INTERIOR SECRETARY, SENATORS HOST PUBLIC MEETING IN CENTRAL NEW MEXICO

FROM:  INTERIOR DEPARTMENT 
Secretary Jewell Visits Iconic New Mexico Landscapes

Joins Public Meeting hosted by Senators Udall, Heinrich to Hear from Community on Proposals to Protect and Enhance Public Lands in Doña Ana County and to Boost Tourism, Outdoor Recreation Economy

01/24/2014

LAS CRUCES, NM - Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today wrapped up a two-day visit to south central New Mexico where she joined Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich for a public meeting to hear from the community about its vision for the management of public lands in Doña Ana County. The visit builds on the Secretary’s work to support locally driven efforts to preserve and protect places that hold special meaning to communities across the country.

“This morning I had the opportunity to hike part of Broad Canyon and look back over Las Cruces, and it’s immediately clear why New Mexico is known as the ‘Land of Enchantment,’” said Jewell. “Doña Ana County is a place rich with history, culture, wildlife and opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors – whether that’s hunting or hiking. Over the past few years we’ve seen a groundswell of support from many in the community to ensure that these landscapes are celebrated and passed on to the generations of New Mexicans to come. Those efforts also have the potential to drive significant economic benefits to the region through a boost in tourism and outdoor recreation.”

Jewell visited New Mexico at the invitation of Senators Udall and Heinrich, who have introduced legislation to establish the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. The proposal would conserve and enhance scenic, recreational and culturally significant lands that are managed by Interior’s Bureau of Land Management – including the Organ, Doña Ana, Potrillo, Robledo and Uvas mountains surrounding Las Cruces.

A recent independent study estimates that a new national monument could generate $7.4 million in new economic activity annually from new visitors and business opportunities.

“Passing the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks Conservation Act would help create jobs and build a stronger economy here in Southern New Mexico. I'm very glad we had the opportunity to show off this special area for Secretary Jewell,” Udall said. “The Organ Mountains Desert Peaks region is beloved in the community, and it was important for the Secretary to hear from a diverse group of people here in Las Cruces about their vision for the future of this region. I thank the Secretary for taking time out to learn more about this incredible asset and to hear directly from New Mexicans.”

"I’m grateful for the opportunity to host Secretary Jewell in our state and to hear directly from the community about their vision for managing our treasured public lands,” said Heinrich. “New Mexicans have a deep connection to the outdoors – whether for hunting or hiking or other traditions both new and old. The Organ, Sierra de Las Uvas, Potrillo, and Robledo Mountains are among some of the most scenic landscapes in our state and define Doña Ana County’s rich culture. Designating this natural treasure a national monument would help promote tourism in the region, foster recreational opportunities, and preserve our outdoor heritage for us now and for future generations of Americans to enjoy."

Jewell also participated in a meeting with senior officials at the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Border Patrol yesterday to underscore Interior’s continued commitment to cooperate in providing law enforcement and border security in the area.

“We appreciate the productive working relationship we have with our colleagues at the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement,” BLM Principal Deputy Director Neil Kornze said. “I applaud Senators Udall and Heinrich for ensuring that access, flexibility and cooperation with federal and local law enforcement officials are a cornerstone of their proposal.”

The BLM Las Cruces District Office currently manages over 500,000 acres in the proposed monument for multiple uses, including conservation of natural and archeological resources and outdoor recreation, such as hiking, biking, camping and hunting. State-wide, BLM-New Mexico hosted 2.9 million visitors at 28 recreation sites in fiscal year 2013. Recreation on BLM-managed lands and waters in New Mexico supported more than 1,600 jobs and contributed more than $140 million to the state’s economy in fiscal year 2011.

The Organ Mountains provide a spectacular backdrop for the City of Las Cruces, with steep, angular rock outcroppings reminiscent of organ pipes rising to nearly 9,000 feet in elevation
and extending for 20 miles, running generally north and south. This high-desert landscape within the Chihuahuan Desert contains a multitude of biological zones – mixed desert shrubs and grasslands in the lowlands ascending to piñon and juniper woodlands, and finally to ponderosa pines at the highest elevations.

