April 2012 Edition

NEWS & VIEWS

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WINNER OF THE 2010 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

CONTENTS THE GLOBAL CENTER FOR CULTURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEFINITIONS . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

EVERYDAY GREEN: REGIONAL TOURISM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A POTENTIAL STRATEGY .. . .. . .. . ..

ZUNI MAINSTREET .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

COLUMBINE HONDO: NEW MEXICOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FORGOTTEN WILDERNESS . .. . .. . .. . ..

ONE OF NEW MEXICOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEST-KEPT SECRETS .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

GREEN LIVING PROJECT FILM DOCUMENTS NM ECOTOURISM ADVENTURES . .. . ..

ECOTOURISM AL NUEVO MEXICANO .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

AGRITOURISM: A GROWING BUSINESS FOR SMALL FARMS . . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL: WITHOUT BOOKS AND BEYOND CLASSROOMS . .. . .. . ..

LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM EXPLORES ECOTOURISM OPPORTUNITIES . .. . ..

EARTH WEEK EVENTS . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

THE LOCAL VOICE: IMAGINE ALL THE PEOPLEâ&#x20AC;ŚEATING NEW MEXICO FOOD .. . ..

SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISES: ESPAĂ&#x2018;OLA COMMUNITY MARKET .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

MAKING THE FOOD CONNECTIONS: LAS VEGAS, NEW MEXICO .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

NEWSBITES . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

TOURS & TOURIST OPPORTUNITIES .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

NEW MEXICO CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2012 STATEHOOD HISTORY CONFERENCE . .. . ..

CREATIVE SANTA FEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW INITIATIVE: IMAGINED FUTURES . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

THE ART OF CHANGE: CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS SOLUTIONS CONFERENCE .

DESIGN BY NATURE: TULAROSA BASIN CONFERENCE . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

VOLUNTOURISM . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GOING ON! . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

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Â? .YLLU -PYL 7\ISPZOPUN 33* Gď?˛ď?Ľď?Ľď?Ž Fď?Šď?˛ď?Ľ Tď?Šď?­ď?Ľď?ł provides useful information for anyone: community members, business people, students, visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;interested in discovering the wealth of opportunities and resources available in our region. Knowledgeable writers provide articles on subjects ranging from green businesses, products, services, entrepreneurship, jobs, design, building, energy and investingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to sustainable agriculture, arts & culture, ecotourism, education, regional food, water, the healing arts, local heroes, native perspectives, natural resources, recycling, transportation and more. Sun Companies publications seek to provide our readers with informative articles that support a more sustainable planet. To our publisher this means maximizing personal as well as environmental health by minimizing consumption of meat and alcohol.

GFT is widely distributed throughout northcentral New Mexico. Feedback, announcements, event listings, advertising and article submissions to be considered for publication are welcome.

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CULTURAL TOURISM

THE GLOBAL CENTER FOR CULTURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOSTERING THE CREATIVE AND CULTURAL ECONOMY ALICE LOY couple of weeks ago, as I drove up through the EspaĂąola Valley and across the RĂ­o Grande I reďŹ&#x201A;ected on my good fortune to be living in New Mexico. In the distance the Jemez Mountains sparkled with new snow; in the foreground low-lying adobe buildings puďŹ&#x20AC;ed out sweet-smelling piùón smoke.

I was on my way to Ohkay Owingeh to take a cooking class with Norma Naranjo, owner of The Feasting Place (www.

A cultural entrepreneur is a visionary who combines cultural assets with innovation. thefeastingplace.com). Norma and her husband, Hutch, live and farm on the Pueblo and oďŹ&#x20AC;er classes on traditional Pueblo cooking. They have two enormous dome-shaped ovens, hornos, in their backyard, hand-built with river rocks and mud plaster by Hutch and his family. Inside, around an enormous dining table, Norma teaches guests how to knead bread by hand, molding it into perfect rounded balls that expand and become golden brown in the hornos. If

you take a cooking class with Norma you are guaranteed an experience unlike any other youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ďŹ nd in the Southwest.

Like many of you reading this article, I am a transplant to our enchanted state. I moved to New Mexico over a decade ago for three reasons: the rich cultural heritage, the awe-inspiring landscapes, and the green chile. A day with Norma brings all three of those beloved experiences together.

New Mexico is distinct from any other placeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to keep it that way. Fortunately, our uniqueness may prove a key economic advantage in the next economy: the creative economy.

The creative and cultural economy is emerging at the intersection of human creativity, knowledge and technological innovation. People working in the creative/cultural economy include artists, designers, chefs, ďŹ lmmakers, publishers, artisan farmers, architects, craftspeople and performers. The creative economy places a premium on sustaining natural environs and enhancing diversity; it thrives where unique communities embrace their culture and traditions and apply these to markets, when appropriate.

Here in New Mexico the creative economy is emerging as a force for building thriving communities. Our goal at the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship (GCCE) is CONTINUED ON PAGE

S USTAINABLE T OURISM

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Sustainable Tourism creates economic growth in a manner that does not deplete the natural and built environment, while preserving the culture, history, heritage and arts of the local community. Here are six types of sustainable tourism:

CULTURAL TOURISM

AGRITOURISM

Cultural Tourism involves experiencing or having contact with the unique social fabric, heritage and special character of places. It is an exchange of information on lifeways, customs, beliefs, values, language, views of the environment and other cultural resources. The challenge in planning for cultural tourism is to ensure that the exchange takes place as equitably as possible, in a manner seen as appropriate by members of the host community.

Agricultural Tourism is a commercial enterprise at a working farm, ranch or agricultural plant conducted for the enjoyment or education of visitors. This can include farm stands, farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; markets, U-pick, farm stays, tours, on-farm classes, fairs, festivals, pumpkin patches, orchard dinners, youth camps, barn dances, guest ranches and more. Agritourism is rapidly becoming a way to supplement farm income. NM has a special niche of combining agritourism with bio-cultural foods, Native American and Hispanic food events, traditional gardening demonstrations and nature guiding.

CREATIVE TOURISM Creative Tourism is directed toward an engaged and authentic experience, with participative learning in the arts, heritage or special character of a place. Creative Tourism can be a powerful economic development tool for cities, provinces, states and countries.

ECOTOURISM Ecotourism is a form of â&#x20AC;&#x153;responsible travelâ&#x20AC;? that oďŹ&#x20AC;ers authentic, engaging and educational experiences to travelers who want an oďŹ&#x20AC;-the-beaten-path adventure that connects them with natural beauty and indigenous traditions. For the local communities it provides a rewarding and sustainable business model and enterprise.

Responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment and enhance the cultural integrity of local people.

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CULINARY TOURISM Culinary Tourism is the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences. As cuisine is a manifestation of culture, culinary tourism and agritourism are inextricably linked, as the seeds of cuisine can be found in agriculture. As culinary tourism is not limited to gourmet food, it is not necessarily pretentious and exclusive.

VOLUNTOURISM Voluntourism is a form of ecotourism that is undertaken in support of things such as environmental restoration or to improve the well-being of a local community.

People also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun and for a variety of other reasons.

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GCCE

ď?Łď?Żď?Žď?´ď?Šď?Žď?ľď?Ľď?¤ ď?Śď?˛ď?Żď?­ ď?°ď?Ąď?§ď?Ľ ď&#x2122;&#x2C6;

tu tural economy oďŹ&#x20AC;ers po positive opportunities fo New Mexicans: for i& i&DPOPNJD EFWFMPQme strategies based ment on culture provide an es escape from the wage ra to the bottom. To race av avoid the race to the bo bottom, a community mu must provide someth that others cannot thing ea easily replicate, someth thing distinctive and 5VYTH 5HYHUQV IHRPUN H[ The Feasting Place sustainable. Culture and PU 6ORH` 6^PUNLO Â? (SPJL 3V` other â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;place-speciďŹ câ&#x20AC;&#x2122; qualities BSF FYBDUMZ UIJT LJOE PG BTTFU w %S .JUDIto strengthen New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abilell goes on to explain that at the heart ity to successfully participate in the of every cultural enterprise is a cultural creative economy. Using Census and entrepreneur, a visionary who combines NAICS data, we have learned that cultural assets with innovation.

12% of New Mexicans already work in the creative/cultural economy (see At GCCE we are excited about workthe report on our website). It is a coring with cultural entrepreneurs because nerstone of our economic foundation. we see that cultural entrepreneurs drive New Mexico is uniquely positioned to global change. They create economic leapfrog into the burgeoning creative/ value and promote cultural preservacultural economy, building economic tion and innovation. They enrich our opportunities for families and fostercommunities and the world. They gening local culture and traditions. erate self-determination and self-reliance. To support cultural entrepreneurs Previous research on cultural enterGCCE has a three-fold mission: prises have demonstrated signiďŹ cant positive impacts on communities: 1. We support cultural entrepreneurs working to create and scale their t $VMUVSBM FOUFSQSJTFT BSF PGUFO iHSFFOw enterprises. and more environmentally sustainable;

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2. We advocate for the importance of cultural entrepreneurship and the value of a culture economy.

3. We connect a global network of cultural entrepreneurs.

GCCE works with communities and CONTINUED ON PAGE

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NMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOURISM INDUSTRY

REGIONAL R EGIONAL T TOURISM: OURISM: A P POTENTIAL OTENTIAL S STRATEGY TRATEGY SUSAN GUYETTE orthern New Mexico is the home of hundreds of culturally interesting enterprises that sustain families and traditions on the land.

Yet, most visitors never ďŹ nd these gems. What can be done to assist both traveler and community? The key to creating a win/win tourism beneďŹ t is imbedded in rural and urban collaboration, for regional strengths complement the potential of each and create a sense of discovery.

groups involved in the linking process beneďŹ t in an equitable mannerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;vitally essential for culturally-diverse communities, small farms and other groups striving to maintain their lifeways tied to the land and place. Small communities must beneďŹ t ďŹ nancially in terms of jobs, business proďŹ ts and tax income, as well as encouragement of cultural retention and environmental protection, to oďŹ&#x20AC;set the impacts of hosting visitors.

Tourism works on the basis of cooperation. By deďŹ nition, a tour is a number of stops comprising a trip itinerary. Travelers tend to look for a series of interesting stops and need to know how to link them together. Because visitors generally do not travel 500, 1,000 or 3,000 miles to visit one business, a vacation concept combining interesting activities, comfortable lodging and unique dining experiences is sought in the process of planning a vacation of a week or longer.

The discovery of these links becomes part of the adventure.

To maximize these beneďŹ ts, urban/ rural linkages enhancing artistic and cultural education experiences are important to deďŹ ne; for example, a beneďŹ cial project can explore ways in which museums and other urban cultural organizations might become information dissemination nodes in a citywide network for rural cultural tourism. Since visitation trips require a broad range of services and amenities, a unifying perspective is beneďŹ cial.

Choices expand regional market possibilities and attract visitors. Learners like to visit a cluster of museum or educational activities. Shoppers like to compare prices and quality on items, and are more likely to buy when a wider range of options are readily available. And information on authenticity builds visitor awareness of New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uniqueness. Given a set of choices, visitors also stay longer, learn, and tend to purchase more, supporting our local economy. The informed visitor, one who understands history, cultural etiquette, authenticity of cultural arts and local ecological concerns, is easier to guide. For these reasons, visitor education is central to the intriguing visitation experience.

