NEW MEXICO

US sets aside habitat critical for survival of rare songbird

ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. wildlife managers have set aside vast areas across several states as habitat critical to the survival of a rare songbird that migrates each year from Central and South America to breeding grounds in Mexico and the United States.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the final habitat designation for the western yellow-billed cuckoo on April 20. It covers about 467 square miles along hundreds of miles of rivers and streams in the western states.

Most breeding in the U.S. occurs in Arizona and New Mexico, but the habitat designation also includes areas in California, Colorado, Utah, Texas and Idaho.

The designation isn’t as big as initially proposed. Wildlife managers opted to exclude more than 300 square miles of potential habitat after considering updated information about ongoing conservation activities, the lack of suitable habitat in some areas and potential interference with critical infrastructure.

Federal biologists describe the cuckoo as an elusive species. Difficult to observe, it selects its nesting spots based on habitat conditions and the availability of food.

Each spring and fall, the cuckoo uses river corridors as routes to travel between its wintering and breeding grounds. Nesting pairs find refuge in willows, cottonwoods and other trees along waterways and once their chicks hatch, their voracious appetites for insects help them fuel up for the return trip south.

Listed as threatened in 2014, biologists say the bird has seen population declines due to loss of riparian habitat and habitat fragmentation resulting from agriculture, dams and river management, erosion, overgrazing and competition from exotic plants.

Judge rules state must give at-home students fast internet

SANTA FE – A New Mexico judge has ordered education officials to provide computers and high-speed internet to students who still don’t have them in a landmark ruling that for the first time in the state has set a standard for internet speeds for public school children.

The April 30 ruling by state District Judge Matthew Wilson requires state officials to immediately determine which students covered by the sweeping lawsuit are still lacking quality internet, or devices, and to provide them with what they need, including transportation if they can’t get fast internet from home.

The vast majority of New Mexico schools have opened to in-person learning this month after closures due to the pandemic. But school districts serving tribal areas, which were particularly hard-hit by COVID-19 cases and deaths, are still under lockdown orders and some are still in remote or partially remote learning.

About 10% of New Mexico children are Native American and often confront major barriers to online and in-person learning. When the pandemic first hit, 55% of Native American students could not connect to online courses, according to a Legislative Finance Committee report. Many teachers serving at-risk students also lacked at-home internet and computers.

Some homes are simply too far for wireless towers that send internet to WiFi hot spots, and state officials have estimated a full extension of the state’s broadband system would cost around $5 billion; larger than its entire annual education budget.

WYOMING

Cheney: ‘Wishful thinking’ by Trump she won’t seek 4th term

CHEYENNE – Speculation by former President Donald Trump that she won’t seek re-election next year is “wishful thinking,” Liz Cheney said April 28.

Trump suggested a day earlier that Wyoming’s congresswoman would become a lobbyist or “maybe embarrass her family by running for president” to save face amid criticism for her vote to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Cheney struck down any such ideas in a call with Wyoming reporters.

“I am absolutely dedicated and committed to winning my primary and earning the votes of the people of Wyoming,” Cheney said.

“It’s a critical time to make sure that we have the strongest person in Washington fighting on behalf of our values, fighting on behalf of our energy industry, our ag industry, our families,” added Cheney, the elder daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Cheney joined nine Republican representatives and all Democrats in the U.S. House in voting to impeach. She has called it a vote of her conscience against Trump’s betrayal of his office and oath to uphold the Constitution.

In February, the Wyoming Republican Party central committee censured Cheney for her vote. Four Republicans already are running against her in 2022.

They include two state legislators, Sen. Anthony Bouchard of Cheyenne and Rep. Chuck Gray of Casper, who aren’t well known beyond Wyoming’s two biggest cities. Two other Republican opponents are even less well-known. Wyoming’s top elected officials have either voiced support for Cheney or not weighed in on her impeachment vote.

IDAHO

Bill to kill up to 90% of wolves heads to governor

BOISE – The Idaho House on April 27 approved legislation allowing the state to hire private contractors and expand methods to kill wolves roaming Idaho – a measure that could cut the wolf population by 90%.

Lawmakers voted 58-11 to send the agriculture industry-backed bill to Republican Gov. Brad Little. The fast-tracked bill that allows the use of night-vision equipment to kill wolves as well as hunting from snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles, among other measures, passed the Senate last week.

Backers said changes to Idaho law could help reduce the wolf population from about 1,500 to 150, alleviating wolf attacks on cattle, sheep and wildlife.

Cattle and sheep ranchers say wolves have cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars by killing animals or harassing them, causing them to lose weight, making them less valuable when they are sold.

Opponents said the legislation threatens a 2002 wolf management plan involving the federal government that could ultimately lead to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service taking back control of managing the state’s wolves.

Environmental groups blasted the House’s approval of the measure and called on Republican Gov. Brad Little to veto the legislation.

A primary change in the new law is the hiring of private contractors to kill wolves. The legislation includes increasing the amount of money the Idaho Department of Fish and Game sends to the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control board from $110,000 to $300,000.

About 500 wolves have been killed in the state in each of the last two years by hunters, trappers and wolf-control measures carried out by state and federal authorities.

NEBRASKA

114-year-old woman becomes oldest living American

OMAHA – A 114-year-old Nebraska woman who has taken the title of America’s oldest living person says what she wants most is to eat with her friend after a year of pandemic restrictions.

Thelma Sutcliffe, of Omaha, became the nation’s oldest living person and seventh-oldest in the world on April 17 when Hester Ford, a 115-year-old woman, died in North Carolina, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that Sutcliffe was born on Oct. 1, 1906. Her longtime friend, Luella “Lou” Mason, said she is happy that the senior living center where Sutcliffe lives is locked down, but “Thelma is as determined as ever to do what she wants to do.”

Until visitors are allowed in the dining room, Thelma is taking all her meals in her room. Mason, who has Sutcliffe’s power of attorney, calls the senior living center 24 hours ahead of time to schedule visits.

Sutcliffe’s hearing and sight are fading, Mason said, but her mind is still “very sharp.”