Friday, July 28, 2017

Legislation aimed at ending horse slaughter

Legislation aimed at ending horse slaughter Ruidoso News ASPCA Last week, members of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee voted in favor of a ban on slaughtering horses for human consumption on American soil. The bipartisan amendment to the Fiscal Year 2018 agriculture appropriations bill disallows spending by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in that year on inspections at prospective horse slaughter plants. Officials with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, known by the acronym ASPCA, commended the Senate appropriation committee members for passing an anti-horse slaughter amendment in its FY 2018 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The amendment will prevent the USDA from using taxpayer dollars to inspect horse slaughter facilities. The Udall-Graham Amendment, introduced by Sens. Tom Udall, Democrat from New Mexico. and Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina, was passed in the full committee by a bipartisan vote and would effectively continue a ban on the horse slaughter industry on U.S. soil.

Statement of Secretary Perdue Regarding Japan's Planned Increase of Tariff on U.S. Frozen Beef

Statement of Secretary Perdue Regarding Japan's Planned Increase of Tariff on U.S. Frozen Beef WASHINGTON, July 28, 2017 – The government of Japan has announced that rising imports of frozen beef in the first quarter of the Japanese fiscal year (April-June) have triggered a safeguard, resulting in an automatic increase to Japan's tariff rate under the WTO on imports of frozen beef from the United States. The increase, from 38.5 percent to 50 percent, will begin August 1, 2017 and last through March 31, 2018. The tariff would affect only exporters from countries, including the United States, which do not have free trade agreements with Japan currently in force. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement: “I am concerned that an increase in Japan's tariff on frozen beef imports will impede U.S. beef sales and is likely to increase the United States’ overall trade deficit with Japan. This would harm our important bilateral trade relationship with Japan on agricultural products. It would also negatively affect Japanese consumers by raising prices and limiting their access to high-quality U.S. frozen beef. I have asked representatives of the Japanese government directly and clearly to make every effort to address these strong concerns, and the harm that could result to both American producers and Japanese consumers.” U.S. exports of beef and beef products to Japan totaled $1.5 billion last year, making it the United States’ top market.

Friday, July 21, 2017

NM WRRI’s 62nd Annual New Mexico Water Conference invites poster abstracts

Deadline: July 26, 2017 NM WRRI’s 62nd Annual New Mexico Water Conference invites poster abstracts on any water research or water management topic. The poster session will take place on Wednesday, August 16, 10:00-11:30 am, New Mexico Tech. Click here for details.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Aamodt Final Judgment and Decree Signed Despite TOW Outstanding Protest

Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on La Jicarita Aamodt Final Judgment and Decree Signed Despite TOW Outstanding Protest by lajicarita By KAY MATTHEWS On Thursday, July 13, the day before U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson was scheduled to sign the Aamodt Final Judgment and Decree, Taos County Manager Leandro Córdova called to tell me that Taos County contract attorney Peter Shoenfeld had been authorized to submit a Motion for Leave to Appear in a Limited Manner at the signing. The motion sought to bring to the court's attention that provisions of the Aamodt Settlement Act require that before any final judgment can be issued the State Engineer must grant a permit for the Top of the World water rights, located in northern Taos County, to a location that will serve the four pueblos in the Aamodt adjudication—Pojoaque, Tesuque, Nambe, and San Ildefonso—and the proposed Pojoaque Valley Regional Water System. That permit has not been granted: the State Engineer has not rendered a decision in Taos County's protest of the TOW water transfer at a hearing before the Office of the State Engineer in October of 2016. Judge Johnson rejected the motion and signed the final judgment and decree, thus ending the more than 50-year-old Aamodt Adjudication. The Aamodt Adjudication Settlement Act that was signed in 2010 stipulates that in order to meet the terms of the settlement the water rights have to have been “acquired and entered into appropriate contracts” and “permits have been issued by the New Mexico State Engineer to the Regional Water Authority” and that “the permits shall be free of any condition that materially adversely affects the ability of the Pueblos or the Regional Water Authority to divert or use the Pueblo water supply . . . .” As I wrote in my previous La Jicarita article, "Judge Set to Sign Aamodt Adjudication Final Decree When Top of the World Water Rights are Still Contested?", none of the attorneys who represent parties to the adjudication were able to explain to me how the Final Decree could be signed in light of these requirements. John Utton, who is the attorney for Santa Fe County, could or would not answer my question, yet he is the attorney who signed the "Notice of Certification by Santa Fe County and City of Santa Fe of Satisfactions of Conditions", or in other words, that the conditions of the Aamodt Settlement Act have been met "for entry of a Final Decree." Arianne Singer, who represents the state in the adjudication, signed off and has never returned my phone calls. The U.S. Attorney signed off as well as did all the attorneys for the pueblos. Although this Final Judgment and Decree also denies all other objections, parties to the adjudication can appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Three hundred non-pueblo water rights owners, many of whom never wanted implementation of a water delivery system in lieu of their wells, filed objections to the adjudication. Some objectors have already retained attorneys with the Western Agriculture, Resource and Business Advocates, who also represent members of Northern New Mexicans Protecting Land, Water, and Rights (NNMProtects) in the controversy between the pueblos and county residents over access and easement rights on county roads that fall within the exterior boundaries of the four pueblos involved in the Aamodt Settlement—Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque, and San Ildefonso. In 2015 the Santa Fe County Commission passed Resolution 2015-25, which requires that the legal status of the county roads be resolved before the commission appropriates funding for the regional water system. The water system must be completed by 2024 under the terms of the Settlement or the Decree will be null and void. NNMProtects attorneys were prevented from attending a closed door meeting between the Santa Fe County Commission and representatives of federal agencies and the pueblos on Thursday, July 13 to discuss the road easement controversy. So was Rep. Carl Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, whose district covers part of northern Santa Fe County. So we have two situations in which the parties substantively affected by the terms of the Aamodt Settlement are denied recourse: the citizens of Taos County are denied due process in their protest of the loss of 1,751 acre feet of water from Top of the World and the citizens of the Pojoaque Valley are excluded from meetings that will determine funding for a regional water system that many of them never wanted. While the Aamodt objectors have the opportunity to file an appeal, it will prove costly and decidedly difficult to contest a Final Decree that is being gleefully celebrated by those who benefit from its terms. It seems highly unlikely that Taos County will file an appeal if the State Engineer approves the TOW transfer; the integrity of the protest has already been negated with the issuance of the Final Decree. lajicarita | July 17, 2017 at 12:37 pm | Tags: Aamodt Adjudication Settlement, Northern New Mexicans Protecting Land, Top of the World (TOW) | Categories: Acequias, Groundwater, Law and Courts, New Mexico, New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, Santa Fe County, Taos County, Water Adjudication, water and acequias | URL: http://wp.me/p2bCkq-1Jj Comment See all comments Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from La Jicarita. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://lajicarita.wordpress.com/2017/07/17/aamodt-final-judgment-and-decree-signed-despite-tow-outstanding-protest/

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

The 62nd NM WRRI Annual New Mexico Water Conference will take place in Socorro, New Mexico on August 15-16, 2017

The 62nd NM WRRI Annual New Mexico Water Conference will take place in Socorro, New Mexico on August 15-16, 2017 with the theme Hidden Realities of New Water Opportunities. A highlight of each year’s annual water conference is a poster session where participants can learn about current water research taking place around the state and region. The poster session, scheduled for Wednesday, August 16, offers a wonderful opportunity for networking with state and regional water experts. We anticipate about 200 attendees at this year's conference. This Call for Poster Abstracts seeks abstracts for posters on any water research or management topic. We encourage interested students, researchers, and practitioners to submit poster abstracts via the online submission process. Abstracts for consideration for posters will be accepted through July 26, 2017. Notification of poster acceptance will be announced by July 31, 2017.

