rudy, spent most of their time
riding bikes with high handlebars
and banana seats around the narrow,
winding streets of the city until the
sun went down.
There was a belief amongst the adults
that the children were being looked
after by everyone in the community.
Santa Fe was a safe town to grow up in,
and bad things only happened in places
far away. The grown-ups possessed a
sense of fatalism that provided a certain
perspective when the occasional tragic
© Anna C. Hansen (2)
Elvis Romero
event did occur, such as a child being
hit by a car or dying young due to an
unfortunate disease. The good people
of Santa Fe believed that it was all part
of God’s plan, and even though some
things were hard to comprehend, God
had a greater purpose for everything
that happened in the world. Perhaps
a child was being called to heaven
because there weren’t enough angels, or
the beloved’s passing was a lesson to the
living about the transitory nature of life
and how important it was to appreciate
every day to its fullest.
These attitudes served to give the
children a great deal of freedom. There
were few boundaries as they cut across
yards and parking lots in marauding
gangs of shiny bikes. All of the kids had
playing cards attached with clothespins
to the spokes of their wheels. This
produced a deafening clicking noise
that sounded like an invasion of
motorcycle outlaws descending on the
quiet neighborhoods.
Elvis and Rudy were especially
fond of riding their bikes after the
thunderstorms that blessed the town
during the summer months. The day
often began with glorious sunshine,
and as the morning progressed, big,
billowing clouds formed and turned
darker. By about one or two o’clock in
the afternoon, thunder rumbled in the
distance, and soon the skies let loose
with torrents of cold rain that lasted for
about thirty minutes before the clouds
scattered and bright, yellow sunshine
returned. This pattern repeated itself
almost every day during July and
August, the time of the year that Santa
Fe folks called the monsoon season.
After it rained, streets filled with small
puddles of water that evaporated
continued on page 31
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Tierra Sagrada Pottery
Lia Lynn Rosen, MA, Clay Artist & Arts Educator
Classes, Tutorials and Workshops on the Turquoise Trail
505.428.0668
[email protected]
TierraSagradaPottery.com
Connecting Communities
through Clay & Culture
Scottish Rite Center
Space available:
• special events
• weddings
• meetings
www.GreenFireTimes.com
505.982.4414
[email protected]
Green Fire Times • May 2015
29
Eco-Delivery Services • 505.920.6370
The Zanjeras continued from page 25
30
Green Fire Times • May 2015
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Some of the Bills that Passed the 2015 New Mexico Legislature
that Were Signed or Vetoed by Governor Susana Martínez
maps and recommendations. The commission will coordinate with the many
stakeholders along the Río Grande, including cities, counties, tribes, federal
agencies, conservancy districts and private citizens.
© Anna C. Hansen
• A
new state-tribal gambling compact was sent to federal officials for their approval.
The compact, endorsed by the state Legislature and signed by five tribes, is a 22year agreement. The tribes that signed are the Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache
Nation, Mescalero Apache Tribe, Acoma Pueblo and Jemez Pueblo, which has
not yet opened a casino. Other New Mexico tribes are expected to eventually sign
on to the compact.
VETOED
SIGNED
• S
enate Bill 112 allows agricultural producers to continue to receive a break on
their property taxes during periods of prolonged drought. County assessors will
be able to continue classifying land as agricultural, even if it’s not in production, as
long as the USDA has declared at least moderate drought in any part of the county.
The law requires that basic infrastructure such as irrigation ditches and fences are
maintained, even if no crops are being produced or livestock grazed.
• S
B 279 extends the sustainable building tax credit through 2027. The credit is
worth up to $6,000 against state income-tax liability for builders of homes that
meet green standards that improve both energy and water efficiency. The annual
allotment for single-family homes has been getting used up within months of
becoming available. The credit has an annual cap of $4 million for single-family
home construction and $1 million for commercial construction. Eligible projects
must be completed or certified by either Build Green New Mexico or Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
• S
B 565 extends a 30 percent film tax credit for stand-alone television pilot episodes,
making it easier for feature-film productions to qualify for the 30 percent labor
credit by expanding the definition of “qualified facilities” to include outdoor movie
ranches. The bill will also encourage local hiring by increasing the percentage of
crew—not actors—that must reside in New Mexico in order for a production to
be eligible for a tax credit.
• H
ouse Bill 216 allows film companies to assign their tax rebates to banks on a onetime basis in order to get upfront loans.
• H
B 560 prohibits civil asset forfeiture, sometimes called “policing for profit.” This
will stop police from taking someone’s assets unless there is a conviction linking
the money or property to the crime.
• H
B 563 creates the Río Grande Trail Commission to study the best paths for a
new Río Grande Trail. The commission is required to hold public meetings across
the state, set up a website and publish meeting information online with proposed
Elvis Romero
continued from page
• S
B 94 sought to permit licensed farmers to grow industrial hemp in accordance with
a state-sponsored research program. The measure enjoyed significant bipartisan
support, having been approved 54-12 in the House and 33-8 by the Senate. It had
been widely praised as an economic-development initiative. The federal farm bill
has authorized states to research hemp for industrial uses.
• S
B 296 would have expanded an existing tax credit for home or business owners to
include those who lease solar thermal or photovoltaic systems rather than buy them.
