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Fire recovery efforts begin
At last report, Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon had reached 317,571 acres and 65% containment, with “extensive, coordinated work” continuing in the Pecos Wilderness, where the fire is most active. Moreover, most communities are no longer in mandatory evacuation status, and the state, on Saturday, issued a news release encouraging Mora and San Miguel county residents to apply for free debris removal and disposal by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers (forms available here). “We know that residents in Mora and San Miguel Counties have been through so much already, let us take the removal of wildfire debris off your plate by taking advantage of the Full Service Debris Removal Program,” state Environment Secretary James Kenney said in a statement. “With the looming threat of flooding from monsoon season on the horizon, we encourage property owners to opt in as soon as possible so that cleanup efforts can begin right away.” The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Burned Area Emergency Response team (BAER) on Friday also issued a statement cautioning people near and downstream from the burned areas to remain alert for flash flooding if and when the monsoon season begins. The state also announced low-income residents in the five counties covered by the Presidential Disaster Declaration for New Mexico (Colfax, Lincoln, Mora, San Miguel and Valencia) are eligible to apply for the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting tomorrow through June 13. And, speaking of presidents, President Joe Biden will visit New Mexico June 11 to discuss the state’s response to and recovery from wildfires.
US Rep. Leger Fernández requests fire investigation
US Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-NM, on Friday requested the US Government Accountability Office investigate the US Forest Service’s process for conducting prescribed burns and provide recommendations to both the forest service and Congress to reduce wildfire risks from prescribed burns. The request follows the forest service’s recent report that Calf Canyon grew from a dormant prescribed burn pile before merging with the Hermits Peak Fire, which sparked from a prescribed burn. “It is outrageous that USFS started both the Calf Canyon and Hermit’s Peak Wildfires which caused thousands of people to evacuate and immeasurable destruction,” Leger Fernández said in a statement. “I want an independent federal investigation so that no other community in New Mexico or the United States suffers the destruction we have seen from these catastrophic wildfires.” Last month, the Democratic members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation introduced The Hermit’s Peak Fire Assistance Act, which would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to design and administer a program for fully compensating those who suffered personal injury, property losses, business and financial losses resulting from the fire.
Feds issue report on drought spending
The US Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture have issued a new report outlining the actions taken in the last year aimed to “address worsening drought conditions in the United States and to support farmers, ranchers, Tribes, and communities impacted by ongoing water shortages.” The federal Drought Resilience Interagency Working Group features several other teams, including one dedicated to the Colorado River Basin and another to the Rio Grande—both critical waterways in New Mexico. “The dangerous impacts of climate change and drought are being felt across America,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement issued by the departments along with the summary of the first year of work under President Joe Biden.The list includes listening sessions held in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada as well deployment of cash from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill of more than $13 billion to help communities meet water supply demands. The money includes $8.3 billion for the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation “to increase water resilience” and $918 million to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service for watershed infrastructure projects. To pound the point home at the local level, the well that provides community of Buena Vista in Mora County is running dry and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District is predicting irrigation water will run out by the first week of June.
COVID-19 by the numbers
New cases: 1,081; 538,629 total cases
Deaths: 22; at last count, Santa Fe County had 300 total deaths; there have been 7,825 total fatalities statewide. Hospitalizations: 128. Patients on ventilators: 18
Case rates: According to the most recent DOH report on geographical trends for COVID-19, Mora County has the highest daily case rate per 100,000 population for the seven-day period of May 23-29: 50.1, followed by Santa Fe County with 44.7 and Grant County with 44.1.Community levels: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “community levels” tracking system—which uses case rates along with two hospital metrics in combination to determine the state of the virus on a county level—classifies nine NM counties as “yellow” or medium for risk: Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, Los Alamos, Mora, Harding, Sandoval, Bernalillo, Cibola and Grant counties. The rest of the state remains “green” for low community levels. The CDC updates its community levels on Thursdays. CDC recommendations for individuals and communities based on the community level rankings can be found here.
Resources: Vaccine registration; Booster registration Free at-home rapid antigen tests; Self-report a positive COVID-19 test result to the health department; COVID-19 treatment info: oral treatments Paxlovid (age 12+) and Molnupiravir (age 18+); and monoclonal antibody treatments. Toolkit for immunocompromised individuals. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
Listen up
Participants on the most recent episode of New Mexico In Focus’ “The Line” opinion panel discussed school safety and gun control, with suggestions on how to make schools safer and limit access to assault weapons. Guests include: Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Algernon D’Ammassa; lawyer Sophie Martin; and Diane Snyder, a former Republican state senator from Albuquerque. And on that topic, Santa Fe Public Schools and Santa Fe Police Department last week issued a joint statement highlighting their combined efforts to maintain “a safe learning and working environment for our students and staff.” Those efforts, a news release says, “offering active shooter training for school personnel, supported and attended by SFPD and the sheriff’s office, walking tours of school sites so law enforcement is familiar with the layout of school buildings.” SFPS has myriad protocols to prevent security breaches on campus and has implemented See Something, Say Something, part of the Sandy Hook Promise.
Small town, big options
Smithsonian Magazine offers up its recommendations for the “15 best small towns to visit in 2022,” all of which meet the following criteria: a population of 25,000 or fewer; a “high density of cultural offerings and natural beauty”; and a “compelling reason” to visit this year. One New Mexico town makes the list (drum roll, please): Gallup. Beauty? Check: “Gallup sits within the stunning red rock country of northwest New Mexico.” Culture? Big time: “The town is rich with Native American culture and heritage, with the Navajo Nation, Pueblo of Zuni and Hopi Reservation all located nearby.” As for the reason to visit Gallup in 2022, the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial will celebrate its 100th year Aug. 4-14, with festivities including parades, powwows, pageants, art shows, a film festival and more. The magazine notes Gallup’s historic downtown, numerous arts and crafts shopping options; places to grab local cuisine; and nearby spots to take advantage of the outdoors with hiking and hot-air balloon rides.
Small plates, big tastes
RCI travel magazine writes about “four tapas restaurants with a local twist” for its spring 2022 edition, writing that “in many US cities…tapas restaurants go the extra mile by giving a nod to their region and injecting a local spin on traditional fare in the form of spices and ingredients.” Chef James Campbell Caruso’s La Boca in Santa Fe checks all those boxes, RCI writes, as the restaurant “has created a menu fusing Mexican, New Mexican and Spanish sensibilities. The write-up cites La Boca’s tacos de la boca, which uses Mexican corn tortillas, Spanish blood sausage (morcilla), shrimp and chile salsa made with Spanish smoked paprika. And, because chiles are “beloved in the region,” La Boca incorporates locally grown Padrón peppers for its seasonal tapas and New Mexico chiles “to kick up the heat and suit local taste buds” in its classic Spanish garlic shrimp dish: gambas al ajillo. The story’s three other tapas restaurants: Barsa Tapas, Lounge & Bar in Charleston, South Carolina; Brasa Haya in Portland, Oregon and Toro in Boston, Massachusetts.
In the hot seat
Looks like a hot day and week awaits. According to the National Weather Service, today will be sunny with a high near 89 degrees and north wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Starting tomorrow, temps rise into the 90s with a teensy chance for a thunderstorm mid-week, but no precipitation of note expected.
Thanks for reading! The Word plans to take advantage of her early mornings and try to catch the five-planet line-up in the sky this month.
