NEW MEXICO

A race to save fish as Rio Grande dries, even in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE — On a recent, scorching afternoon in Albuquerque, off-road vehicles cruised up and down a stretch of dry riverbed where normally the Rio Grande flows. The drivers weren’t thrill-seekers, but biologists hoping to save as many endangered fish as they could before the sun turned shrinking pools of water into dust.

For the first time in four decades, America’s fifth-longest river went dry in Albuquerque in late July. Habitat for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow — a shimmery, pinky-sized native fish — went with it. Although summer storms have made the river wet again, experts warn the drying this far north is a sign of an increasingly fragile water supply, and that current conservation measures may not be enough to save the minnow and still provide water to nearby farms, backyards and parks.

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The minnow inhabits only about 7% of its historic range and has withstood a century of habitat loss as the nearly 1,900 mile-long river was dammed, diverted and channeled from Colorado to New Mexico, Texas and northern Mexico. In 1994, the U.S. government listed it as endangered. Scientists, water managers and environmental groups have worked to keep the fish alive — as required by the Endangered Species Act — but the efforts haven’t kept pace with demand for water and climate change.

When parts of the river dry out, officials use hand nets and seines to pull fish from warm puddles and relocate them to still-flowing sections of the river. The minnow’s survival rate after being rescued is slim — just over 5% — due to the stress of warm, stagnant water and being forcibly relocated.

Still, leaving the fish in the pools is a certain death sentence, said Thomas Archdeacon, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in charge of a program to rescue the fish. He and the other biologists drove over miles of dried riverbed to where the water picked up again — at the outflow of a sewage treatment plant. Only a handful of the 400 rescued fish would survive, with their best chance swimming through treated sewage.

Historically, one way to send more water into the river has been to release it from upstream reservoirs. But this year, New Mexico has been unable to store extra water because of a downstream debt it owes Texas as part of a compact.

2 counties added to wildfire disaster declaration

SANTA FE — Two more New Mexico counties have been added to a federal disaster declaration issued in response to the state’s historic wildfire season.

State officials said on Aug. 44 that Los Alamos and Sandoval counties will now be eligible for grant funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The counties were affected by a wildfire that charred over 70 square miles in the mountains near Los Alamos. Crews are now working on repairs to limit post-fire flooding.

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New Mexico’s governor also recently secured an extension of the disaster declaration as well as the addition of flooding impacts in the wake of the fires, which included a massive blaze that was sparked by operations planned by the federal government to clear out overgrown and dead vegetation in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

That blaze became the largest in New Mexico’s recorded history. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, thousands of people were forced to evacuate and crews are now scrambling to address post-fire flooding that has sent tons of ash, mud and other debris flowing from the burn scar.

Experts have said the environmental consequences of the blaze will be felt for decades.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also has requested that FEMA commit to continuing to cover 100% of the total eligible costs under the extended duration of the disaster declaration.

NAVAJO NATION

State of emergency declared due to flooding

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation officials declared a state of emergency on Aug. 4 due to increased flooding from recent monsoon rains.

The declaration by the tribe’s Commission on Emergency Management will allow local chapters to access additional resources to help mitigate the impacts of heavy rainfall.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said the tribe’s emergency response personnel have been out in the communities every day helping people recover from recent flooding.

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“Yes there are many challenges and not enough personnel to get to every site immediately, but they are making progress,” Nez said. “The Navajo Division of Transportation also continues to work on repairs to roads that were damaged.

Nez added: “As we move forward into the fall and winter seasons, we need everyone to be proactive and plan ahead for more severe weather.”

Nez said tribal health workers have been going to various communities providing support and assistance for elderly residents and those with health conditions.

A flood watch remains in effect throughout this week on the tribe’s vast reservation that covers parts of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah.

ARIZONA

Eviction filings surge in state’s largest county

PHOENIX — Eviction filings in Arizona’s largest county have surged higher than at any time in the last 13 years.

Data released on Aug. 4 by the Maricopa County Justice Court shows that the July filing figure of 6,405 is higher than any month since October 2008, when the number hit 6,975.

It’s also the second month in a row that the court that includes Phoenix metro has seen a monthly filing total higher than any seen in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic.

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Not all eviction filings result in lockouts by landlords, which can be forestalled with last minute payments with rental assistance or court agreements.

Maricopa County had among the highest levels of evictions in the United States before state and federal eviction moratoriums slowed lockouts during the pandemic. Those eviction bans have long since ended.

The White House is calling on states to find ways to prevent evictions as federal emergency rental assistance funds made available during the pandemic start to wind down.

New Mexico was lauded in the same week during a White House summit for its successful programs to rein in evictions, said the state’s Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon.

New Mexico has awarded over $148 million for rent, utilities, emergency housing and moving costs to help more than 44,000 households in a court-based eviction prevention program.

WYOMING

National facial hair competition coming to Casper

On Nov. 20, Casper will welcome facial hair aficionados from around the country for the National Beard and Moustache Championships.

The event — taking place at the Ford Wyoming Center — is a collaboration between facial hair enthusiasts group Beard Team USA and Visit Casper, Natrona County’s Travel and Tourism Council.

It’s expected to draw 300 contestants who will compete across 47 categories, according to Visit Casper.

That includes categories for both natural and styled moustaches and beards.

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Those are further split into sub-groups for facial hair of various styles: handlebars, Dalis, goatees and Garibaldis, to name a few.

The competition even has divisions for craft mustaches and beards (fake facial hair, in other words).

There’ are also the “natural” craft facial hair contests. For those, competitors make fake beards and mustaches out of their head hair. The goal is to make it look as real as possible.

Depending on the category, competitors will be judged in part on neatness, symmetry and creativity of their designs, according to the contest’s website.

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