• S
B 391 would have allowed extension of a solar-energy tax credit for residents, small
businesses and agriculture until the end of 2024. Proponents of the bill said that
Martínez’s pocket veto is damaging to business development in a state that wants
to attract more solar companies to capitalize on its abundant sunshine.
• H
B 38 would have set up a restoration fund from a coalition of diverse partners
and would have provided a forest and watershed board to provide input on projects
funded by state government. The bill had passed the House and Senate with
overwhelming support.
• H
B 122 would have provided intelligent oversight for the increasing turf wars
between traditional and nontraditional medical practitioners.
• Pay raises for health workers and public defenders
• $ 750,000 for magistrate courts statewide, needed to pay critical expenses over the
next few months
• $250,000 for Indian education services at the University of New Mexico
• $150,000 for the Native American Health Center at UNM
• $100,000 for the Indian Jewelry Market in Gallup
• $75,000 for a liver institute in Gallup
• $ 45,000 for a self-help, home-construction pilot project administered by the Indian
Affairs Department
• $300,000 to protect the silvery minnow at Eagle Nest Dam
28
quickly. But before they disappeared, Elvis and Rudy grabbed their bikes and hit
the pavement. It was great fun splashing through the rainbow-colored pools that
were formed by a mixture of rainwater and car oil running down the street gutters.
Riding directly through the puddles, they sent streams of iridescent droplets out
from both sides of their tires.
“Ala Mocina, Rudy, watch out!” Elvis laughed as he rammed through a puddle of
standing water, spraying his friend from head to toe. “Jodido!” Rudy shot back as
he clipped Elvis’s back tire, sending him skidding to the pavement.
The showers were not only a treat for the amigos’ eyes but equally for their noses.
There was no smell as intoxicating as that of rain soaking into the brown earth.
Sometimes, if the rain was particularly intense and lasted long enough, the dry
arroyos suddenly filled with torrents of rushing brown water, and folks stood on
the banks watching in awe as the abundant tides flowed through the normally
parched city. [Part 1 of an intermittent series] i
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Green Fire Times • May 2015
31
giggle. wiggle. groove.
An eclectic mix of informative and entertaining programs await you on KUNM –
your passport to the worlds of news, music, community and culture. Publicly
supported. Publicly responsive. KUNM is an essential part of New Mexico’s day.
KUNM 89.9FM | STREAMING LIVE 24/7 AT KUNM.ORG
32
Green Fire Times • May 2015
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Urban Sprawl
continued from page 12
could afford to pay $1,500 per month.”
Other residents said that they predict that
the owners will become desperate and
offer the units at a lower rent, and it will
eventually become a tenement.
Who will really benefit from this
project? How will this project benefit
the city of Santa Fe? Where are the data
regarding housing demand? Where is
the realistic traffic-impact study for this
project? What are the real road/street
conditions? Who is going to pay for road
repairs, health and safety infrastructure?
Developers? Taxpayers? We need to ask
these questions before any decisions can
be made.
now are running out of water. Other
cities, like Boulder, Colorado, where
decades ago they developed a long-range
plan for growth in order to preserve the
beauty and character of their small city,
have grown wiser and not allowed their
city to be swallowed up by urban sprawl.
Who will really benefit
from this project?
I believe we need to keep the Ecoversity
land for sustainable agricultural use
as Frances Hardwood envisioned and
wanted. We can reserve the land for the
“Frances Harwood School of Sustainable
Agriculture and Ranching,” with an
attached living museum to attract tourism
to the “breadbasket of Santa Fe on the
historic Camino Real,” as this area—for
centuries—produced products that
sustained La Villa Real de San Francisco
de Asís de la Santa Fe. Maybe the school
could serve young children at risk,
where they could learn respect for the
environment and develop self-esteem
that will help them contribute to the
community.
The neighborhood associations
should call for a moratorium on plan
amendments and rezoning to allow
all Santa Fe residents to voice their
concerns regarding infill development in
or near their neighborhoods. The leaders
of the city of Santa Fe should open
roundtable sessions to look at the job
outlook and plan for future job growth
in a cooperative and democratic manner.
New studies need to be done on the Santa
Fe economy, housing demand, traffic and
infrastructure, especially as they relate to
newly annexed land and neighborhoods.
Another thing neighborhoods can do
is create “Neighborhood Conservation
Overlay Districts” in order to avoid land
speculation and uncontrolled development
to protect their neighborhoods. Residents
feel powerless when people with money,
political influence and power try to get
their way, working against the true needs
of the communities.
Blue Buffalo LLC/Tierra Concepts has
been scheduled to go before the Santa
Fe City Council on June 24 to respond
to the recommended denial from the
Planning Commission for this project.
Go to the city of Santa Fe web site (www.
santafenm.gov) to see the agenda posted
on June 19 to confirm the time of the
hearing. I urge all of you to attend this
meeting and express your concerns. If you
cannot attend, I encourage you to write
emails or send letters to the council. i
We don’t want to have short-sighted
planning as in Deming, New Mexico,
where they grew without looking
realistically at their water resources and
Montserrat Vallès Albesa, a community and
environmental advocate, is a La Cieneguita
del Camino Real neighborhood resident.