Hunting plans shot? Donate that license to a good cause

Hunting plans shot? Donate that license to a good cause SANTA FE – New Mexico hunters are reminded that in the event they can’t use their hunting license this season, it can be donated for a youth to use. The State Game Commission has authorized two nonprofit organizations, the New Mexico Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife of Farmington and The Donald R. Kemp Youth Hunting Club in Las Cruces to receive donated hunting licenses and provide them to qualified youths to use. Requests to donate hunting licenses must be made in writing to the department before the start of the hunt. The department recommends submitting the request well in advance to give the organizations time to find an eligible recipient. When a recipient is located, the department will transfer the existing license to them. Hunters should be aware that for mandatory harvest reporting species, the license holder is responsible for filing a harvest report until the transfer is completed or if no recipient is found. Last year, 23 youths age 17 and younger got to go hunting with donated licenses. Hunters should contact the department’s Information Center, (888) 248-6866 or ispa@state.nm.us to make arrangements to donate a hunting license or for more information about the program. No refunds are offered for donated licenses. See the 2017-2018 Hunting Rules and Information Booklet, www.wildlife.state.nm.us, for exceptions that qualify for a refund or transfer of a hunting license.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Meeting this Friday July 14

the next Quarterly meeting will be 14 July at 10:00 am in the meeting room of the Artesia Ag Science Center, 67 four Dinkus road Artisia NM. If you have agenda Items please get them to be on or before 7 July 2017. Topics so far. 1. Regional water planing redrawing of boundaries.

Friday, July 7, 2017

WRRI Abstract summisssion deadline

Deadline: July 26, 2017 The 62nd NM WRRI Annual New Mexico Water Conference will take place in Socorro, New Mexico on August 15-16, 2017 with the theme Hidden Realities of New Water Opportunities. A highlight of each year’s annual water conference is a poster session where participants can learn about current water research taking place around the state and region. The poster session, scheduled for Wednesday, August 16, offers a wonderful opportunity for networking with state and regional water experts. We anticipate about 200 attendees at this year's conference. This Call for Poster Abstracts seeks abstracts for posters on any water research or management topic. We encourage interested students, researchers, and practitioners to submit poster abstracts via the online submission process. Abstracts for consideration for posters will be accepted through July 26, 2017. Notification of poster acceptance will be announced by July 31, 2017. For submission guidelines and more information, click here.