SMALLď&#x161;şSCALE TOURISM Small-scale tourism requires methods much diďŹ&#x20AC;erent than tourism in urban areas, where increasing visitation numbers and expenditures are often the focus. The point of communitybased tourism is ensuring that all

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One of New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest strengths in relation to tourism is a highly developed system of markets, allowing rural and tribal entrepreneurs to beneďŹ t from the high urban visitation. Linking these markets together more eďŹ&#x20AC;ectively would assist all in promoting the authentic market experience, particularly in Santa Fe.

Urban/Rural linkages enhancing artistic and cultural education experiences are important to define.

Identifying, linking, promoting and managing are part of the tourism development and management process.

Directories are needed, with speciďŹ c details such as: 1) business name, 2) service or product, 3) contact information/manager, 4) hours of operation.

This is essential for forming a cohesive tourism network. The principle is basic: in order to increase local expenditures, speciďŹ c information on businesses, in-

cluding entrepreneurs, must be easy to ďŹ nd. In contrast, generalized promotion tends to primarily beneďŹ t larger, easier-to-ďŹ nd businesses.

Additionally, linked networks of small-scale businesses have the strongest resilience and adaptability in changing economic times. By linking and partnering local interests, the tourism draw is increased through extended opportunities for enhanced itineraries.

Planning is useful for reducing negative impacts and increasing positive beneďŹ ts to small communities, thus reducing management stress and facilitating cooperation in a local tourism network. When tourism seasons are extended and visitation numbers become more evenly distributed, then tourism according to sustainable criteria can more easily be managed by smaller communities.

STRENGTHENING THE NETWORK What is needed for the New Mexico tourism industry to foster a unique and adventurous vacation experience, while supporting cultural retention and increased earned livelihood?

UniďŹ cation of oďŹ&#x20AC;erings and visibility would increase visitor awareness of New Mexico entrepreneurial businesses and products. Visitors need a centralized source of information to make trip planning easy for them. t "O 0O MJOF *UJOFSBSZ #VJMEJOH Toolâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;allowing small businesses visibility in vacation planning. This should include businesses, entrepreneurs, attractions, lodging, food service and driving times. Hands-on and interactive are more interesting to the potential visitor. t $VTUPNFS 4FSWJDF 5SBJOJOHÂ&#x2030;USBditional New Mexico value-based, allowing for unique expressions of hospitality;

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Several New Mexico agencies and organizations are beginning to address these needs. The New Mexico Tourism Department now posts brief, multiple-day itineraries (www.newmexico.org); the city of Santa Feâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Creative Tourism Program oďŹ&#x20AC;ers hands-on workshops for visitors and a grant program for organizaCONTINUED ON PAGE

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REGIONAL TOURISM

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New Mexico’s Own offers an excellent start on a directory of entrepreneurs and a trade show (www. newmexicosown.com); the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship (www.culturalentrepreneur.org) offers training for entrepreneurs and an on-line resource center; the Center for Southwest Culture’s CODECE program is developing a regionally-based sustainable tourism model integrating organic agriculture, cultural tourism and affordable housing (www.centerofsouthwestculture.org); the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center offers visitor education and serves as a hub for referrals to New Mexico tribes (www. indianpueblos.org); and the Poeh Cultural Center and Museum at Pojoaque Pueblo offers visitor education through museum exhibits, and trains tribal members from over 50 tribes in the arts and in entrepreneurial skills (www. poehmuseum.com). These are a few of the excellent efforts in motion to assist both visitors and communities.

MOVING FORWARD

What other resources are still needed?

Communities need resources to develop and manage tourism, such as planning assistance to decide whether they want to engage in tourism, to what extent, and ways of managing.

More training in customer service and marketing that is cultural-value

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tions (www.santafecreativetourism.org); the Santa Fe Alliance’s Local Guide, online business directory and Buy Local Campaign (www.santafealliance.com) point the way to creating local economy.

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based—not standard textbook— would increase locally-owned marketing efforts. And specific directories of entrepreneurs are essential to guide visitors in their purchases. Assistance to urban locations, such as museums and visitor centers, to serve as hubs for disseminating information on linked urban and rural experiences would benefit both urban and rural.

This is a potential strategy for investing in New Mexico’s locally-based economy: Continuing to identify the locally owned and offering culturally based support services to smallscale existing enterprises increases our existing strengths, supports cultural retention and increases earned livelihood. Assisting local businesses to grow and tell the story of New Mexico’s uniqueness to the world, as our model for sustainability and resilience in changing economic times expands—that is true adventure in contemporary times! " Excerpts are from Sustainable Cultural Tourism: Small-Scale Practical Solutions by Susan Guyette, to be released in the summer of 2012.

Susan Guyette, Ph.D. is Métis (Micmac Indian and Acadian French) and a planner specializing in cultural tourism, cultural centers, museums, and native foods. She is the author of Planning for Balanced Development (www.santafeplanning.com) and has worked in the tourism field with culturally diverse communities for 25 years.

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CULTURAL TOURISM

ZUNI MAINSTREET BALANCING THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE TOM R. KENNEDY

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uni Pueblo, a growing community of 10,000 mostly A:shiwi residents, located about 45 minutes south of Gallup in northwest New Mexico, has paradoxically often found itself on both the fringe and at the center of happenings. Historically this was certainly the case in 1540 when a massive expediUJPO PG 4QBOJBSET BOE i.FYJDBw BMMJFT GPMMPXFE stories of fabled wealth to arrive and begin to claim the larger Southwest region for Spain.

The regional Zuni community that attracted initial attention soon found itself on the remote fringes of this emerging New Mexico.

Zuni is a village of artists. Though the arts have been central to Zuniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy since the mid-1940s, no speciďŹ c program had sought to promote or market this LFZ iJOEVTUSZw VOUJM FÄ&#x160;PSUT JO UIF MBUF T UP EFWFMPQ B ;VOJ UPVSJTN JOJUJBUJWF Advice from consultants and two federal grants helped to establish a bonaďŹ de tourism program based around cultural heritage and the arts. These eďŹ&#x20AC;orts have at least provided a buďŹ&#x20AC;er to minimize impacts of the recent recession. And despite the apparent successes of casinos for other Indian communities, Zuni has GPS B OVNCFS PG SFBTPOT SFTJTUFE UIF UFNQUBUJPOT PG UIF DBTJOP iDBTI DPX w

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Tourism at Zuni Puebloâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;similar to other traTo ditional Native American communitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is an di ongoing negotiation between promotion and on mitigation.

We actively promote visits to Zuni mi to support our existing arts-based economy; however, it is equally important to properly ho educate and direct our visitors to not interfere ed with wi the traditional cultural and religious acti tivities that happen throughout the year. This is the delicate balance of welcoming our visitors to as guests but also ensuring that they understand the occasional limitations of visiting de such su a traditional communityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including the tw times a year that all businesses are closed two Native American communities in recent years GPS GP GPVS EBZT PG iGBTUJOH w ;VOJ 1VFCMP T SFhave themselves sought an elusive wealth via the :VJPHS KHUJLZ H YLN\SHY MLH[\YL H[ [OL A\UP =PZP[VY (Y[Z *LU[LY LUmoteness once again ďŹ nds a central place in vehicle of tourism. The most direct approach has HISL ]PZP[VYZ [V L_WLYPLUJL H NSPTWZL VM [YHKP[PVUHS A\UP J\S[\YL the current story. Early on, the Puebloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disbeen through the now-ubiquitous casino that tance from active Spanish-era and later Anglo too often has become synonymous with Indian Country. Other tribal communities presence enabled it to retain intact most if not all of its critical cultural traditions have centered their ďŹ nancial quests upon their own cultural uniqueness. and practices. With the coming of the mainstream cash-based economy, Zuni tribal members needed hard cash to purchase the necessities of daily life. HowZuni, with perhaps up to 90% of its workforce involved in some aspect of the ever, the Puebloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remote location has provided constant challenges for how to traditional arts, falls ďŹ rmly in this second camp. The Zuni arts of silverwork in obtain cash for goods and services.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 WBSJPVT TUZMFT NJOJBUVSF TUPOF iGFUJTIw DBSWJOH B SFTVSHFOU QPUUFSZ QBJOUJOH BOE many other art forms are recognized worldwide for their excellence. During the heyday of a stronger economy, eight separate arts trading posts located along the main State Highway 53 through the community competed for sales. However, ďŹ nancial challenges in recent years have pared the number down to six. And the most recent economic downturn has made a challenging ďŹ nancial situation a severe one for the community as a whole.

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GCCE

ď?Łď?Żď?Žď?´ď?Šď?Žď?ľď?Ľď?¤ ď?Śď?˛ď?Żď?­ ď?°ď?Ąď?§ď?Ľ ď&#x2122;&#x2030;

cultural entrepreneurs across New Mexico through a variety of programs that are designed to work with individual entrepreneurs, communities and regions. Tom Aageson, GCCE Executive Director, explains why this BQQSPBDI XPSLT i$VMUVSBM FOUSFQSFneurs need support in reaching new markets. Sometimes, the support they need is a new skill, like product development or Internet skills. However, sometimes the support they need is their community leadership working collaboratively to reduce barriers to NBSLFUT PS mOBODJOH w The Northern New Mexico Cultural Corridor, an idea Tom Aageson brought to the fore, is a good example of how GCCE works regionally. The Corridor is being developed as a regional cultural tourism collaborative that will share marketing resources to bring more tourists into our commuOJUJFT i(FPUSBWFMFST XBOU UP FYQMPSF our cultural and natural destinations, they want to shop locally, eat locally, WJTJU PVS GFTUJWBMT BOE PVS GBSNT w TBZT Selena MarroquĂ­n, GCCE agritourism program manager. Tom AageTPO BEET i*G PVS MFBEFSTIJQ EFDJEFT to work regionally, collaboratively, to rebuild New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand in the tourism marketplace, we can compete against neighboring states that have huge budgets; if not, our tourism market share will continue to EFDMJOF w /PSNB /BSBOKP TBZT PG UIF $VMUVSBM $PSSJEPS i*U XPVME SFBMMZ help me connect to new customers. If I market my business by myself I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have as much credibility. The Corridor program would help me reach more people than I ever could as just one CVTJOFTT POF WPJDF w Similar to the Cultural Corridor project, GCCE is organizing an Agritourism Corridor along the northern 3Ă&#x201C;P (SBOEF 7BMMFZ i1FPQMF XBOU UP explore our agricultural heritage, our small farms, our wineries and roadside farm stands. So, we are collecting information on all the places people can visit, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be publishing this information and also supporting our small farms who want to participate JO BHSJUPVSJTN w FYQMBJOT 4FMFOB &Jleen Reinders, co-owner with her husband Richard Reinders, of Estrella del Norte Vineyards in NambĂŠ, was eager to get engaged in the agritourJTN QSPKFDU i8F BMSFBEZ EP BHSJUPVS-

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ismâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but we could do more! In April we hosted a community planting day, and people from Albuquerque to Taos helped us plant ďŹ ve acres of new vines.