Beneficial Farms
Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA)
Serving families, farms, and
communities since 1994
• Eat FRESH Local and Regional Food
• Support Family Farms
• All year long
• Convenient weekly delivery
www.beneficialfarm.com
[email protected]
www.GreenFireTimes.com
505-470-1969
Hearing Examiner Rejects
PNM’s Replacement Power Proposals
A recommended decision put forth last month by the Hearing Examiner responsible
for advising the state Public Regulation Commission on PNM’s replacement power
proposal for shutting down two units at the San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) found
that the proposal “is not fair, just and reasonable and in the public interest.” Ashley
Schannauer cited concerns regarding the reliability of the aging SJGS, the future
ownership of the plant after a contract expires in 2022, and uncertainty about where the
plant will get its coal and how much it will cost after a supply agreement expires in 2017.
Schannauer said that the utility’s proposal could saddle New Mexico ratepayers with
a lot of risk. He advised the PRC commissioners to deny PNM’s request to absorb
the excess capacity in one of the two remaining units and substantially reduce the
amount the utility can charge for nuclear energy it wants to bring onto the grid. He
also said the commissioners should ask PNM to find alternative energy sources.
In response, PNM is expected to file extensive “exceptions,” or objections. The
commissioners may vote this month to accept or reject the hearing examiner’s advice.
Earlier this year, PNM acknowledged that, due to an accounting error, the cost estimate
for its plan to continue burning coal at the SJGS along with other fuels had increased
by over $1 billion. This was after the utility had already introduced a rate proposal that
would result in more than $100 per year increase to the average home’s bill.
support for pnm’s plan plummets
Of the nine parties that originally supported PNM’s SJGS proposal, over half
have withdrawn their support. The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility
Authority has publicly opposed the plan. Farmington, home city of the plant, has
announced that it would not acquire an increased stake in the plant due to concerns
about the plant’s reliability and costs that would be passed on to the community.
On April 6, the Albuquerque City Council passed a resolution formally opposing
PNM’s plans and urging the New Mexico Industrial Consumers, of which
Albuquerque is a member, to withdraw its support.
Renewable-energy advocates say that PNM’s proposal would lock the utility into
burning coal at the plant for years to come, subjecting air, land, water and people to
soot, smog, arsenic and mercury pollution. Additionally, groups such as the Sierra
Club say that dumping more money into an outdated coal plant would prevent
New Mexico from taking advantage of enormous clean-energy potential. They say
that the state could meet its energy needs more than 70 times over just with wind.
Hearing Examiner Rejects PNM’s Rate Hike Plan
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission Hearing Examiner Carolyn Glick has
rejected PNM’s $107 million rate-hike plan as “incomplete.” Glick agreed with the
two intervenors in the case, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority
and New Energy Economy, who challenged PNM’s filing as noncompliant with
legal requirements to provide a transparent basis for the figures they project to
legitimize rate hikes. Glick’s Recommended Decision, released on April 17, found
that “PNM has not explained, supported and justified the [cost] estimates as
required by the Future Test Year rule. Under these circumstances, it is reasonable
to dismiss PNM’s application.”
PNM said it would file “exceptions” to Glick’s recommendations. The utility could
ask the PRC to go ahead with a vote on its 12 percent rate-increase request or refile
its request with more documentation.
NM Attorney General Opposes PNM Solar Fee
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is opposing a proposal by Public
Service Company of New Mexico, the state’s largest utility, to charge a new grid
“access fee” for customers installing new solar-power systems. PNM wants to charge
those customers $21 to $36 per month. The utility says that the rate request is fair
because solar customers should pay a share of costs for maintaining the electric
grid. A coalition of clean-energy and environmental groups say that PNM has
exaggerated the costs and ignored the benefits of photovoltaic systems.
Balderas has joined the coalition in filing a motion in support of dismissing PNM’s
request. The petition also has the support of the PRC’s utility division staff. Balderas
is also asking the state Public Regulation Commission to evaluate the costs and
benefits to the utilities and the grid of distributed-generation, customer-owned
solar panels, or wind turbines on homes and businesses.
“New Mexico needs an accountable plan that guarantees energy security and
affordable clean energy for all New Mexicans, and that’s why I am asking the PRC
to initiate this investigation into New Mexico’s utility system,” Balderas said. “New
Mexicans deserve affordable clean energy in places like Mora and Hidalgo County,
not just in Las Cruces and Santa Fe.”
Green Fire Times • May 2015
33
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Green Fire Times • May 2015
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505-471-3626
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36
Green Fire Times • May 2015
Green Fire Times is available at
many locations in the metropolitan
Albuquerque / Río Rancho area!
For the location nearest you,
call Nick García at 505.203.4613
www.GreenFireTimes.com
NEWSBITEs
USGS: Oil & Gas Drilling Causes
Earthquakes in New Mexico
New Mexico is among a dozen once-stable regions in the United States experiencing
an increasing number of earthquakes, and scientists say that the underground
injection of chemical-laced wastewater from oil and gas drilling is the reason. They
say that the process can activate dormant faults, including those that have not moved
in millions of years.
