Western cities to remove decorative grass amid drought

SALT LAKE CITY – A group of 30 agencies that supply water to homes and businesses throughout the western United States has pledged to rip up lots of decorative grass to help keep water in the over-tapped Colorado River.

The agreement signed Nov. 15 by water agencies in Southern California, Phoenix and Salt Lake City and elsewhere illustrates an accelerating shift in the American West away from well-manicured grass that has long been a totem of suburban life, having taken root alongside streets, around fountains and between office park walkways.

The grass-removal pledge targets turf that people don’t work on, like in front of strip malls, in street medians or at the entrance to neighborhoods. It doesn’t mean cities plan to rip up grass at golf courses, parks or in backyards, though some may pay homeowners to voluntarily replace their lawns with more drought-resistance landscaping.

Beyond reducing ornamental grass by 30%, the agencies say they’ll boost water efficiency, add more water recycling and consider actions like changing how people pay for water to encourage savings.

The agreement did not include details about the amount of water the agencies were collectively committing to save, but cities account for about one-fifth of Colorado River water use. The rest goes to agriculture.

The commitments, light on details, could spur agencies to offer payment for property owners to tear out grass and replace it with drought-tolerant desert landscaping.

The commitment to tear out 30% marks the first time water agencies throughout the region have collectively committed to a numerical benchmark targeting one specific kind of water use. It comes as the states scramble to reduce their consumption to meet demands from federal officials who say cuts are needed to maintain river levels and protect public health, food systems and hydropower.

No matter the savings, the new commitments will amount to far less conservation than is needed to keep water flowing through the Colorado River and prevent its largest reservoirs from shrinking to dangerously low levels.

WYOMING

Casper hate crimes ordinance advances amid discussion

Casper City Council introduced more modifications its proposed anti-discrimination ordinance on Nov. 15 after passionate input from the public – though council members say support for the measure remains strong overall.

The ordinance would enhance penalties for acts of assault, battery and vandalism if they’re motivated by prejudice toward a person’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability or age.

It would also ban discrimination in housing, employment and places of public accommodation, like businesses or parks.

The ordinance was originally recommended by the city’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee. The committee told Casper City Council members the measure could help curb the widespread discrimination LGBTQ people and other minority groups face in the community.

During the ordinance’s second reading on Nov. 15, city council members voted to add a “definitions” section to the proposal, which clarified terms like gender identity and gender expression.

Gender expression is described as “the non-verbal way a person communicates gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice or body characteristics.”

Speech doesn’t count as discrimination unless it intentionally results in physical battery, property damage, or “reasonable fear of imminent bodily harm,” the draft says.

The amendment comes after the ordinance’s first reading on Nov. 1, where some members public called its language overly vague.

During that meeting, the council also voted to add age as a protected characteristic. The ordinance now outlaws age-based discrimination against those 50 and over.

NEW MEXICO

US gives protections to rare bird as prairie suffers

ALBUQUERQUE – The U.S. government announced protections on Nov. 17 for two populations of a rare prairie bird that’s found in parts of the Midwest, including one of the country’s most prolific oil and gas fields.

The lesser prairie chicken’s range covers a portion of the oil-rich Permian Basin along the New Mexico-Texas state line and extends into parts of Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas. The habitat of the bird, a type of grouse, has diminished across about 90% of its historical range, officials said.

The crow-size, terrestrial birds are known for spring courtship rituals that include flamboyant dances by the males as they make a cacophony of clucking, cackling and booming sounds. They were once thought to number in the millions, but now, surveys show, the five-year average population across the entire range hovers around 30,000.

Environmentalists have sought stronger federal protections for decades. They consider the species severely at risk due to oil and gas development, livestock grazing, farming and the building of roads and power lines.

Republicans in Congress said greater protections weren’t needed and the government instead should rely on voluntary conservation efforts already in place. Kansas’ newly elected Republican attorney general promised to challenge the Fish and Wild Life Service’s decision in court once he takes office in January.

The decision covers the grouse’s southern population in New Mexico and the southern reaches of the Texas Panhandle, where they are considered endangered, and their northern range, where they received the less severe “threatened” status. The rule takes effect in late January.

Landowners and the oil and gas industry say they have had success with voluntary conservation programs aimed at protecting habitat and boosting the bird’s numbers.

But population estimates reveal that the southern areas have lower resiliency and may have as few as 5,000 birds remaining, with the estimates dropping to as low as 1,000 in 2015 and 2022 following drought conditions, officials said.

State welcomed record high number of visitors in 2021

ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico saw a record-breaking number of almost 40 million visitors last year, according to a new report released last month by the state’s tourism office.

The study determined 39.2 million people came to the Land of Enchantment and generated $7.2 billion in spending across the state, the Albuquerque Journal reported. That is 1 million more than the previous record set in 2019.

The calculations were based on tax collections, lodging performance data and other information. Visitors not only included travelers who came from abroad but anyone who came from at least 50 miles away “and deviated from their normal routine.”

The annual report found the total economic impact of tourism from last year to be around $10 billion. This includes indirect spending like purchases by tourism-centric businesses and “induced impacts” like workers’ wages shaped by traveler spending.

The department attributes $7 billion to record spending by domestic travelers.

Since 2017, New Mexico has seen a steady rise in visitors each year until a dip in 2020 because of the pandemic. Still, the state received 35 million visitors despite travel restrictions. But as measures eased up in 2021, tourism also went up.

Tourism last year drove up the food and beverage industry in New Mexico, which saw $1.7 billion in direct sales. The report also found lodging led to $1.6 billion in direct sales.

Local and state tax revenue through tourism stood at more than $700 million last year.