Then we had a big barbecue for everyPOF w &TUSFMMB EFM /PSUF IBT RVJDLMZ become a leader in New Mexico wine sales. Eileen says it is in part because of the numerous award-winning wines they produce. But Selena chimes in, i*U T BMTP CFDBVTF UIFZ HJWF CBDL UP UIF community. People love the farm, so UIFZ MPWF UIF XJOF UPP w Other GCCE programs include the Sustainable Native Communities Collaborative (SNCC), founded by Jamie Blosser, noted architect and social entrepreneur. The project recently received EPSCOR support, through the National Science Foundation. JaNJF TBZT PG 4/$$ i8PSLJOH XJUI tribes, we saw more and more opportunities to build cultural enterprises in the planning, design and building ďŹ elds. This partnership with GCCE and Enterprise Community Partners is VOJRVF JO UIF OBUJPO w ÉŠF QBSUOFSTIJQ will provide Native entrepreneurs and tribal housing authorities knowledge and tools to build sustainable, culturally sourced buildings and developments.

GCCE also works one-on-one with cultural entrepreneurs to develop their marketing and operations plans, apply for ďŹ nancing, and build their business into new markets. Last year GCCE trained over 500 cultural entrepreneurs to use Web 2.0 technologies to build their businesses. This spring we launch a partnership with the Hispano Chamber of Commerce and CenturyLink to bring our training program, PoweredUp!, to Albuquerque. PoweredUp! provides artists, craftspeople, artisan farmers and other creatives with hands-on training in building and using low-cost website design, social media and online sales tools. The trainings are oďŹ&#x20AC;ered in English, Spanish and DinĂŠ (Navajo). & Alice Loy is co-founder and director of programs at the Santa Fe - b a s e d G l o b a l Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship.

505.263.5180, alice@ culturalentrepreneur. www. org, culturalentrepreneur. org The Feasting Placeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website is: www.thefeastingplace.com.

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CONSERVATION

COLUMBINE HONDO NEW MEXICOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FORGOTTEN WILDERNESS STUART WILDE wild places to reconnect and commune wi with the natural world, free from the wi encroachment of development and en mechanization. Here in NM, the Wilme derness Act designated the Gila, Pede cos, San Pedro Parks and the Wheeler co Peak Wilderness Areas. As a part of Pe the National Wilderness Preservation th System, Wilderness Areas are the most highly protected parcels of land within hi our public lands system. ou

Hondo is still in legislative limbo.

REDEFINING CONSERVATION IN NM In 2008, a local coalition formed for the purpose of seeing the Columbine Hondo WSA permanently protected as a designated Wilderness Area.

Made up of local residents and concerned citizens, grazing and outďŹ tting permittees, land grant heirs and acequia members, ranchers and sports-

THE 1980 NM WILDERNESS ACT

A NEW MEXICO TREASURE The Columbine Hondo Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is a pristine 46,000-acre Rocky Mountain paradise located in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Taos County.

Managed as Wilderness by the Carson National Forest, the Columbine Hondo is a public wildland treasured by residents and visitors alike, and is an important source of surface water for downstream agricultural communities. The springs and streams of the Columbine Hondo comprise valuable headwaters of two major tributaries of the Upper RĂ­o Grande, the Red River and the RĂ­o Hondo.

Situated between Taos Ski Valley and Red River, with the Wheeler Peak Wilderness to the south, and the Latir Peaks Wilderness to the north, the Columbine Hondo WSA sits nestled among some of the tallest peaks and most rugged country in New Mexico. The areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prominent geologic feature is a massive horseshoe-shaped massif that encircles the Columbine watershed, with a ridgeline that stays consistently above 11,000â&#x20AC;&#x2122; for over 13 miles. The ďŹ&#x201A;agship peaks of the Columbine Hondo WSA are Gold Hill (12,711â&#x20AC;&#x2122;) and Lobo Peak (12,115â&#x20AC;&#x2122;), and are deďŹ ning elements of the Taos viewscape.

The lush subalpine forests of the Columbine Hondo are home to an abun-

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dance of Rocky Mountain wildlife, including mule deer and elk, black bear and mountain lion, wild turkey and ptarmigan. Above tree line, NMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prized herd of Bighorn Sheep can be seen grazing in true alpine tundra ecology. The Columbine boasts over 75 miles of trails for hiking, backpacking and horseback riding, and is a favorite destination for sportsmen and anglers, wildlife viewers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts of all kinds.

NEW MEXICO - â&#x20AC;&#x153;THE BIRTHPLACE OF WILDERNESSâ&#x20AC;?

New Mexico is considered to be the birthplace of modern wilderness protection. Aldo Leopold, the father of wilderness protection and wildlife conservation, was the ďŹ rst Supervisor of the Carson National Forest, as NM entered statehood a century ago. Leopoldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s old cabin still stands, behind what is now the Tres Piedras 3BOHFS 4UBUJPO BOE JT B iNVTU WJTJUw for anyone interested in the history of wilderness protection and public lands conservation in NM. In 1924, Leopold established the Gila Wilderness as the ďŹ rst designated wilderness in the world, here in NM. Leopold and the founders of the Wilderness Society became the framers of the Wilderness Act. Passed by Congress in 1964, the Wilderness Act was the ďŹ rst legislation on the planet to address human beingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; spiritual need to have

The Act established the Latir Peaks, Cruzes Basin, Dome, Bandelier and Aldo Leopold Wilderness Areas, among others. The Act also established the Columbine Hondo as a Wilderness Study Area (a temporary designation), to be managed by the Carson National Forest. It also mandated that the Secretary of Agriculture report back to Congress and the President, no later than January of 1986, with recommendations for or against wilderness designation. More than 30 years later, the Columbine

A FEW STATISTICS New Mexico has the lowest percentage of wilderness (2 percent) of all the western states. The Carson National Forest encompasses nearly 1.5 million acres on both sides of the RĂ­o Grande watershed, with only 6 percent protected as wilderness.

men, along with regional and national conservation organizations; the Columbine Hondo Wilderness Coalition is a broad based, bipartisan group of individuals and organizations, working to redeďŹ ne conservation in NM. Not too long ago, it would have been unheard of to have ranchers, hunters and land grant communities standing together in solidarity with environmentalists and conservation groups on wilderness protection issues. The Columbine Hondo Wilderness Coalition is creating a new model for conservation in the West by coming together as a community across the cultural CONTINUED ON PAGE

14

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In the 1970s the Forest Service was ta tasked to identify Roadless Areas and potential Wilderness Areas, as part po of the R.A.R.E and R.A.R.E II inventories. Out of the R.A.R.E. prove cess, New Mexicans began to look at areas deserving of future wilderness designation, and after a long struggle between wilderness advocates and anti-environmental groups, Congress passed the New Mexico Wilderness Act (Public Law 96-550) in 1980.

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www.GreenFireTimes.com

ECOTOURISM

ONE OF NEW MEXICOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BESTď&#x161;şKEPT SECRETS ALLEGRA HUSTON

T

ucked away west oďŹ&#x20AC; the road between AbiquiĂş and Tierra Amarilla is one of New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-kept secrets. With towering pink, yellow and white sandstone walls striped like Neapolitan ice cream, old-growth ponderosa pines and ďŹ&#x201A;ower-strewn meadows, the wilderness canyon of the RĂ­o Chama is a corner of paradise. Roads cannot reach this magical place; the only way in is to ďŹ&#x201A;oat down the river. For three days, you can leave the rest of the world behind.

On my ďŹ rst Chama trips I perfected the art of relaxation. I called it the Cleopatra rig: thick sleeping pads transform the raft into a ďŹ&#x201A;oating chaise lounge, with squashy drybags (clothes and sleeping bag inside) rigged into a fantastically comfortable backrest. Trailing my toes in the cool river water, I would track the wheeling eagles and swooping herons overhead as the spectacular scenery unrolled around every bend. The guide did all the work. Watching other rafters paddle themselves in funyaksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;inďŹ&#x201A;atable miniature rafts that you maneuver kayak-styleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d think maybe next time, and sink deeper into the comfort zone.

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It was my good luck to discover Los RĂ­os River Runners, New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest and largest rafting company, the ďŹ rst summer after I came here from London 12 years ago.

Agua es vida â&#x20AC;&#x201C; water is life. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something extra-delicious about being on the water in a dry climate, and the RĂ­o Grande, with its thundering rapids, and the RĂ­o Chama, with its majestic beauty, are arteries that bring nourishment to the spirit as well as the body. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no cell phone signal in the Chama canyon, no motors â&#x20AC;&#x201C; nothing but the sounds of wind, water and human voices. At night, the canyon walls frame a wide swath of star-ďŹ lled sky, crystal-clear or splashed with moonlit clouds.

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Finally, I built up my courage and got into a funyak. This was the real delightâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; tuning in to the ďŹ&#x201A;owing water, ďŹ nding my own harmony with nature. I was amazed at how stable I felt, zigzagging between rocks and keeping straight through what I consider impressively big waves. The funyak gods are benevolent, placing most of the Chamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rapids at the end of the trip so thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of time to practice.

Every year when the snow melts, my son starts begging to go on the Chama.

He and his friends run a circuit, soak in the hot springs and then ďŹ&#x201A;oat down the river. They play hide-and-seek among the trees and explore an abandoned horse thief â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hideaway; they compare their own hands and feet with the fossilized dinosaur footprints hidden up a sandy wash that only the guides know about; they funyak the calmer water; and ďŹ nally, exhausted, they roast marshmallows and listen to stories around the campďŹ re. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the childhood I used to dream of, living in the suburbs and reading stories about kids who went on adventures. Finally Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and best of all, my son and I can enjoy it together. % Allegra Huston is the author of the bestselling Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found.

GREEN LIVING PROJECT FILM DOCUMENTS NM ECOTOURISM ADVENTURES number of folks who live and work in Taos and other locales in northern New Mexico are featured in the Green Living Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fascinating TIPSU mMN i&DPUPVSJTN JO /FX .FYJDP w ÉŠF NJOVUF TFDPOE mMN JT now online for an international audience to see. (http://www.greenlivingproject.com/projects/new-mexico/) People proďŹ led in the ďŹ lm include Stuart Wilde, owner of Taosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Wild Earth Llama Adventures; Francisco i$JTDPw (VFWBSB PXOFS PG -PT 3Ă&#x201C;PT River Runners; Porter Swentzell, a guide at the Puye CliďŹ&#x20AC; Dwellings of Santa Clara Pueblo; April Winters of Taos Pueblo; and Adriana Blake of Taos Ski Valley.