According to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), earthquakes of
magnitudes 2.5 and greater have been detected in the Ratón Basin in the northern
part of the state and in the south near Carlsbad. The Ratón Basin saw a huge increase
in the number of earthquakes, beginning in 2001, after oil extraction jumped two
years earlier. A 5.2 magnitude quake was recorded in 2011 near the Colorado state
line, close to some of the largest wastewater-injection wells in the area.
The USGS’s National Seismic Hazard Modeling Project mapped 50 years of
earthquake activity in 17 “induced seismicity zones” across eight states. The areas
highlighted are all located near deep fluid-injection wells or other industrial activities.
The USGS will begin incorporating manmade earthquake risks into disaster maps
used in building codes, insurance rates, emergency preparedness plans and other
applications.
As the oil and gas industry and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) keeps booming,
researchers think the small quakes will become more frequent and will pose a much
greater risk to people living nearby.
In response to these reports, the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association emphasized
that the industry is a major part of the state’s economy. The association has recently
launched a $250,000 public-relations campaign in New Mexico.
Another new study, this one from Johns Hopkins University, found that buildings
throughout Pennsylvania, located in suburban and rural areas near fracking sites, have
an overall radon concentration 39 percent higher than those located in nonfracking
areas. The study found that a major increase in radon correlated with Pennsylvania’s
fracking boom, suggesting that fracking may be releasing radon from bedrock that
sits on gas-rich shale. Radon is an odorless radioactive gas formed by the decay
of uranium in rock, soil and water. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer
worldwide, after smoking.
Clean Water Advocates Compromise
with the Dairy Industry
New Mexico’s dairy farms, which are mostly located in the southern part of the state,
account for $1.4 billion in economic impact statewide, according to New Mexico
State University. Those dairies generate a lot of waste and are subject to the dairy
rule, which governs the industry’s disposal of wastewater. The state Environment
Department is charged with enforcing the rule.
Last month, thanks to six days of negotiations prior to what was expected to be a
week of hearings, the state’s dairy industry and clean-water advocates reached a
settlement with the state in only 4-1/2 hours. Points of contention had included the
number and locations of monitoring wells, the frequency of inspection reports and
the use of synthetic liners in wastewater lagoons. The agreement permits, in certain
circumstances, the use of a two-foot clay liner, which is about half the cost of plastic.
It also requires dairies to be responsible for cleaning up pollution they cause.
The proposed agreement potentially brings to an end several years of litigation over
regulations. This month, the Water Quality Control Commission will vote on whether
to approve the agreement.
Santa Fe County Seeks to Transfer
Top of the World’s Water Rights
In the late 1990s, Santa Fe County bought nearly 600 acre-feet of water rights from
Top of the World Farm near Costilla in northern Taos County and tried to move
those rights south. That proposal met a torrent of opposition. Then, in 2006, the
county spent $5 million to buy the farm and its remaining water rights, to be used to
bolster the Aamodt water rights settlement, which was created to protect groundwater
and irrigators in the Pojoaque Basin by building a pipeline system that would divert
water from the Río Grande and send it 80 miles downstream to serve residential and
commercial users north of Santa Fe.
www.GreenFireTimes.com
In January 2015, Santa Fe County and four neighboring pueblos asked the state for
permission to transfer 1,752 acre-feet of water rights tied to wells at the farm. Santa
Fe County projects that its share of the water rights will not be needed for decades. In
the meantime, the county has leased the rights to a company owned by Taos County
residents Ed and Trudy Healy, who bought the Top of the World property from the
county in March.
The transfer would mean Top of the World could no longer pump water from the
Sunshine Valley aquifer. That would essentially dry up the farm, which cultivated
hundreds of acres of diverse crops in the 1950s and continued production of barley
and alfalfa into recent years. Some argue that halting groundwater pumping would
improve the aquifer health and create a healthier river corridor, which runs through
the adjacent newly established Río Grande del Norte National Monument.
Last month, the Taos County Commission unanimously voted to protest the
proposed transfer. The commissioners are concerned that allowing the transfer
would open the door for developers in urban areas to buy other highly valued water
rights in northern New Mexico, including water the traditional acequia systems rely
on. They think that Top of the World water rights should remain in Taos to support
potential economic development.
Nonprofits Receive USDA Grant
to Promote Healthy Food Choices
Several Santa Fe-based nonprofit organizations will benefit from a $100,000 U.S.
Department of Agriculture grant to make it easier for low-income people to have
access to fresh, healthy food. The grant is part of the Food Insecurity Nutrition
Incentive that was part of last year’s farm bill. The funding will also support
established programs that provide education related to healthy eating for families
who receive food assistance.
The New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association and the Santa Fe Community
Foundation’s MoGro (mobile grocery) program were awarded the funding through
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Farmers’ markets around
New Mexico accept SNAP payments and offer discounts to SNAP recipients. The
Santa Fe Community Foundation’s Healthy SNAP Program provides fresh produce
to members of Santo Domingo and Jemez pueblos. La Familia Medical Center clients
will also benefit from the funding. La Familia offers integrated cooking and nutrition
workshops in collaboration with a dietician and health workers.