The area is home to a high diversity of animal life, including deer, pronghorn antelope, mountain lions, peregrine falcons and other raptors as well as rare plants, some found nowhere else in the world, such as the Organ Mountains pincushion cactus. The area also contains more than 5,000 archeologically and culturally significant sites, including a site containing the earliest known cultivated corn in the United States, Geronimo's Cave, Billy the Kid's Outlaw Rock, Spanish settlement sites, and numerous petroglyphs and pictographs, some dating back 8,000 years. The Organ Mountains are a popular recreation area, with multiple hiking trails, a popular campground, and opportunities for hunting, mountain biking, rock climbing, and other recreation.

On the west side of Las Cruces, the Desert Peaks area contains mountain ranges and peaks of the Robledo Mountains and Sierra de las Uvas. These landscapes contain many mesas and buttes interspersed with deep canyons and arroyos. Prehistoric cultural sites of the classic Mimbres and El Paso phases are located throughout this region along with historic sites associated with more recent settlements, including the Butterfield Stagecoach Trail. This area is also home to the unusual Night-blooming Cereus, with a one-night-a-year bloom.

To the southwest of Las Cruces is the Potrillo Mountains Complex, characterized by cinder cones, volcanic craters, and basalt lava flows in the open desert landscape. They too have abundant wildlife, significant prehistoric cultural and historic sites, and serve as a popular destination for outdoor recreation.

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Conservation Lands contain some of the West’s most spectacular landscapes. They include more than 887 federally recognized areas comprising approximately 27 million acres of National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Scenic and Historic Trails, and Conservation Lands of the

CDC SAYS DENGUE VIRUS INFECTION MAY BE UNDER REPORTED IN U.S..

FROM:  CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION 

Fatal Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Associated with Locally Acquired Dengue Virus Infection — New Mexico and Texas, 2012

Dengue may be under recognized in the United States; clinicians should request diagnostic testing of suspected dengue cases and report confirmed cases to state and local health departments. This report describes a woman who was infected with dengue virus in the southern United States and died from a rare complication of dengue called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The woman was initially diagnosed with West Nile fever and was not suspected of having dengue because the symptoms are sometimes associated with bleeding. Most people with dengue will not have severe bleeding, which is diagnostically linked with the disease. This case may suggest that there are more unrecognized cases of dengue in the United States. Although dengue outbreaks have recently occurred in Florida, Texas and Hawaii, the largest disease burden in the 50 United States will continue to be in travelers. Individuals who travel to areas where dengue is common should protect themselves from mosquito bites to reduce their risk of infection.

PUMPING TEST BEGINS ON CHROMIUM PLUME

Well R-50 at Los Alamos National Laboratory has detected chromium at levels which exceed New Mexico standards. Photo taken during well construction in 2011. (LANL photo)

FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY 

Los Alamos National Laboratory Begins Pumping Tests on Chromium Plume

About chromium
Chromium occurs naturally in the environment in two forms, trivalent, Cr(III), and hexavalent, Cr(VI). The Environmental Protection Agency identifies hexavalent chromium in groundwater as having potential adverse health effects when ingested at concentrations elevated above naturally occurring levels. Chromium in the groundwater plume at LANL is hexavalent chromium

Data will be used to help determine final remedy

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., May 22, 2013—Los Alamos National Laboratory will begin pumping tests this summer at two groundwater monitoring wells located on Lab property within a chromium plume in the regional aquifer.

The purpose of the pumping tests is to refine understanding of the plume properties within the regional aquifer and evaluate the potential for large-scale pumping to remove chromium. Chromium concentrations in the plume exceed state and federal standards for groundwater.

"These pumping tests are a key step in identifying measures to address the plume," said Pete Maggiore, assistant manager for environmental projects at the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos Field Office. "Data from this testing will be used to recommend a final remedy which we will then submit to the state."

The chromium investigation is part of environmental work being conducted under the 2005 Consent Order between New Mexico, the Lab and the Department of Energy. Under the Consent Order process, the state will select a final remedy after input from the public.

The chromium originated from cooling towers at a Laboratory power plant and was released from 1956 to 1972. At that time, chromium was commonly used in industry as a corrosion inhibitor. Water containing chromium was flushed out of the cooling towers into Sandia Canyon and over time infiltrated into the regional aquifer beneath Mortandad Canyon. The Laboratory estimates that approximately 160,000 pounds of chromium were discharged into the environment in this manner.