NMSU professors expand project to map Zika mosquitoes across southern New Mexico

NMSU professors expand project to map Zika mosquitoes across southern New Mexico DATE: 07/07/2017 WRITER: Minerva Baumann, 575-646-7566, mbauma46@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Kathryn Hanley, 575-646-4583, khanley@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Michaela Buenemann, 575-646-3509, elabuen@nmsu.edu Researchers at New Mexico State University have received a second contract from the New Mexico Department of Health to expand last summer’s project to map the geographic distribution of mosquitoes that can carry the Zika virus in the state. In May, the new study determined the species that transmits the Zika virus –Aedes aegypti – is in Doña Ana County. Last year, New Mexico had 10 reported cases of Zika virus disease imported by travelers. There have been no reports of Zika virus disease so far this year. “The state was extremely pleased with our previous work,” said Kathryn Hanley, NMSU biology professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. “Consequently when there was more money issued to study these vectors for Zika virus, they asked us to come on board again and this time they asked if we could do a more detailed study within cities.” Hanley and NMSU geography professor Michaela Buenemann’s investigations last summer demonstrated the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are only found in the southern third of the state. “All we know right now is that the species occur in urban and built-up environments in the southern counties of New Mexico,” said Buenemann. “We don’t know where the species occur within cities. For example, we don’t know if they are more prevalent in vegetated or built-up areas, in open spaces or densely populated parts, or in neighborhoods with higher or lower incomes. Both human and environmental factors likely shape the distributions of those mosquitoes but at this point we really don’t know.” The new contract will allow the researchers to uncover specifics about what kinds of conditions attract the mosquitoes that can potentially transmit Zika virus. “We’re going to do a detailed study of the 11 largest cities in southern New Mexico,” said Hanley. “So we’ll be doing extensive trapping in urban areas. We’re knocking on doors in urban areas to ask people if we can access their backyards to put our mosquito traps down. That will also lend itself to modeling which environmental factors in cities shape the distribution and abundance of these mosquitoes.” Graduate students working with Buenemann and Hanley have already made one discovery this summer. They started trapping in the spring expecting to see the first mosquitoes in July. Instead they caught mosquitoes in early May, which indicates the insects have been active since March, a much longer period of disease risk than initially predicted. “We will continue to trap at least until we get a hard frost,” said Hanley. “We assume once we get a hard frost we’ll stop collecting Aedes aegypti but it’s not inconceivable that we’ll be trapping all year long and into next summer.” “We’re not only interested in how these mosquitoes vary across space and through time but also in what kinds of human-environmental interactions might explain these distributions,” said Buenemann. This new study will include two additional areas of research conducted by Immo Hansen and Jiannong Xu, both associate professors of biology at NMSU. The Hansen lab is going to test how resistant the New Mexican mosquitoes are against commonly used insecticides. “Resistance levels are important to know when there is an outbreak because it helps the mosquito control professionals choose the right type of insecticide to get the biggest bang for the buck,” Hansen said. Xu will lead research about the New Mexico mosquitoes’ microbiome, the bacteria and fungi that live together with the mosquito. Manipulating the mosquito microbiome also can help mosquito control efforts. “The mosquito associated microbes have co-evolved with the mosquito host,” Xu said. “They have significant contributions to various mosquito life traits including development, fecundity and vector competence. Understanding the microbe-mosquito interactions will facilitate development of novel strategies for mosquito control.” The goal for the NMDOH is to inform southern New Mexico communities of the risk of Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases. “Your relative risk is going to be determined by how many Aedes aegypti mosquitoes you are likely to encounter at your home,” Hanley said. “If you live way out on a farm, our research suggests you are unlikely to encounter them. If you live in Las Cruces proper, our study should allow us to tell you whether you work, live or play in an area of very high or low mosquito density.” For information about Zika virus, visit https://nmhealth.org/go/zika or http://www.cdc.gov/zika. - 30 - Follow NMSU News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nmsunews Follow NMSU News on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NMSUNews