World Health Organization agency
Links Pesticide to cancer
In the highest-profile critique to date of a product the U.S. agriculture industry has
long touted as a safe way to protect genetically engineered food crops and lawns, a
global health agency has labeled Roundup®—Monsanto’s trademark weed killer—as
a potential carcinogen. In March, the World Health Agency’s International Agency
for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate, which Monsanto sells under the
commercial name Roundup®, as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The agency’s
assertion was based on a review of hundreds of studies and increasing concerns about
the chemical over many years.
Monsanto has angrily refuted the claim and has mounted a broad counter-campaign
in an effort to cast doubt on the agency’s research and have the classification retracted.
Since moving into biotech agriculture in the 1980s, Monsanto has come to dominate
the agricultural seed business. The company inserts genes into seeds in order to enable
them to withstand the company’s patented pesticide. “Roundup Ready” seeds hit the
market in 1996. The crops have become pervasive in industrial agriculture, but it is
not known how much of it is in our food because the government doesn’t regularly
test produce for it. Genetically modified crops (GMOs) were planted on 93 percent
of corn acres and 94 percent of soybeans in the U.S. last year. Monsanto and other
biotech companies have spent many millions of dollars to combat efforts to label
foods made with GMOs.
Another problem for Monsanto is that many farmers who use glyphosate are now
battling hard-to-kill weeds and bugs that have evolved to resist sprays of glyphosate
and the insect-killing proteins produced by some biotech crops.
Green Fire Times • May 2015
37
What's Going On!
Events / Announcements
state of NM Indian Affairs Dept. Open to
nonchamber members. Info: 505.766.9545.
Registration: www.nmnaec.com
May 12, 8:30-9:30 am
Rally to Oppose PNM’s
Replacement Power Plan
Alvarado Square, 4th & Silver
ALBUQUERQUE
MAY 6, 5:30-7 pm
Green Drinks
Hotel Andaluz, 125 Second St. NW
Network with people interested in doing business locally, clean-energy alternatives and creating sustainable
opportunities in our communities. Featuring the Think
Local Guide release and Dennis Houston on
How to Expand Your Business. Presented the
first Wednesday of each month by the ABQ
and Rio Rancho Green Chamber. info@nm
greenchamber.com, www.greendrinks.org
May 7-9
NM History Conference
Embassy Suites Hotel, I-25 and Lomas
More than 70 speakers on a wide variety of
topics. 5/7, 6:30-9 pm: Opening session and
reception at the ABQ Museum of Art and
History, 2000 Mountain Rd. NW; 5/9, 6-8:30
pm: awards banquet at Embassy Suites.
Wide range of registration rates. Teachers
K-12 free. Students free. Presented by the
Historical Society of NM and the ABQ Historical Society. Info: [email protected],
program: hsnm.org
May 8-10, 16-17, 8 am-5 pm
Women Only PV Design
and Installation Class
ABQ Center for Peace and Justice
202 Harvard SE
Hands-on learning with photovoltaics
taught by Marlene Brown and Taiyoko Sadewic. First weekend: $600; both weekends:
$1,000. [email protected], https://
sites.google.com/site/nmcpnorg/home
May 9, 10:30 am-4 pm
Festival of Asian Cultures
NM Veterans Memorial Park
1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE
Participating groups include Cambodian,
Chinese, East Indian, Filipino, Hawaiian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Lao,
Middle Eastern, Nepali, Tahitian, Thai,
and Vietnamese. Free. Sponsored in part
by NM Arts and the City of ABQ Urban
Enhancement Trust Fund. 505.293.2322,
[email protected], www.facebook.com/
events/434520863364159/
May 11
Santolina Development Hearing
County Commission hearing on the proposed
22-square-mile west-side development plan.
May 11-13
Native American
Economic Summit
9th annual event showcases successful Native American and nonnative entrepreneurs.
Topics: government contracting opportunities, housing, financing and N.A. women
politicians and leaders. High school student
competition. Presented by the American
Indian Chamber of Commerce–NM and the
38
Groups opposed to PNM’s plan to replace
two units of the San Juan Generating Station with coal, natural gas, nuclear and a
relatively small amount of solar, while having ratepayers absorb costs and liabilities,
will hold a demonstration to coincide with
PNM’s shareholder meeting.
May 16, June 30, July 25, Aug 22
Landscape Irrigation
and Drip Irrigation
Central NM Community College
Workforce Training Center
5600 Eagle Rock NE, Room 101
Free Water Smart classes sponsored by the
ABQ Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. 9-10 am: irrigation landscape classes;
10:30-11:45: drip irrigation classes. Advance
registration not required. 505.888.1772
May 30
Composting Workshops
Bernalillo County Extension
Office, 1510 Menaul Ext. Blvd. NW
Learn the science, materials and methods
of drought-proofing your garden. 9 am-12
pm: Home composting basics; 1:30-3 pm:
Composting with worms. Free. Registration:
505.929.0414, [email protected]
Through May 31
El Agua es Vida: Acequias in
Northern New Mexico
Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, UNM
Groundbreaking, multidisciplinary exhibit.