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i* N EPJOH XIBU * N EPJOH UP NBLF B diďŹ&#x20AC;erence here and I really hope that these experiences touch people in a way thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to bring something special CBDL UP UIFJS UP EBJMZ MJWFT BU IPNF w TBJE 4UVBSU 8JMEF i*U T UIF DPOUSJCVUJPO of ecotourism back to the local community that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very excited about and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m IBQQZ UP CF B QBSU PG UIBU w TBJE i$JTDPw (VFWBSB i#FJOH BCMF UP PQFO VQ B MJUUMF bit of my home to people and allowing them to come and experience who we are ďŹ rsthand rather than read it in a book â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we feel itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to give that TFOTF PG PVS IJTUPSZ w TBJE "QSJM 8JOUFST Sandy Cunningham of Eco New .FYJDP TBJE i5BPT XBT DIPTFO BT B pilot program for our ecotourism pro-

gram for a multitude of reasons, one of which was the readiness of the community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they stepped up and showed just what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re about. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been doing ecotourism for generations before it even had a name. Our guides and outďŹ tters here in New Mexico bring everything to life; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re such B HSFBU HSPVQ PG QFPQMF UP XPSL XJUI w Some ecotourism-related adventures in northern New Mexico: t WILD EARTH LLAMA ADVENTURES - hiking adventures with minimalimpact llamas through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains help teach travelers about conservation ethics and wilderness protection. Visit CONTINUED ON PAGE

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HAVE LAND WITH NO POWER?

WANT ENERGY SECURITY?

YOU NEED A MOBILE SOLAR POWER STATION Panels & frame are stored in the trailer and this plug-in ready, 840 watt mobile power station can be towed anywhere off-grid. Less than one hour of set-up and you can power the tools to build a house, then power the completed house or simply own a unit in case of emergency. Ideal for renters who want to take it with them.

Ideal for outdoor events (wedding receptions, etc.) where a gasoline generator is too noisy or smelly. Ideal for back country living. Can be customized to suit your needs.

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COLUMBINE HONDO and political spectrum to protect their natural and cultural resources for future generations.

OUR PUBLIC LANDS ARE UNDER ATTACK There is currently legislation before Congress that seeks to remove existing wilderness protections from Wilderness Study Areas like the Columbine Hondo. H.R.1581 and S.1087, LOPXO BT iÉŠF 8JMEFSOFTT BOE 3PBEMFTT "SFB 3FMFBTF "DU PG w XPVME remove wilderness protections from more than 60 million acres of Wilderness Study Areas and Roadless Areas across America. Similar legislation could cause the Columbine Hondo to lose its current wilderness protection, and result in the area being opened up for roads and motorized use, timber sales, mineral and energy exploration,

ď?Łď?Żď?Žď?´ď?Šď?Žď?ľď?Ľď?¤ ď?Śď?˛ď?Żď?­ ď?°ď?Ąď?§ď?Ľ ď&#x2122;&#x201E;ď&#x2122;&#x201E;

and other forms of development.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT The fate of the Columbine Hondo is hanging by a thread. It has been more than 30 years, and if the area is not permanently protected soon, it will likely lose its wilderness protections.

Senator JeďŹ&#x20AC; Bingaman, who has been a champion for NM public lands conservation, is in his ďŹ nal year in Congress. It is critical that Sen. Bingaman introduce wilderness legislation for the Columbine Hondo before his time in Congress runs out.

HOW YOU CAN HELP You can help by calling, writing or emailing our elected oďŹ&#x192;cials and urge them to support wilderness designation for the Columbine Hondo. To learn more about the issue, and to take action to permanently protect this magniďŹ cent wilderte ness area, please visit www. ne co columbinehondo.org. $ Stuart Wilde is the Director of Stu Wild Earth Llama Adventures Wil (ww (www.LlamaAdventures.com), and a member of the Columbine Hon Hondo Wilderness Coalition.

He is a Carson National Forest Permittee, and leads interpretive Per wilderness ecology trips in the wil Columbine Hondo WSA. Col

NM ECOTOURISM llamaadventures.com for information or call 800.758.5262. t LOS RĂ?OS RIVER RUNNERS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; raft the world renowned Taos Box or ďŹ&#x201A;oat through the RĂ­o Chama canyon with an experienced rafting company. Visit losriosriverrunners. com or call 888.544.1181. t OJO CALIENTE MINERAL SPRINGS RESORT AND SPA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; regarded by Native Americans as sacred, Ojo Caliente mineral springs has been healing for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Enjoy a signature Milagro Wrap, a massage, or soak in healing waters and stay at the newly renovated resort. Visit ojocalientesprings.com or call 800.222.9162. t FAR FLUNG ADVENTURES - from first time rafters to adrenaline junkies, experience a Southwest wilderness adventure on a raft. Visit farflung. com or call 800.359.2627. t TAOS PUEBLO - Taos Pueblo, continuously inhabited for over 1,000

ď?Łď?Żď?Žď?´ď?Šď?Žď?ľď?Ľď?¤ ď?Śď?˛ď?Żď?­ ď?°ď?Ąď?§ď?Ľ ď&#x2122;&#x201E;ď&#x2122;&#x2020; years, is the only Native American community designated as both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. Visit taospueblo.com for special events and fees or call 575.758.1028. t PUYE CLIFF DWELLINGS AND PUEBLO RUINS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; home to 1,500 Pueblo Indians since approximately 900 AD, ancestors to the Santa Clara Pueblo. Visit puyecliffs.com. t MOUNTAIN SKILLS ROCK CLIMBING -Experience a panoramic view of Taos with professional rock climbing guides. Call 575.776-2222 or visit www.climbingschoolusa.com for details. t PUEBLO BALLOON COMPANY - Float through the RĂ­o Grande Gorge in a hot air balloon and experience Taos from a birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-eye view. Visit puebloballooncompany.com or call 575.751.9877.

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ECOTOURISM AL NUEVO MEXICANO

HOW RURAL INDIO-HISPANO COMMUNITIES ARE GETTING ON THE ECOTOURISM BANDWAGON

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ow does a mobile food truck help a rural community interested in promoting ecotourism?

That idea sprang from the minds of the Cooperative Development Center of New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (CODECE) staďŹ&#x20AC; as a way to create linkages among three co-ops formed last year in the northern New Mexico villages of Truchas and CĂłrdova. It was also a way to launch CODECEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eďŹ&#x20AC;orts to see food preparation as a cultural activity.

Through an innovative grant from the USDA, CODECEâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a project of the Albuquerque-based Center of Southwest Cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;received funding for a mobile food truck. The truck is part of CODECEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sustainable Communities Initiative, which is underway in collaboration with the Truchas Land Grant. To date, CODECE has formed three cooperativesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Organic Farmers, Outdoor Services, and Arts & Cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all under the High Peaks Deep Roots branding strategy.

So why a mobile food truck? CODECEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sustainable tourism director .BSL 8JMMVIO TBJE i8F TBX WFSZ quickly the rich culinary traditions on the land grant and were surprised by the variety and high quality of food from the ďŹ rst matanza (traditional Hispano community celebration where neighbors process a large pig, HPBU PS TIFFQ MBTU ZFBS w )F BEEFE iÉŠJT QVU VT PO UIF USBDL UP VTF DVMtural heritage through food as a driver GPS UIF TVTUBJOBCMF UPVSJTN FÄ&#x160;PSUT w The grant was awarded based on alternative marketing channels for local organic farmers. So instead of greasy burgers and the traditional junk food truck, CODECE embraced the national trend of innovative mobile food trucks and is developing organic healthy traditional GPPET UIBU XJMM BQQFBM UP iIFSFEFSPTw JOheritors) as well as tourists visiting New Mexico for the ďŹ rst time.

4BJE 8JMMVIO i"T UIJT JEFB CFDBNF reality, we realized we had the perfect

integration vehicle, because in addition to oďŹ&#x20AC;ering meals, the truck can also go to farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; markets and be a draw for selling produce from the organic farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cooperative, create jobs for the members of the Arts & Culture Cooperative, while promoting sustainable tourism packages (ďŹ&#x201A;y ďŹ shing, horseback rides and hiking) on the land grant for the Outdoor 4FSWJDFT $PPQFSBUJWF w Some interesting ideas are being developed around having a traditional matanza on the land grant two Sundays a month, starting in June. CODECE staďŹ&#x20AC; and co-op members are jointly exploring having this become an optional two-day activity where participants can come to the land grant on Saturday morning and observe the preparation of the borrego or cabrito. The full experience will include seeing how land grant members fully utilize all of the butchered animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parts, going to the ďŹ elds and helping co-op members harvest the vegetables used in the mealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preparation, and learning how the full traditional process is carried out.

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i0ODF UIF BOJNBM JT SPBTUJOH QBSUJDJpants can enjoy activities on the land grantâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;star gazing in the evening, early morning bird-walk, a half-day trail ride and other recreational acUJWJUJFT w 8JMMVIO TBJE iÉŠF GPMMPXJOH Sunday afternoon they can partake in one of the most succulent meals they MJLFMZ XJMM IBWF FWFS IBE w

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i0VS DSFBUJWJUZ JT SFBMMZ PVS POMZ MJNJU w 8JMMVIO TBJE i-PPLJOH B MJUUMF MPOHFS term, the mobile food truck has the potential to be the catalyst for reinvigorating traditional ďŹ estas in the comNVOJUJFT PG 5SVDIBT BOE $Ă&#x2DC;SEPWB w )F

BEEFE i8JUI B NPCJMF GPPE USVDL XF can draw tourists to speciďŹ c areas and manage impacts. We will make sure the speciďŹ c areas are appropriate, willing and ready. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really an interesting tool (the food truck) from a managing tourism impacts perspective, since we can move it to speciďŹ c sites for a specific period of time and prevent areas being overrun and over-loved by visitors.

It really allows the land grant members UP DPOUSPM UIFJS PXO EFTUJOZ w Willuhn said that while this is all very exciting, the increasing complexity of social media and marketing a mobile food truck is a bit overwhelming. To support Truchas Land Grant members, CODECE has entered into a cooperative agreement with the University of New Mexico Global Business Students Association. These graduate business students visited the land grant in March to learn about the diďŹ&#x20AC;erent cooperatives and to develop a marketing plan using the mobile food truck as creatively as possible. They are looking at strengthening each cooperative as a stand-alone entity, while understanding how interconnected all the eďŹ&#x20AC;orts are. Dr. Manuel Montoya, a Rhodes Scholar and current professor at the UNM Business School, is guiding the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; eďŹ&#x20AC;orts.

The UNM connection is a key ally in CODECEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eďŹ&#x20AC;orts to create collaborations as a critical part of long-term sustainability for the co-ops it is helping to create across New Mexico.

Other entities working with CODECE in Truchas and elsewhere include the ChimayĂł Youth Conservation Corps, Agri-Cultura Network, New Mexico Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foundation, the Truchas Land Grant and RĂ­o Arriba County. %

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ZUNI     THE MAINSTREET OPPORTUNITY

Even today, with efficient roads and modern transportation, attracting visitors to Zuni remains a challenge—compounded by weak global economic systems and rising gas prices. Out of this tough situation is emerging a promising opportunity—to become the First Native American MainStreet site, not only in New Mexico but also in the United States!

The MainStreet program in New Mexico is administered by the state’s Economic Development Department to promote community-based economic development in its small-town downtown areas; many of which across the country have also fallen on tough times and need a support structure to become revitalized. New Mexico has participated in the program for over 27 years and can boast 22 active sites. Technical assistance as well as occasional access to specific funding enables participating communities to turn these often-blighted areas into active neighborhoods of improved prosperity and living. Thus far, however, no other Native American community has met the criteria or chosen to participate.