The Laboratory discovered the plume in late 2005 and has investigated the nature and extent of the plume since then. A network of 20 monitoring wells at various depths is used to define and monitor the chromium. The wells are part of a larger effort to address chromium, which includes stabilization of a wetland near the location where the chromium was released into Sandia Canyon. Stabilization of the wetland helps ensure that immobile chromium present in wetland sediments remains in place and in its non-toxic form.

The federal standard for total chromium in groundwater is 100 parts per billion (ppb) and the New Mexico standard is 50 ppb. The Laboratory has detected and reported levels of less than 50 ppb at the plume boundaries to approximately 1,000 ppb in the center.

Water supply wells outside the plume all have "sentinel" monitoring wells nearby to detect early arrival of the contaminant plume. The sentinel wells show chromium concentrations are well below standards.

"Moving forward with a remedy that will ensure protection of the public and groundwater is one of our highest environmental priorities," said Jeff Mousseau, associate director for environmental programs at the Laboratory. "We’ve committed this to the state and it’s the right thing to do."

U.S. MILITARY FACILITIES IN NEW MEXICO GET VISITED BY NATO DELEGATION

Air Force Base, N.M. Sandia National Laboratories photo by Randy Montoya

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
NATO Delegation Visits New Mexico Facilities
By Sheryl Hingorani
Sandia National Laboratories

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., May 9, 2013 - A group of NATO officials are learning about work being done to support the extended nuclear deterrence mission and broader national security programs, ranging from homeland security to global nonproliferation efforts, during a three-day visit to Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

The group is touring Sandia National Laboratories and other facilities on the base in a visit that began May 8 and ends tomorrow. It includes more than 50 representatives from 23 European countries, along with officials from the Departments of Defense and State, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and other U.S. government agencies. The visitors are accompanied by Andrew Weber, assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs, and by Elaine Bunn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy.

The visit allows the delegation to see the research and technology required to implement U.S. policies that support the NATO alliance. The agenda for the visit includes an overview of national security and nuclear weapons programs at Sandia, Los Alamos, and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories and the National Nuclear Security Administration's nuclear weapons enterprise, as well as mission briefings by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.

Sandia President and Laboratories Director Paul Hommert presented an overview of the laboratories' history from their beginnings in the Manhattan Project, which built the first atomic bombs during World War II, to the nuclear weapons manufacturing focus of the Z Division that gave birth to Sandia as a separate laboratory in 1949. Hommert outlined Sandia's sole focus on nuclear weapons through the 1950s and its subsequent evolution into broader national security research, including energy and Department of Defense work outside the sphere of weapons. He emphasized, however, that Sandia is focused on its core responsibility—nuclear weapons life extension programs.

"We are in full gear to execute this mission" with the NATO alliance in mind, Hommert said.

Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry welcomed the group May 8 at a working lunch at Sandia National Laboratories' International Programs Building. Berry told the delegates he considers the city "the cradle of defense" and cited Sandia's "profound importance for our world and security for our all citizens."

Sandia officials, supported by the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Air Force, also demonstrated various capabilities associated with the labs' pivotal role in supporting the nation's nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation efforts. The delegates took a windshield tour of Sandia's large-scale experimental test areas, saw demonstrations of nuclear accident response equipment, and viewed exhibits related to both homeland and global security programs. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency provided briefings on how they support nuclear surety and inspections, as well as the on-site inspection program activities which support treaty verification activities.

Five members of the delegation will participate in a national security speakers series panel tomorrow, which will be moderated by Bunn and will address U.S. allies' views of extended deterrence, the role of NATO member states in the nuclear deterrent, and arms control negotiations.

ISS VIEW OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU

 

FROM: NASA
An Astronaut's View of the Colorado Plateau

The Colorado Plateau spans northern Arizona, southern Utah, northwestern New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado. This physiographic province is well known for its striking landscapes and broad vistas—an impression that is enhanced by the view from the orbital perspective of the International Space Station. This astronaut photograph highlights part of the Utah-Arizona border region of the Plateau, and includes several prominent landforms.