Free. 505.277.4405, maxwellmuseum.unm.edu
Daily, 10 am-6 pm
Wildlife West
87 N. Frontage Rd., Edgewood
(30 miles east of ABQ)
122-acre park/attraction with educational programs
dedicated to native wildlife and ecology. $7/$6/$4/
children under 5 free. www.wildlifewest.org
Daily
Our Land, Our Culture,
Our Story
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
2401 12th St. NW
Historical overview of the Pueblo world and contemporary artwork and craftsmanship of each of the
19 pueblos.Weekend Native dances. 866.855.7902
SANTA FE
May 2, 9:30 am-4 pm
Folk Art Flea Market
Museum of International Folk Art
Free. 505.476.1201, www.international
folkart.org/folkartflea.html
May 4, 6 pm
AZTLáN in the Southwest:
Archaeology and History
Hotel Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars lecture by Stephen H.
Lekson, University of Colorado professor of anthropology and author of A History of the Ancient Southwest. $12. 505.466.2775, Southwest
[email protected], SouthwestSeminars.org
Green Fire Times • May 2015
May 5, 6:30 pm
A Conversation with
Robert Redford
The Lensic
A conversation about activism, arts and the
environment with Redford and Mayor Javier
Gonzales. $30/$15 students with I.D. Benefits the SF Green Chamber of Commerce.
505.988.1234, ticketssantafe.org
May 6, 9-11 am
Prospect Research
for Smaller Organizations
SF Community Foundation
A nonprofit technical assistance workshop.
Sliding scale: $15-$45. Registration: www.
santafecf.org
May 8-10
Julie Brette Adams
SF Playhouse, 142 E. DeVargas
Acclaimed contemporary dancer/choreographer. 8 pm Fri-Sat; 2 pm Sun. $15/$20.
505.986.1801, www.onewomandancing.com
May 9, 10 am-10 pm
CommUNITY Day
Santa Fe Plaza
El Día de la Gente. Nonprofit organizations
and government agencies will have information tables and giveaways until 3 pm and local talent will perform until 10 pm. Exhibit
applications: 505.955.6979, bjmossman@
santafenm.gov, www.santafenm.gov
May 9, 10 am-7 pm
IAIA Spring Powwow
IAIA Campus, 83 Avan Nu Po Rd.
Institute of American Indian Arts contest
powwow and drum contest. Food, arts and
crafts vendors. Grand entry at 11 am. Free.
505.424.2339, [email protected]
May 9-10
Kindred Spirits Open House
3749A Highway 14
Animal sanctuary for senior dogs, horses and
poultry. Demonstrations by wellness caregivers. 505.471.5366, www.kindredspirtsnm.org
May 9-15
Bike to Work Week
5/9, 9:30 am, Southside Library: Southside
Community Cruise; 5/15, 7:30-8:15 am: Bike
to Breakfast on the Plaza; 4:45 pm: City/County/State Double Convoy Challenge (mass rides
to railyard); 4-7 pm: Railyard Plaza Fiesta at the
water tower. www.santafempo.org
May 10, 2 pm
Santa Fe Concert Band
Lawn of the Federal Building
Free concert.
May 12, 8:30-10:30 am
Parent Visitor Morning
SF Waldorf School
26 Puesta del Sol
Elementary through High School grade parents can visit the 13-acre campus and explore
Waldorf education for their children. Meet
at the administrative offices in Hooper Hall.
RSVP: 505.467.6431
May 13-17
Outside Bike & Brew Festival
Mountain biking events sponsored by Outside Magazine. Outsidesantafe.com
May 14, 15
Academy for Sustainable
Education Events
5/14: Eco-fashion show; 5/15: The academy
will unveil its aquaponics lab, eco-amphitheater, green trail, solar charging station, Sol
Beats (solar sound studio) and the Learning
and Zen gardens. [email protected]
May 15, 6 pm
San Isidro Day
Agua Fría Village
Meet at the historic San Isidro Church.
Opening prayers and then a processional with music to the SF River at San
Ysidro Crossing for a blessing of the river.
Reception follows at the Nancy Rodríguez
Community Center.
May 16, 8 am-3 pm
2nd Annual Green Festival
El Museo Cultural
555 Camino de la Familia
New renewable-energy options, electric vehicles, organic food, water conservation and
harvesting, green-built design, interactive exhibits for kids and much more. 505.428.9123,
[email protected]
May 16, 2 pm; May 20, 6:45 pm
Movies That Matter
Violet Crown Cinemas
1606 Alcaldesa St.
Growing Cities, a documentary film that examines the role and potential of urban farming (www.growingcitiesmovie.com). Presented by the SF Farmers’ Market Institute.
Weds: $10/$8/$6; Sat: $7/$5/$6. Tickets:
505.466.5528, www.violetcrowncinemas.com
May 17
SF Century Bicycle Rides
2,600 area cyclists expected from more
than 37 states. 5/12: registration closes.
505.476.9712, santafecentury.com
May 17, 2 pm
Institute for Spanish Arts
End-of-Year Performance
SF Performing Arts Theater
1050 Old Pecos Tr.
Showcase of current students, SFPS student programs and Flamenco’s Next Generation. Tickets:
505.467.3773, www.institutespanisharts.org
May 17
Horse Shelter Auction
Cerrillos, NM
Annual auction and luncheon. A chance to
spend a day with the horses at the ranch. $75.