NMSU alumni use grant to expand sustainable farming techniques

NMSU alumni use grant to expand sustainable farming techniques DATE: 07/07/2017 WRITER: Billy Huntsman, 575-646-7953, wthv8420@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Lea WiseSurguy-Sophiliazo, , patavivafarm@gmail.com Along a high gravel road radiating white under the sunlight, near the Rio Grande, whose waters splash against the walls of a bridge over it, and nestled within acres of shady pecan trees is Taylor Hood Farms. Here New Mexico State University alumni Lea WiseSurguy-Sophiliazo and her husband, Patrick DeSimio-Sophiliazo, are preparing for the first of a series of community meals in mid July. “We want to bring together anyone who has a role in the agricultural sector—farmers, agricultural scientists, policymakers, chefs, distributors—to share knowledge and build partnerships,” DeSimio said. The rows of artichokes, which grow in fat bundles with regal purple flowers on top, squash, zucchini, and the hoop houses draped in opaque canvas containing tomato plants, most green, some rare reds, are part of the first exhibit in a project. “The project is called the MESA Project and it’s funded through a $250,000 grant through ArtPlace America,” said DeSimio. MESA stands for Meetings for Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture and the project’s goal is to create a symbiotic relationship among people involved in agriculture, farming and food preparation in a way that is beneficial to the environment. Taylor Hood Farms is a partner in the MESA Project, which will eventually include other farms in Doña Ana County. In 2015, Julia Barello, head of the NMSU Art Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, contacted WiseSurguy, who had recently completed her MFA in sculpture. Barello encouraged WiseSurguy to apply for the ArtPlace grant, though neither had any idea what the grant could be used for. Eventually, WiseSurguy came up with the idea of “protecting the environment through the culinary arts,” she said. “One of the biggest benefits we can have in our area is using the arts to improve the sustainability of our agriculture, both in terms of long-term farming issues—water scarcity, topsoil loss and soil salinization—and in terms of protecting the environment,” said DeSimio. The project has four parts, DeSimio said, one being the community meals. “Agriculture and food go hand in hand,” said WiseSurguy. “It’s absolutely a reality that for most of the people who come into this type of work, it’s because they have a love for food and a love for the land and there is that special joy that comes from eating meals together.” Community meals, therefore, are an ideal way to bring together different portions of the agricultural industry to start talking about ways to yield better crops while protecting the environment, she said. Part two is an experimental farm, Pata Viva, DeSimio said. “Pata Viva Farm is the experimental farm part of our grant where we’re going to be implementing all of the different techniques that we’ll be talking about in each one of ours meals in order to get these processes off of the research farms, get them onto working farms,” WiseSurguy said. Pata Viva’s farming techniques, which focus on reducing water use, topsoil loss and soil salinization, are still in the design phase so the first community meal will take place on July 15 at Taylor Hood Farms, a partner farm that has independently implemented sustainable farming methods through a partnership with professors in NMSU’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Pata Viva Farm and Taylor Hood Farms will be working closely together to expand sustainable agricultural in Dona Ana County, and Taylor Hood Farms will likely be among the first additional sites for any viable techniques that Pata Viva identifies through the MESA Project. DeSimio and his partners hope these techniques will become popular and be implemented on other farms. One of the biggest components of Pata Viva’s farming techniques is the use of special greenhouses designed to keep temperatures well below 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit, which conventional greenhouses can reach or exceed in the summer. The greenhouses at Pata Viva and Taylor Hood Farms were designed by Carlos Estrada-Vega, a Las Cruces artist, with help from Bryce Richard. These uniquely designed greenhouses can stay below 85 degrees in the summer and above 50 degrees in the winter, without any artificial heating or cooling, said WiseSurguy. The third part is creating a “very user-friendly technical manual” to further help farmers in implementing these new techniques. DeSimio, a master’s candidate in rhetoric and communication at NMSU, is working with agricultural scientists to develop the manual, which will be routinely updated to address farmers’ issues when implementing these new techniques. “The fourth part is a final art show at the University Art Gallery,” said DeSimio. “There’s going to be a whole exhibit focused on the intersections of agriculture and the environment.” The first community meal will take place on July 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Taylor Hood Farms. The project runners anticipate around 300 people attending. Register here. For more information about the project, visit mesanm.org. - 30 - Follow NMSU News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nmsunews Follow NMSU News on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NMSUNews

Thursday, July 6, 2017

The Hornshell CCA and CCAA drafts publish in the Federal Register

The Hornshell CCA and CCAA drafts publish in the Federal Register tomorrow, July 7th. Here is the link to the CCA/A Federal Register notice: https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2017-14235.pdf. The open comment period will end on August 7th and the drafts will go to signature on August 10th. After that, we have one month to enroll folks into the program. Because it is a short window to enroll, we have developed a nonbinding application (attached) that can be filled out and signed (after the agreements have been signed by FWS) to show intent to enroll. This in no way binds you to enrollment, but assures enrollment in the event you so desire. It will allow us more time to get individual CIs/CPs in place with folks once the listing determination has occurred. If you wish to enroll, please fill out the application, sign and date (must be dated after the parent agreements have been signed by FWS) and send back to me. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you, Emily