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Zuni Pueblo is somewhat unique as a Native community by being bisected by B TUBUF IJHIXBZ UIBU BMTP TFSWFT BT JUT iNBJO TUSFFU w BMPOH XIJDI BSF MPDBUFE UIF majority of the local businesses and arts trading posts. In an effort to improve Zuni’s local economy, the current tribal leadership has enthusiastically embraced becoming the first Native MainStreet as the best strategy to achieve this goal. In discussions and planning with NM MainStreet, this prospect has evolved over

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the past year to the current finalizing of wording for the formal proclamation and identifying dates for a public signing by Governor Susana Martinez, hopefully in May here at Zuni Pueblo. Staff from the national MainStreet office in Washington, DC and many of our Congressional delegates have also expressed interest in attending this historic occasion.

Zuni’s tradition of innovation sees the potential to adapt this opportunity.

On the ground in Zuni—and with the active involvement of the Tribal Council— our preliminary steps are fast moving forward to birth this initiative for the community. Our recently selected steering committee, made up of key business, arts and community members, had its second meeting not long ago. State MainStreet leaders attended to provide a more detailed orientation for this emerging program CONTINUED ON PAGE

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AGRITOURISM

AGRITOURISM: A GROWING BUSINESS FOR SMALL FARMS ALICE LOY

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Bosque. With a backdrop of ten acres of cultivated land, visitors step back in time and can imagine the hacienda as it once was. In NambĂŠ, the community will gather at Estrella del Norte Vineyard on April 14th to plant ďŹ ve new acres of vines, continuing the tradition of community planting. Just outside of Taos at Talpa Gardens, JeďŹ&#x20AC; Cochran and Tania Melasco invite visitors to explore their intensively farmed one-acre garden.

With over thirty crops, the garden demonstrates how high altitude gardens can feed a village.

-HYT [V\Y H[ 9VTLYV -HYTZ PU +P_VU 54

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long the RĂ­o Grande, pockets of green have beckoned thirsty, hungry, road-weary travelers for centuries. Today, these same pockets of green invite families and tourists, foodies and farm lovers to explore our agricultural historyâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;and future.

Agritourism, deďŹ ned simply as farms hosting visitors and oďŹ&#x20AC;ering farm-based activities, has caught on across the nation, and now farmers in northern New Mexico are getting involved. Agritourism is a valueadded product that helps keep farmers on the land, while inviting the community to share in the bounty of local food and the enjoyment of food production.

Selena MarroquĂ­n works with the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship and is leading an eďŹ&#x20AC;ort to build an agritourism corridor. She has been reaching out to farmers and viticulturists to survey agritourism activities going on in communities from Albuquerque to Chama.

After hosting a table at the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference in FebruBSZ 4FMFOB FYDMBJNFE i4P NBOZ GBSNFST BSF FYDJUFE BCPVU UIJT QSPKFDU w Agritourism experiences along the RĂ­o Grande Valley range from U-Pick berry farms to pumpkin patches to cooking classes on local farms. At the Hubbell House in south Albuquerque visitors can take classes on drip irrigation and composting. Located along the Camino Real, the historic Hubbell House is situated among the tall cottonwoods of the

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Eileen Reinders of Estrella del Norte Vineyard says agritourism is important to their wine business and they love havJOH QFPQMF WJTJU i8IFO QFPQMF DPNF UP see the farm they meet us and see how we grow the grapes, how we make the wine.

When they take that bottle home with them, they are taking a remembrance of CFJOH IFSF PO UIF GBSN w Farm experiences like those oďŹ&#x20AC;ered by Los Poblanos in Albuquerqueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s North Valley connect people to the historical and contemporary ďŹ&#x201A;avors of the region.

Matt Rembe, owner of the historical farm and hotel, has recently overseen an expansion of their guest rooms; today Los Poblanos oďŹ&#x20AC;ers luxury accommodations amidst lavender ďŹ elds and towering cottonwoods. Fodorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calls the Los PobMBOPT FYQFSJFODF iDBTVBM DIJD w "OE XIJMF not every farm you visit along the RĂ­o Grande will pamper you or provide luxury accommodations, every farm will give you a taste of farm life in New Mexico.$

AGRI-TOUR OFFERS A UNIQUE EXPLORATION OF ART AND SUSTAINABILITY ART, AGRICULTURE, ARCHITECTURE AND DREAMS OF A HEALTHIER FUTURE IN THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT Explore northern New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique culture and striking landscape. Discover the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extraordinary blend of creativity and sustainability. Meet innovators, artists, farmers and chefs dedicated to creating ecological and =LSHYKL 54 YVHKZPKL WYVK\JL Z[HUK PU :LW[LTILY social transformation. This is a rare opportunity to learn from and enjoy the company of a dynamic group of artistic change-makers whose visions and creations are inďŹ&#x201A;uenced by the magniďŹ cent high desert environment, the challenges of modern reality and visions of a greener future.

Participants will be escorted by experts, stay at historic hotels, taste the distinctive regional and native cuisine and participate in a phenomenal cooking experience.

Each day will open a new window on a rich universe of ecological and social ideas. The nine-day trip ( July 20-28) features a Bioneers Dreaming New Mexico tour of a highly diverse biodynamic Pueblo farm.

Estrella del Norte Vineyard: Nambe and Santa Cruz, NM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; (505.455.2826, Richard@santafevineyards.com, www. estrelladelnortevineyard.com)

Trip highlights include:

t " EBZ XJUI #JPOFFST %SFBNJOH /FX .FYJDP Local Foodsheds and a Fair Trade State

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Los Poblanos Inn & Cultural Center: 4803 RĂ­o Grande Blvd. NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM 87107 (505.344.9295, info@lospoblanos.com, www.lospoblanos.com)

There is only one 2012 departure: July 20. Prices start at $2,980 per person in a double room. The registration deadline is May 11.

For inquiries and bookings, contact Seven Directions Cultural and Sustainable Tours: 877.992.6128, 505.820.3305 or info@ sevendirections.net, or visit www.sevendirections.net/art-sus.html

CONTACTS Talpa Gardens: 4A Balsamo Lane, Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557 (575.758.2513, JeďŹ&#x20AC;@TalpaGardens.com) Hubbell House Alliance: 6029 Isleta Blvd. SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105 (505.244.0507, Mlava@hubbellhousealliance.org, www.hubbellhousealliance.org)

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ZUNI ď?Łď?Żď?Žď?´ď?Šď?Žď?ľď?Ľď?¤ ď?Śď?˛ď?Żď?­ ď?°ď?Ąď?§ď?Ľ ď&#x2122;&#x201E;ď&#x2122;&#x2030; and to help ďŹ nalize the wording for the proclamation. Already members of the steering committee have begun work to secure relevant data on Zuniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing economy, explore opening a local Small Business Development Center, as well as initiating steps toward establishing a Zuni Chamber of Commerceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not even oďŹ&#x192;cial yet! Upcoming meetings within the MainStreet structure will focus on organizational development and establishing a vision for our Zuni MainStreet. %FTQJUF UIF iGVMM TQFFE BIFBEw NPNFOUVN PVS ;VOJ .BJO4USFFU TUJMM IBT B GFX critical hurdles to overcome, in some areas that are unique to this Native community. To begin with, the Zuni community as a whole needs to be fully informed and comfortable with this concept. An initial presentation and broadcast at a public meeting in early January was met with a supportive response. Further presentations in the Zuni language will be made over the next month or so.

CAUTIONS SURROUNDING TOURISM

The critical questionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and often suspicionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that inevitably arises from this conservative community concerns the potential impacts on the year-round religious activities. Will increased outsider traďŹ&#x192;c adversely interfere with age-old traditional practices, which, as previously pointed out, resulted from the tribeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historical remoteness? The short answer is that this community-based eďŹ&#x20AC;ort can and will always ensure that adequate means exist to mitigate adverse intrusions into the cultural life of the community. The more complicated larger point is that many unknowns will always exist in Zuniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationshipsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;direct or via the Internetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with the larger world. As we move forward on our Zuni MainStreetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and tourism eďŹ&#x20AC;orts as wellâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;this consideration remains our constant concern.

For the immediate future, our Zuni MainStreet oďŹ&#x20AC;ers long-overdue support for our existing and emerging arts and service-oriented businesses. As these become established and generate revenue, incomes rise, quality of life improves and the whole Zuni community beneďŹ ts. Under the watchful direction of our local steering committee and of tribal leadership, these changes will be carefully considered and by necessity, incremental.

Zuni Pueblo has the exciting and in many ways unique potential for great things done in culturally appropriate ways to result from this grassroots eďŹ&#x20AC;ort. One thing is for certain: the eyes of Main Streets and potential Native sites across the country will soon be watching our progress and outcome.

St Stay-tuned for more late-breaking developments from Zuni Zu MainStreet! % Tom R. Kennedy, Zuni Tourism Director, arrived at Zuni Pueblo 17 yea years ago and served as Director of the A:shiwi A:wan Museum for seven yea years. Since then he has worked directly for Zuni Tribal Government to dev develop a tourism program, establish the Visitor and Arts Information Cen Center and now the Zuni MainStreet initiative. For more information, con contact Tom at 505.782.7239 or P.O. Box 339, Zuni NM 87327.

ALVARADO URBAN FARM GROWS FOOD & FARMERS FARM TOUR AND VETERAN FARMER PROJECT INFO SESSION â&#x20AC;&#x201C; APRIL 11 The Alvarado Urban Farm is growing by leaps and bounds and is on its way to producing a impressive bounty in the coming year. The goal of the farm is to become a local food hub where Albuquerque residents and businesses can grow and purchase local food and learn about local food systems. The farm is also serving as a community space for events, lectures and classes. These include the new Veteran Farmer Project, which is holding a series of workshops at the farm geared towards local veterans.

A free tour of the farm with Chris Goblet (Deputy Director of the Downtown Action Team) and an informational session regarding the new Veteran Farmer Project with Robin Seydel (La MontaĂąita Co-op Membership Coordinator) and Joran Viers (Bernalillo County Extension Service Program Director) will take place on April 11 from 9â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10:30 am. The farm is located at 101 Silver Ave., SW. If there is inclement weather, the event will be held at the Downtown Action Team OďŹ&#x192;ces, 100 Gold Ave SW #204.

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9TH ANNUAL EAST MOUNTAIN FIBER FARM & STUDIO TOUR JUNE 2-3 Enjoy a day at the farm, breathe fresh mountain air and enjoy the landscape of the East Mountain area for a fun and educational event. Only a short drive from Albuquerque will bring you to this rural area where ďŹ ber artists and ďŹ ber animal breeders open their studios and farms one weekend every year.