505.471.6179, www.thehorseshelter.org
May 19, 9-11 am
Basic Concepts in
Strategic Planning
SF Community Foundation
An organizational workshop. Sliding scale:
$15-$45. Registration: www.santafecf.org
May 21, 5:30-7:30 pm
Creativity and Resiliency of
NM Women and Girls
GF Contemporary Gallery
707 Canyon Rd.
Fundraiser/reception hosted by the NM
Community Foundation. Featured speaker: artist Roxanne Swentzell, reading by
Isabel Ribe. Prizes, food. Tickets: $35.
505.820.6860, [email protected]
www.GreenFireTimes.com
May 22 Application Deadline
SFCC Foundation Scholarships
Students can apply for scholarships to SF
Community College based on financial
need, academic standing or a specific program, among other criteria. Fall semester
begins in August. 505.428.1268
May 23-24
Native Treasures
Indian Arts Festival
SF Convention Center
Museum-quality Native American art show
and sale. Over 200 artists. Admission: 5/23,
9-10 am: $20; 10 am-5 pm: $10; 5/24, 10 am-5
pm: free. 5/22, 5:30-7:30: Pre-show celebration. ($100.) www.nativetreasures.org
May 24, 10 am-4 pm
Sustainable Kitchens
and Solar Cooking
Ampersand Sustainable Learning
Center, Cerrillos, NM
Cook in solar cookers and explore other
self-sufficient cooking and preservation
methods. $60. Discounts available. RSVP:
505.780.0535, amanda@ampersandproject.
org
May 26, 6-7:30 pm
Practical Solutions for Safe
Use of Wireless Technology
La Montañita Co-op Community
Room, 913 W. Alameda
Discussion of potential health issues, free
solutions and available products to combat
electronic pollution. Last Tuesday of every
month. 505.780.8283
May 29, 10 am-4 pm
Executive Director Retreat
SF Community Foundation
Being a Mindful Leader. $75. Registration:
www.santafecf.org
May 30, 10 am-12 pm
Green Writers Circle
Writers engaged in sustainability, ecology,
health and environmental issues meet for
training, publication resources and discussion. Topic will be “Three Paths to Publishing Your Book,” comparing the traditional
publisher, self-publishing and assisted selfpublishing. Free. RSVP: [email protected]
June 19-21, 27-28
SF Studio Tour
A free, self-guided tour. 76 artists, 48 studios.
Discover original art: paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics and other
unique works. Preview party/group show
6/19 at the SF University of Art & Design.
Info/map: www.santafestudiotour.com
First Saturday of Each Month,
10 am-12 pm
SF Citizens’ Climate Lobby
Various Locations
“Creating political will for a livable world”
[email protected]
Tuesdays and Saturdays
8 am-1 pm
Santa Fe Farmers’ Market
1607 Paseo de Peralta (& Guadalupe)
Northern NM farmers & ranchers offer
fresh greenhouse tomatoes, greens, root veggies, cheese, teas, herbs, spices, honey, baked
goods, body-care products and much more.
www.santafefarmersmarket.com
Sundays, 10 am-4 pm
New Mexico Artisan Market
Farmers’ Market Pavilion
www.artmarketsantafe.com
www.GreenFireTimes.com
Become a Site Steward
Santa Fe National Forest
Monitor archaeological and historical sites on
a regular basis for evidence of natural deterioration or vandalism. www.sfnfsitestewards.org
Santa Fe Creative Tourism
Workshops, Classes
and Experiences
http://santafecreativetourism.org/
Borrow a Kill-A-Watt Device
Main Library and Southside Branch
Electricity Measuring Devices may be
checked out for 28 days www.santafelibrary.
org or call any reference desk.
Santa Fe Recycling
Make 2015 the year to reduce, reuse and recycle
as much as you can. City residential curbside
customers can recycle at no additional cost and
drop by 1142 Siler Road, Building A to pick up
free recycling bins. At least 50 percent of curbside residential customers recycle now. Let’s
take that number to 100 percent. For more information, visit http://www.santafenm.gov/
trash_and_recycling or call 505.955.2200 (city);
505.992.3010 (county); 505.424.1850 (SF Solid
Waste Management Agency).
HERE & THERE
May 2, 1-3 pm
Santa Cruz Farm Tour
830 El Llano Rd., Española, NM
Enjoy a farm tour, local foods and connect
with area farmers. Presented by the American
Friends Service Committee, NM Acequia
Association and Don Bustos. 505.955.9644,
lasacequias.org or 505.842.7343, afsc.org/
office/albuquerque-nm
May 3-6
International Seed
Library Forum
Tucson, Arizona
DiversifyingCommunityAccesstoHealthyFoods.
An effort to coalesce efforts by public libraries,
nonprofits, universities and food banks to increase
the quality of seed resources with free or affordable
access to low-income households. Registration:
[email protected]
May 5, 6-8 pm
Marketing Your Small Business
SBDC Sandoval County,
282 Cam. del Pueblo, Bernalillo, NM
Discussion on how to successfully market a product or service and specific marketing strategies
suited to your business. $10. 505.867.5066, [email protected], nmsbdc.org/Sandoval/
May 5, 7 pm
Waterfalls of NM
The Nature Center, Los Alamos, NM
Presentation/book signing by Doug Scott.