The Colorado River, dammed to form Lake Powell in 1963, crosses from east to west (which is left to right here because the astronaut was looking south; north is towards the bottom of the image). The confluence of the Colorado and San Juan Rivers is also visible. Sunglint—sunlight reflected off a water surface back towards the observer—provides a silvery, mirror-like sheen to some areas of the water surfaces.


The geologic uplift of the Colorado Plateau led to rapid downcutting of rivers into the flat sedimentary bedrock, leaving spectacular erosional landforms. One such feature, The Rincon, preserves evidence of a former meander bend of the Colorado River. Image Credit: NASA

UNMANNED VEHICLES AND MILITARY TARTET PRACTICE

The explosive ordnance device ground crew attach a target to an unmanned vehicle at Melrose Air Force Range, N.M., Feb. 4, 2013. The unmanned vehicle is a new piece of equipment recently acquired by Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. Its remote-control capabilities allow the squadrons to practice shooting at a moving target without putting any human life in danger. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom)

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Cannon debuts latest in moving target technology
by Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom
27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

2/8/2013 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Explosions shake the air as a white truck, almost invisible through the dust and smoke, weaves its way across Melrose Air Force Range, N.M., towing a target being shot at by 40mm rounds from aircraft patrolling the sky.

Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., tested the latest in unmanned vehicle technology, Feb. 4.

The newly acquired $180,000 remote-controlled truck, guided by a Global Positioning System, is being used by the 27th Special Operations Wing to train aerial and ground crews in combat operations.

"This moving target will provide a much more realistic training environment for our Air Commandos," said Col. Buck Elton, 27 SOW commander. "It is the first of its kind to be used in Air Force Special Operations Command."

The GPS controlled Ford F-250, is able to start, stop, drive in various patterns and tow a target without a human presence in the cab.

This capability not only allows Cannon air crews to practice shooting at a moving target, but will also be used by ground crews to simulate multiple aggressive hostile situations.

"The truck can be used to aggress an area and provide a persistent threat up to a point," said Maj. Ian Frady, 27th Special Operations Air Operations Squadron, deputy range manager. "However, 98 percent of what it will be used for is aerial moving target practice."

Though in its initial testing phase, members who control the range training program are optimistic about the training potential the truck will provide in the future.

"This is an unparalleled tool," said Frady. "We cannot wait to bring teams from other wings in AFSOC out to Cannon so they can train with the vehicle. It opens up a new and unique training opportunity for us. We really cannot express how excited we are about this

　

CV-22 OSPREY DESCENDS DURING AIR FORCE ACADEMY POLARIS WARRIOR EVENT

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Cadet Wing wraps up 1st Polaris Warrior
A CV-22 Osprey with the 20th Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., descends on the Air Force Academy Cadet Area during the Academy's Polaris Warrior event April 28, 2012. Polaris Warrior combined several military training challenges designed to reinforce skills that cadets may need in the field. (U.S. Air Force photo/Raymond McCoy)

$145,000 RAISED AT U.S. MARSHALS VEHICLE AUCTION IN NEW MEXICO

The following excerpt and picture is from the U.S. Marshals Service website: “Albuquerque, NM - On February 14, 2012 the United States Marshals Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico auctioned off over 20 government surplus and seized vehicles. The vehicles were seized by local and federal agencies and the proceeds will help support law enforcement activities in the Albuquerque area. Over 150 private citizens registered for the auction and a total of $145,000 dollars was raised. The highlight of the auction was a 2006 Infinity QX56 SUV and a 2005 Hummer H2. The Infinity sold for 15,200.00 and the Hummer sold for 17,700.00.  Proceeds from U.S. Marshals’ auctions are used to compensate victims of crime and fund law enforcement initiatives. In addition, the funds are often shared with state and local law enforcement agencies that participated in the investigations leading to the forfeiture of the assets. “This important program enhances law enforcement cooperation between state, local and federal agencies, as well as strips criminals of their ill-gotten gains,” said New Mexico’s U.S. Marshal, Conrad Candelaria. The items auctioned once belonged to individuals and companies found guilty of crimes and ordered by a court of law to forfeit the proceeds of their criminal activities.”