On June 2nd and 3rd from 10 am to 5 pm, the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ ber art studios are providing an opportunity to visit with alpacas, sheep, camels, angora goats, llamas and angora rabbits, whose hair is sought after for making ďŹ ne yarn for hand weaving, felting, crocheting and knitting. In addition to introducing your children to the source of the fabrics we all love to wear, you can meet the breeders and learn about the process of raising these prized animals. Then, visit the studios where artists turn ďŹ ne ďŹ bers into handmade fabrics for clothing and home use. There will be many ongoing demonstrations, such as spinning, weaving, knitting and dyeing.

Come See Us at the Santa Fe Remodelers Showcase & Expo, April 28 - 29 4BUVSEBZ BN UP QN t 4VOEBZ BN UP QN Shellaberger Tennis Center at the Santa Fe University of Art & Design

Fiber-related items will be for sale at each location, including yarn, roving, felted fabric, spinning wheels, looms, drop spindles, hand woven knitted and crocheted garments, buttons, hand painted silk scarves and clothing, raw ďŹ&#x201A;eeces, animal related jewelry, goatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s milk soap, lavender products, feathers and plants.

For information and a free brochure and map, call 505.286.8900, email edgewoodyarns@yahoo.com or visit www.perfectbuttons.com.

Symbiotic Wildscaping

an organic, waterwise landscape service

Wild Scape Today!

Establish a native plant community at your home or business, creating a low-maintenance landscape. > > > Now taking on new clients for long-term relationships.

Santa Fe Â&#x152; call Steven

474-3084

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SERVICE LEARNING

EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL WITHOUT BOOKS AND BEYOND CLASSROOMS JENNIFER CASE

S

ince the beginning of time, human beings have cared for each other. Being human demands both being cared for and caring for others. It is an innate urge that we cannot resist. Whether loved ones, family members and friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;even strangers, or plants, animals, water and earthâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for decades, individuals and groups have responded to the needs of others and our environment through service, both at home and afar.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m no longer looking; I am seeing. I am no longer hearing; I am listening with my he heart, not just with my ears.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sď?Ľď?˛ď?śď?Šď?Łď?Ľ Lď?Ľď?Ąď?˛ď?Žď?Šď?Žď?§ ď?´ď?˛ď?Šď?° ď?°ď?Ąď?˛ď?´ď?Šď?Łď?Šď?°ď?Ąď?Žt In addition to learning new skills, student volunteers have found themselves appreciating even the simplest tasks, such as learning how to chop wood, wo work with tools, shovel dirt, haul manure, make a ďŹ re, mix adobe, irrigate a garden, grow food, make compost, cook dinner, harvest vegetables, repair a roof, build a fence and even wash dishro es! During service learning trips, new re realizations often dawn regarding use of water, plastic, waste and recycling, as groups learn to take care of each other gr and their surroundings while working wi with a community.

As educational institutions have formalJ[FE UIJT DPNNJUNFOU BOE DPODFSO iTFSWJDF MFBSOJOHw IBT CFDPNF BO PSHBOJ[FE and popular form of educational travel that is now common practice for schools and community organizations. Service learning provides a valuable opportunity for students to learn while volunteering and to serve while engaged JO UIF FYDJUFNFOU PG iSFBM MJGFw FYQFSJFODFT 8JUIPVU CPPLT BOE beyond classrooms, service learners are immersed in communities and engaged with real people.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have begun to think differently about how I choose to live each day of my life.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sď?´ď?ľď?¤ď?Ľď?Žď?´ ď?śď?Šď?łď?Šď?´ď?Żď?˛

VIA INTERNATIONAL

For more than 30 years, California-based Via International has been strengthening community-driven sustainability initiatives with support from volunteer service groups. Over the years, Via has become a recognized leader in service learning trips for high school, college and university groups. In 2009, the organization began sending groups to New Mexico. Volunteers have come from across the nation and the world to work on projects throughout northern New Mexico and DinĂŠ-tah (the Navajo Nation), including Santa Fe, Tesuque, ChimayĂł, Los Alamos, Taos, and the Tseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Bitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ai area (Shiprock). Via volunteers of all ages have assisted with water conservation and land restoration eďŹ&#x20AC;orts, adobe and other natural building projects, habitat and national park preservation, home repair, organic planting, harvesting and farming eďŹ&#x20AC;orts.

These unique travel opportunities combine education, cross-cultural exchange and volunteerism, while directly supporting community development eďŹ&#x20AC;orts to create self-reliance and sustainability. Volunteer groups can bring valued energy, resources and labor to community projects or initiatives, while also opening a forum for dialogue, teaching and learning. Via orients these visitors to the intertwined cultural, economic and ecological worldviews in a community. They go back to their own families and communities with an enhanced view of land-based, sustainable relationships.

Through interacting with educational Thr travelers, communities tell their own stories and manage engagement with outsiders on their own terms. Dialogue and exchange generate valuable opportunities to examine environmental and social justice issues, re-explore understandings of history and culture, discuss sustainability and resiliency and wo inter-generationally. work Such opportunities for engagement deeply embody and reďŹ&#x201A;ect the worldviews and values of the communities vi th volunteers visit. Visitors are often the received as family, not strangers, and re the th bonds that emerge from living and working closely together can be very wo strong and enduring. The service learning programs cultivate responsibility and respect, and have eďŹ&#x20AC;ectively incor=VS\U[LLYPUN H[ [OL :HU[H -L *VTT\UP[` -HYT" porated the values and practices of liv/PNO ZJOVVS Z[\KLU[Z MYVT ZLY]PJL SLHYUPUN NYV\W ing in balance, kinship and generosity.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you are coming to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you are :H^`LYZ +H]PK 4HY[PULa Volunteer groups tend to travel lightly coming because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work and are eager to work. The groups are together.â&#x20AC;?

- I��������� L����� typically small and stay overnight in community spaces like churches, schools, gyms, homes and farms, or even camp in tents. It is also common that groups For visitors coming from large urban areas and big cities, experiencing the natural prepare or assist in the preparation of their own meals. Buying and serving local, beauty of northern New Mexico is medicine for the spirit. Slowing down, being outfresh, healthy food is a priority and another valuable opportunity for teaching doors, touching the earth, planting a seed, or even just seeing stars is restorative and and learning about nutrition, ecology and food security. reawakens the senses. Working with others and using hands and body for manual labor can bring mindful awareness, purposeful action and practical skills to life.

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Jim Kentch, Lawyer 215 W. San Francisco Street # 202-C Santa Fe, NM 87501-2164 505-660-9160 jimkentchlawyer@gmail.com www.JimKentchLawyer.com

ȨɨȨȽȐ ȐȽɜǸȵ ɰɉȐɑȨȐȽȃȐ ǸǾɄɨȐ ɜȣȐ ɑȐɕɜѲѲѲѲѲ Kind, gentle and incredibly friendly Dentist, Hygienist, and Support Staff. Will definitely recommend this office to my family and friends. They make you feel comfortable from the start to finish! Great job. -David Romero

The best professional service I’ve ever received at a dentist office. The staff was super super nice! I’ll definitely refer friends and family to your office! Thanks for this wonderful experience.

-Jacqueline Ferran “Thank to D “Thanks Dr. Valde Valdez andd hi his staff, I am smiling with confidence. I also receive compliments about my smile all the time.” -Marie Martínez

dɄɤɑ ɄȽсȇȐȽȃȐ ɕɜǸɑɜɕ ɬȨɜȣ Ǹ ȐǸɤɜȨȘɤȵ LȹȨȵȐѲѲ ECO-Friendly Office

www.divinedentalofsantafe.com 550-B St. Michaels Dr. Suite 2 Santa Fe, NM 87505

505-471-7000

>L > ÃÊ Ã«> ÊUÊ ÌiÀiÃÌÊvÀiiÊw > V }Ê>Û> >L i 22

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ECOTOURISM

LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM EXPLORES ECOTOURISM OPPORTUNITIES KAHNERATOKWAS America. What we took away from Buda were strong new friendships and many ideas on sustainable practices. I learned how to make a ďŹ&#x201A;ashlight from an old tin can, a candle and a piece of wire. I learned that petroleum-sucking hot water heaters can be placed outside to reap the beneďŹ ts of the sun.

With the mechanical components removed, there is space to build a wood ďŹ re to heat the water on cloudy days.

An outside oven was built from an

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hen I boarded a plane bound for Buenos Aires in January, I had no idea what was in store for me in the wilds of Argentina. As president and co-founder of the Four Bridges Traveling Permaculture Institute, I embarked on a mission to explore opportunities to develop an ecotourism segment for our non-proďŹ t organization.

While it is winter in Albuquerque, the summer sky is sizzling in Buenos Aires. I stepped oďŹ&#x20AC; the plane in full winter gear to a sweltering 100 degrees.

After an uneventful pass through customs, I made my way to a taxi stand where a little yellow taxi whisked me oďŹ&#x20AC; to Navarro, a village whose hidden jewel is the Ecovilla GAIA, a nonproďŹ t organization founded in 1992.

Its mission is the promotion human settlements based on the practice of permaculture systems and methods.

I spent three glorious days at GAIA, housed in a lovely round pink adobe hut topped with a grass roof. The bathroom came complete with a compost toilet, sink and shower with running water warmed by the sun. The lights were solar powered. Everything in this village is sustainable and developed within the permaculture model.

The entire village consists of several private huts, a community kitchen and dining house and a large hut that is used for classes and community meetings. Several gardens and wooded areas are scattered throughout the property, with sustainable innovations that collect or transport water, create energy, provide food, oďŹ&#x20AC;er shelter or pose entertainment opportunities.

Sylvia and Gustavo, co-founders of this wonderful organization, were my gracious hosts. While my co-founder and partner Emigdio BallĂłn directed lessons in seed saving, plant diversity and permaculture to a class of 15 students, I spoke of spirituality in agriculture and conducted a moon ceremony by the light of a beautiful Luna de Amarilla.

From GAIA, we traveled back to Bue-

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nos Aires for a connecting bus to our next destination. The city is ďŹ lled with historical sites, cultural activities and, of course, Tango halls. We spent two days and one night in the city before boarding our bus for a 10-hour ride to CĂłrEPCB UIF CJSUIQMBDF PG &SOFTUP i$IFw Guevarra. We rode all night long, arriving just as the sun was rising on a new day. Unfortunately, there was no time to enjoy this charming city, as we had work to do, so we directly boarded a bus of lower means for a four-hour ride to our next destination, San Marcos.

The ride took us up in the mountains to a village of unpaved roads and modest architecture. There is no terminal in this festive village; passengers embark on a path in front of B TNBMM TIPQQJOH QMB[B i)JQQJFT w BT the locals call them, were performing, painting and selling their wares in the village square. We were immersed in a cloud of dust as the bus departed, and when it settled, we caught a glimpse of our friend Alejandro.

Ale was eager to show us the birthing center that his midwife sister,

Anna, was building up the road. It is a hopeful place, with lush greenery, rocky paths, a babbling brook and an unďŹ nished building begging to be completed. Mothers, ripe with child, are meandering about, sharing in their sisterhood of maternity, and enjoying this place of peace. It is a beautiful site indeed. We take notes and promise to return another day with whatever support we can muster.