Free. www.losalamosnature.org
May 8 Application Deadline
Paid AmeriCorps Opportunity
Join Rocky Mountain Youth Corps working on
projects in NM. RMYC is looking for young
adults 16-25 to work on conservation, historic
preservation and trail maintenance. Dedicated
people are needed to supervise crews and projects. 575.751.1420. Program descriptions and
applications: www.youthcorps.org
May 9, 8 am
Jémez Volcanic
Field Driving Tour
U.S. Geologist Patrick Rowe will conduct a
fact-filled tour with stops to learn about geologic events that formed the Pajarito Plateau
and the Valles Caldera. Free. Register in advance at www.losalamosnature.org
May 9, 9 am-4 pm
Zuni Mainstreet Festival
Zuni Pueblo, NM
awards of $1,000 and $500. 505.244.9505, ext.
108, [email protected]
May 9, 3-5 pm
Talk and Conversation
Tarnoff Art Center, Rowe, NM
10th annual all-ages festival featuring nationally touring folk, bluegrass, Celtic and
Americana musicians. Headliners are Noam
Pikelny & Stuart Duncan, Solas and Red
Molly. Workshops, on-site camping, vendors and kids’ activities. Festival site is walking distance to hot springs. 877.472.4672,
www.folkwest.com
Experience Zuni Pueblo’s rich culture and
traditional song and dance.
www.zunitourism.com
Roundtable discussion with Cecile Lipworth
(One Billion Rising) and artists Tara Trudell
and Vaness Waltz about the power of art and
activism to highlight women’s rights. Part of
“Women’s Work,” an art show featuring 25
female artists of NM. 505.919.8888, info@tar
noffartcenter.org, www.tarnoffartcenter.org
May 9, June 13, July 18, Aug. 15,
Oct. 10, 17, Nov. 14, 1-3 pm
Sustainable Agriculture
Workshops
Owl Peak Farm, La Madera
5/9: How to grow the most food in a small
garden; 6/13: Managing pests without poisons; 7/18: Cooking with Wild “Superfood”; 9/15: Making your own compost;
10/10: Sheet mulching and cover-cropping;
10/17: Grow your own tree from a cutting;
11/14: Farm cheese and yogurt making;
Donations appreciated. Info/Registration:
505.583.2040, [email protected]
MAY 14, 5:30-7 pm
Green Drinks/NMSEA
Little Toad Pub, 200 N. Bullard St.,
Silver City, NM
Monthly meeting of the Southwest NM
Green Chamber of Commerce and the
NM Solar Energy Association-Silver City
Chapter. Held every second Thursday of the
month. 575.538.1337, swGreenChamber@
gmail.com
June 5-7
Pagosa Folk &
Bluegrass Festival
Reservoir Hill, Pagosa Springs, CO.
Through Sept. 31
Ancient Native Farming
Techniques Exhibit
Colorado Plateau Intertribal
Learning Center, Tuba City, ARIZ.
Exhibit showcases efforts by elders and community leaders from 12 tribes across the
Colorado Plateau to preserve dry farming
practices that have allowed native peoples
to flourish for thousands of years. Open by
appointment. [email protected],
www.grandcanyontrust.org/blog/preservingour-seeds-and-farmer-knowledge
Tuesday-Friday, 10 am-1 pm
and Saturday
Pajarito Environmental
Education Center
3540 Orange St., Los Alamos, NM
Nature center and outdoor education programs. Exhibits of flora and fauna of the
Pajarito Plateau; herbarium, live amphibians, butterfly and xeric gardens. TuesdaySaturday. Free. 505.662.0460, Programs@
PajaritoEEC.org, www.pajaritoeec.org
May 16, 10 am- 5 pm
Honoring the History
of a Genízaro Pueblo
Joe Ferran Gym, Abiquiú Plaza, NM
Conference about the history and issues related to Abiquiú Pueblo. Discussion about
the 2014 archeological dig and how Abiquiú
Pueblo is viewed in the Tewa world. Esteemed speakers including Tessie Naranjo,
Dr. James Brooks, Dr. Charlie Carillo, Malcolm Ebright and many others. Genízaro
ceremonial leaders and dancers. Presented
by the Abiquiú Library and Cultural Center.
Free admission. Advance registration required. 505.685.4884, [email protected]
May 19
The Western Landowners Alliance:
Stewardship with Vision
The Nature Center, Los Alamos, NM
The WLA is a voice for conservation-minded landowners across the West. Executive
Director Leslie Allison will talk about the
WLA’s goals and work. Free.
www.losalamosnature.org
May 26, 7 pm
Wildlife Rehab:
Why is it important?
The Nature Center, Los Alamos, NM
Dr. Kathleen Ramsay, founder of the NM
Wildlife Center will discuss her career and
why this work matters. Free.
www.losalamosnature.org
May 29, 5 pm Application Deadline
Amy Biehl Youth Spirit Award
For youth aged 13-18 and 19-26. NM Voices
for Children honors young people in NM
who have stepped up to bring positive change
to their communities and/or the world at large
through community service. Scholarship
Green Fire Times • May 2015
39
40
Green Fire Times • May 2015
www.GreenFireTimes.com