After twenty-four hours taking in the ďŹ&#x201A;avor of San Marcos, we boarded another bus into the darkness for our ďŹ nal participation in a permaculture course in Buda Traslasierra, near the village of Nono. Another charming eco-village, run by Ivan and Clarissa, Buda oďŹ&#x20AC;ers a jungle setting in the mountains blessed with amazing colorful parrots, countless wild herbs and a refreshing waterfall.

Here we received as much as we offered to these people of the hills.

Courses we provided were similar to those at GAIA, adding the strength of Alejandroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ancient knowledge of the Andes and other regions of South

old 50-gallon drum, adobe bricks and mud. Outside showers and compost toilets are easily built with some reused plumbing supplies, a few wellplaced stakes and bamboo panels.

After three days of sharing in this closeknit community, the time had come to return to New Mexico. Another 4-hour bus ride in the dark to a convenient hostel near the CĂłrdoba bus terminal.

As the morning dawned on my day of departure, I knew I was leaving behind a collection of new friends and fellow permaculturists. With scores of students ready to learn, I promised to return.

Four Bridges Traveling Permaculture Institute was established to address the needs of indigenous communities BSPVOE UIF HMPCF *O FTTFODF PVS iGPVS CSJEHFTw SFBDI PVU JO BMM EJSFDUJPOT UP establish a network of people addressing global issues in all of our communities. We are accomplishing this goal by ďŹ rst addressing the poverty and lack of healthy sustainable living practices in these communities.

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PICNIC FOR THE PLANET APRIL 21

GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR FOOD IN A FUN WAY

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f you asked your family, friends or colleagues where their food comes from, what do you think they’d say?

There’s a good chance many would respond with “the grocery store.” As the world becomes more urbanized, people become further and further removed from the sources of their food and drinking water. In fact, in a 2011 national poll, 77 percent of Americans could not correctly identify their source of drinking water. That’s troubling.

For these reasons and more, The Nature Conservancy is inviting people across the globe to join in the second annual “Picnic for the Planet” on or around Earth Day. The picnic is a celebration of the planet we live on, the bounty it provides and the people who work to protect it. In Santa Fe, the Conservancy is partnering with the Santa Fe Farmers Market for the second year in a row to host a local Picnic for the Planet on Saturday, April 21.

“This is a natural partnership,” says Bob Ross, president of the board for the Farmers Market Institute. “The Farmers Market provides a venue to sell goods made by local farmers and producers while the Conservancy works to protect the land and waters they rely on.

Our missions are aligned.”

This event will help connect people to the sources of their food in an easy and engaging way. It’s also a way to get families outside and foster a connection to the outdoors. Plus, it will provide an opportunity to educate people about the connection between conservation and our food and water supply.

The Nature Conservancy works closely with people around the world who produce our food — farmers, ranchers and fishermen. Here in New Mexico, the Conservancy works with producers across the state by collaborating on funding opportunities and supporting

land improvements through restoration projects such as grassland recovery and watershed protection projects.

“The global population will grow from six to nine million in a few decades, “says Terry Sullivan, state director for the Conservancy of New Mexico.

“Conservancy scientists across the world are restoring our oceans, securing our water and conserving our lands to ensure we have food and water for generations to come. We encourage you to do your part: choose local and eat sustainably. It’s good for us and the planet.” The lower a food is on the food chain, the lower its impact on the environment. So, add more fruits, vegetables and grains to your picnic meal. Buying local also reduces the distance a food item travels from the farm to your table, helping minimize greenhouse gas emissions and often reducing packaging, which creates less waste.

At this year’s picnic, The Nature Conservancy’s booth will offer information about the group’s work, and a raffle. Picnic baskets decorated by local artists and filled with items from the Farmers Market will be given away during the event.

So, the Nature Conservancy suggests that, on the 21st, from 8 am – 1 pm, you can shop at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market for a locally grown picnic.

Then, head over to the Railyard Park, adjacent to the market, to enjoy your food and community. After your meal, you can head up to the 525-acre Santa Fe Canyon Preserve and enjoy some time in nature by hiking the 1.5-mile interpretive trail.

People across the state and around the world are encouraged to get involved.

The Nature Conservancy has created a website that offers information, ideas and tools for anyone who wants to plan a picnic: www.nature.org/NewMexico.#

Earth Week Events ALBUQUERQUE APRIL 21, 8:30 AM- 4 PM EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES CORONADO STATE MONUMENT

Monument Rangers will conduct a hands-on demonstration of adobe plastering and construction with the Bernalillo Youth Conservation Corps. Storytelling and docent-led tours of the Painted Kiva and Bosque Trail.

Free. 505.867.5351, Gregory.smith1@state. nm.us

APRIL 21, 9 AM – 5 PM RECYCLED ART FAIR OPEN SPACE VISITOR CENTER 6500 COORS BLVD. NW Annual event celebrating the creativity of “upcycling.” Workshops, artists, vendors, food, festivities. Free. Presented by Parks & Recreation Dept. 505.897.8831, kselving@ cabq.gov, www.cabq.gov/openspace

APRIL 21, 10 AM-2 PM EARTH DAY CELEBRATION BOTANIC GARDENS – ABQ BIOPARK 2601 CENTRAL AVE. NW

APRIL 22, 11 AM-3 PM EARTH DAY WITH NM VOLUNTEERS FOR THE OUTDOORS Bachechi Open Space Slideshow of the group’s past projects.

Refreshments.

Free.

505.314.3098, calangan@bernco.gov

APRIL 29, 10 AM-NOON ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION Bachechi Open Space Local experts will run educational stations that address topics such as forest health and importance, tree identification and anatomy, and proper tree care. Free. 505.314.3098, calangan@bernco.gov

SANTA FE

APRIL 20, 9 AM-3 PM GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICES DAY ZONA DEL SOL BUILDING JAGUAR AND COUNTY CLUB 12-1 pm: Sustainable Schools and Businesses awards 505.9893.6896, www.earthcarenm.org

Visit the zoo, aquarium, botanic garden and Tingley Beach to learn how our actions matter when it comes to helping animals and plants. Discovery stations and handson activities. 505.848.7187, www.cabq.gov/ biopark

APRIL 21, AFTERNOON PICNIC FOR THE PLANET SF Railyard Park

APRIL 22, 10AM-6PM EARTH DAY FESTIVAL LA MONTAÑITA CO-OP, 3500 CENTRAL SE

APRIL 22, 9:30-5 PM EARTH DAY CELEBRATION GENOVEVA CHAVEZ CENTER 3221 RODEO RD.

Music, Arts, Crafts, Food, Vendors, community and environmental groups, familyfriendly fun for children of all ages (see ad on page 25)

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Presented by the Nature Conservancy of NM and the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. (see story above)

9:30-11:30: Leave No Trace Games Family Fun Challenge; 11:30-12:30: West African music & dance (outdoors); 12-2 pm: Recycled

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art activities for kids; 12-2 pm: Residential recycling bin give-away; 12-2 pm: What’s Recyclable? (Learn about recycling.); 2-3 pm: BodyHoops with Diana Lopez; 3:30-5 pm: Free movie—An Inconvenient Truth. Free tree saplings. Info: Ifgulotta@ci.santa-fe. nm.us, www.chavezcenter.com

APRIL 22, MADRID EARTH DAY ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL MADRID, NM (25 MILES SOUTH OF SF) Former Congressman Pete McCloskey is a featured speaker. Entertainment, food, sustainable building demos. Free. Info@madridculturalprojects.info (see ad, page 27)

APRIL 28 10AM - 3 PM HONOR THE EARTH DAY

LA MONTAÑITA CO-OP, 913 WEST ALAMEDA Music, food, demonstrations, info booths.

10 am: Michael Combs & friend; 11 am: Zoltan Orkestra; 12 pm: Anthony Leon & The Chain; 1 pm: Kumusha Marimba Band

HERE & THERE

APRIL 14, 10 AM-4 PM EARTH DAY CELEBRATION CORONADO STATE MONUMENT 485 KUAU ROAD, SANDOVAL, NM

Activities for all ages, including atlatl throwing contest, demonstrations, preparing the monument gardens for planting, and naturalist-led tours of the bosque. Free.

505.867.5351, www.nmmonuments.org

APRIL 20-22 TAOS FIBER MARKETPLACE TAOS CONVENTION CENTER 120 CIVIC DR., TAOS

An exciting exchange between artisans, vendors and customers of high quality fiber arts. Weaving, spinning, knitting and crocheting of hand-spun, handdyed fibers including wool, alpaca, yak, camel, cashmere, natural spinning fibers, quilt fabrics and more. Classes, workshops and tours. Friday and Saturday: 9 am-6 pm; Sunday 9 am-2 pm.

Taosfibermarketplace.com APRIL 21, 10 AM – 2 PM EARTH DAY FESTIVAL THE NATURE CENTER 3540 ORANGE ST., LOS ALAMOS Booths and displays where community groups will show their earth-friendly products and practices, and provide information about the environment on the Pajarito Plateau. Entertainment includes Clan Tynker, the Hill Stompers and Wise Fool giant puppets. 505.672.9056, storyteller@comcast.net

APRIL 23, 10 AM-3 PM EARTH DAY CELEBRATION AZTEC RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT 505.334.6174, ext. 228 APRIL 28 SYNERGYFEST LAS VEGAS HIGHLAND UNIVERSITY’S MELODY PARK LAS VEGAS, NM “A Fiesta of Sustainability”–Ninth annual event, featuring displays, demonstrations, artisans, live music, food, vendors. Solar and renewable energy exhibits. Hands-on events for children sponsored by the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge. www.synergyfest. com

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EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL     It is complex and demanding, however, for organizers and community members to tend to the needs of visitors and to handle working with volunteers who come with diverse perspectives, intentions and capabilities. Managing visitors and mediating volunteer efforts requires time, energy, skill, attention and planning, which is critical to ensuring a positive and beneficial experience for all involved, including the natural world!

Building Paths to Self-Reliance for an Interdependent World

ECOTOURISM     In an effort to become more sustainable and less reliant on grants and donations, Four Bridges is exploring ways in which we can help support the non-profit work we do at home and abroad. We are currently developing plans to bring visitors from around the country and around the world to participate in sustainability tours in New Mexico. These tours would begin at our educational farm in Santa Cruz. The farm is run in a permaculture model. Visitors will observe how animals such as goats, chickens and turkeys are used to re-condition the soil, control pests and provide healthy food options.

A 20’ x 60’ greenhouse is under construction for season extension. The greenhouse will be used to grow seedlings for the farm and for distribution to the community. A main feature of the farm are the sacred gardens.

Visitors will learn about various traditional farming practices including waffle gardens, spiral gardens, terrace gardens and various companion plant-

ing methods such as the Three Sisters garden. A Three Sisters garden is an indigenous belief in planting corn, beans and squash in close proximity. The corn provides a stake for the beans to climb, the beans replenish the soil with nitrogen and the squash provides shading and helps retain soil moisture.

While the Four Bridges educational farm will be the home base for the tour, the program would include day trips to other participating farms, beekeeping operations, orchards, farmers’ markets and other sustainable programs.

Kahneratokwas (l) and Emigdio Ballon in Argentina’

Our trip to Argentina was a maiden voyage to explore possibilities for student exchange, service learning trips and ecotourism. We are now working out the details for our first group trip to Buda Traslasierra in August. Future trips are also being planned for Ethiopia. Details about the tours provided

by Four Bridges Traveling Permaculture Institute will soon be available on our website at www.4bridges.org. ( Kahneratokwas is a Mohawk from Akwesasne, NY, who lives in Santa Cruz, NM. She has written for Indian Time (formerly Akwesasne Notes), the Akwesasne Phoenix, and had a weekly column in which she discussed the uses of traditional herbal medicines.

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Via International is committed to helping people, families and communities build “Paths to Self-Reliance for an Interdependent World.”

In the last year, 1,478 volunteers participated in educational travel and service learning programs; 888 food gardens were created, 11,823 youth participated in environmental education, 16,180 family members attended nutrition and ecology classes, 215 micro-enterprise loans helped women and families start small businesses, and 52 women graduated from leadership training programs. Via’s volunteer service learning and educational travel projects are also available in Guatemala, Belize, San Diego, San Luis, Appalachia and elsewhere.

“When I got home, I realized something: I am more aware of my connection to the Earth, and ultimately my connection to everyone and everything. I used to make decisions based only on my own betterment, but now I know better.” High School volunteer

COLLABORATIONS MAKE IT POSSIBLE

Collaborations between organizations and individuals create the settings for learning and cross-cultural understanding. Special Thanks to the New Mexico team and to all of the community supporters and organizations who have assisted in providing exceptional transformational learning experiences for students in the Southwest. These include: Agua Fría Community Farm, Bandelier National Monument, BLUUhouse Enterprises, Casa del Toro Bed and Breakfast, Centro Comunidad, Diné College, El Rincón Farm, Hamaatsa, Miranda Canyon CSA, Moonlight Springs Ranch, Mujeres Sin Fronteras, Four Bridges Traveling Permaculture Institute, IIIS International Institute of Indigenous Sciences, Rivers and Birds, Saint James Episcopal Church, San Francisco de Assisi Church, Santa Fe Presbyterian Church, Saint Francis Cathedral, Santa María de la Paz Church, Santuario de Chimayó, Stand in the Light Studios, Taos Pueblo and Red Willow Center, Taos Youth and Family Center, TDK Learning Community, Tesuque Pueblo and Farm, Traditional Native American Farmer’s Association, Tse’Bit’Ai Dr Drop-In Center, Upaya Center, and Western Ecology. ( Jennifer Case serves as Education and Communications Director Jen at Via International and works with Lynne Hendrick at Cre Cre8iveMomentum.com to support creative collaborative projects that are socially and environmentally responsible. Anyone interested in lea learning more about how you or your organization can get involved, may contact Jennifer at 505.699.1503, Jennifer@viainternational. org or visit www.viainternational.org

FOOD DEPOT SEEKS FUNDING TO MATCH DONOR’S PLEDGE Every day thousands of people turn to emergency food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters for help. Much of the food provided to those facilities in northern New Mexico comes from the Food Depot food bank. The Food Depot also supports local growers and provides nutrition education and healthy cooking classes.

The Food Depot has launched a project to expand its warehouse and facilities in Santa Fe to handle larger quantities of food and distribute it efficiently. The goal is to build a building directly behind the current warehouse on Siler Road. An individual donor is challenging the northern NM community to meet her pledge of $1 million to the project. Contact Sherry Hooper at 505.471.1633, ext. 10.

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LOCAL ECONOMIES

THE LOCAL VOICE

IMAGINE ALL THE PEOPLE . . . EATING NEW MEXICO FOOD

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’m one of those people who brings a box of New Mexico goodies with me when I visit former New Mexicans or friends who haven’t been here yet.

They always appreciate it, and it brings them the flavors of home. And for those who have not traveled to New Mexico, I think of it as a tasty tease. I even bought my friends a deluxe New Mexico breakfast gift box, chock full of green chile, blue corn pancake mix and other goodies as a wedding gift. (They told me it was their favorite gift by far. Score one for New Mexico!)

A few months ago I started my own business to consult on local economy issues for other organizations. When I got the call from my friend and local food co-conspirator, Kate Manchester, who is also publisher at Edible Santa Fe about working on “a project to brand New Mexico as a food state,” I jumped at the chance. What could be more fun than local food producers, tourism, and economic development?

We’ve teamed up with the South Valley Economic Development Center’s Mixing Bowl, a commercial kitchen incubator in the South Valley of Albuquerque to create a network for food entrepreneurs that will brand their products, help them to engage in best practices together, share resources, and elevate New Mexico as a food state. You may have heard of a little city up I-25 called Boulder, Colo? They are doing this. There’s a great organization there called Naturally Boulder, which has helped create the awareness for Boulder-made products and provided a venue to get those products out to the world. Perhaps you’ve seen Rudi’s bread?

Bhakti Chai? Justin’s Peanut Butter? All of them are members of Naturally Boulder. All of them are successful, locally owned Boulder-based food businesses.

What is unique about this group is that it brings together the best of the successful businesses with start-ups to share, learn and support a culture of entrepreneurship like nothing I’ve ever seen. These folks are not just smart and savvy business owners; they are happy to give advice to the newcomers to the food scene, happy to help elevate the best of the best, along with the entire food scene. When I attended their

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monthly networking event there were over 100 businesses represented, and the buzz from the conversation in the room was electrifying.

At South Valley Economic Development Center (SVEDC) we dream of a New Mexico that is rich in cultural heritage that can be experienced through the amazing food products we grow and create. Of course there’s an economic benefit to this whole idea; otherwise, why would I be involved? I’m a foodie and a local economy specialist. It’s a beautiful marriage. We can create greater community wealth for New Mexico farmers and the entrepreneurs who are using their products. We can elevate those food businesses to be the best of the locally owned businesses because their passion for food, culture and community will shine through in their products. We can create a New Mexico that gets back to our food routes, employs hundreds of people in small, locally owned businesses. And you know what that means if you’ve been paying attention to my monthly columns—locally owned businesses contribute to happier, healthier employees, and thereby create happier, healthier communities. All of this coming from the food movement? You bet.

Imagine the friends you visit in Delaware (you do go to Delaware, don’t you?) can purchase their favorite New Mexico product in their neighborhood Kroger grocery store. Down the road from you, your neighbor has just put the final label on that product to prepare it for shipping to Kroger’s distribution center. And on that label is a logo proclaiming not only the company’s localness, but also its values: sharing pride of place by preserving cultural heritage; providing meaningful work for New Mexicans; sourcing local products to the greatest extent possible from New Mexican farmers; giving back to the community in a meaningful way. Imagine those logos on hundreds of products throughout the state—in restaurants on the jams and mustards on their tables, in New Mexico grocery stores, gift shops, retail stores and available all across the country.

we believe is doable.

I like to imagine the money exchanging hands in New Mexico, how it recycles over and over in our small rural towns and cities, all because we elevate New Mexico-made, value-added food products. Now imagine people wanted to spend their hardearned, well-saved travel dollars to come to New Mexico to Products produced at the South Valley Economic experience not just our Development Center in Albuquerque Getting our products out to the world culture, heritage and will have great impact to our local busibreathtaking landscape, but also the food nesses: Imagine the increased produclandscape. It’s a landscape that includes tion when demand surges and the small our state staple, chile, and everything else businesses incubating in the SVEDC made from it, but also the innovative new Mixing Bowl move on to their own food products we are seeing. We have the buildings. Or imagine kitchen incubaCheeseburger Trail and the Chocolate tors all around the state, all connected to Trail, great things to attract more tourists this program, all using the same brand. to eat and drink their way around New A unified, inclusive economic developMexico and support our local food busiment food-based project that makes nesses.There are entire websites and travel New Mexicans shine? I’m in. businesses dedicated to bringing tourists to places to experience food. Roadfood. com has a whole section dedicated to “food tours” you can take all over the country that will bring you to the places that taste the best. And our very own Santa Fe School of Cooking has walking tours that take participants to meet the chefs in their restaurants to learn about the flavors of New Mexico that appear on menus.

Stay tuned to this column for updates on the progress of our SVEDC project to brand New Mexico foods and our entrepreneurs’ network. # Vicki Pozzebon practices bold localism in her independent consulting business, P rospera Partners, LLC.

I could go on… It’s a big dream but one

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REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS

ESPAÑOLA COMMUNITY MARKET

CONSUMER-OWNED COOPERATIVE IN THE HEART OF THE ESPAÑOLA VALLEY DREW TULCHIN evolved and grown to an active, committed group of leadership volunteers involved today,” said Salazar.

The Española Community Market is a cooperatively owned entity. It seeks to bring local produce, meats and cheese to consumers year-round. Its stated mission is “to support the health and wellness of our bodies, our families and our community—physically, economically and spiritually.” This mission aligns with growing public interest in creating and supporting local and regional sustainable food systems.

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gricultural traditions are alive and well in the Española Valley. The average acreage for a farm is 1,445, and more than 90 percent of local farms are owned by families or individuals, according to Río Arriba County data.

However, Dreaming New Mexico (www.dreamingmewmexico.org) and others have identified northern New Mexico as a “food insecure” region.

Many of our neighbors are at risk for hunger or missing a meal. And farmers not only do not produce enough food to carry the local population, but much of the food produced locally leaves the region. In 2007, less than 2 percent of local harvested crops were sold to consumers within Río Arriba County,” according to Melissa Salazar, president of the Española Co-op Board. If northern NM consumers bought at least 15 percent of their food from local producers, it would bring $49 million of new income into the region, according to data compiled

by Ken Meter of the Crossroads Resource Center (www.crcworks.org).

The idea of a food cooperative in Española grew out of a workshop held in 2006 sponsored by the Sostenga program at Northern New Mexico College. Several participants were motivated to begin the process of learning what it would take to open a cooperative market that would offer local products, promote health and wellness and support the farmers in the Valley. “The process has

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Over five years, the building blocks of a successful organization have been put in place. The organization now has by-laws, a business plan, a 5-member board of directors and 307 member-owners. Many entities have contributed to the growth, including La Montañita Co-op, Los Alamos Cooperative, Southwest Cooperative Development Center, the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and Cuatro Puertas in Albuquerque.

the Española Valley—showcasing the richness of our local agriculture tradition,” says Guido Lambelet, Executive Chef, Bon Appetit Management Company and member-owner. Other local vendors are encouraged to join.

In addition to top-selling products made locally, members can pre-order bulk items through the Co-op Distribution Center in Albuquerque. This makes available a wide selection of foods and other items difficult to find at local stores, such as recycled paper products, natural dish soaps, laundry detergents and gluten-free items. The market anticipates an increase in sales when a storefront is opened, and customers will have the option of single, rather than just bulk purchases.

The organization’s goal is to reach 600 member-owners by the end of this year. “The market needs 300 additional member-owners to make a retail store viable,” said Lena Martínez, membership chair. “We’re launching a mem-

bership and fund-raising campaign to raise $100,000. Reaching this goal will catalyze matching funds from banks and cooperative loan organizations.”

The market has a wine tasting and dinner extravaganza called Market Mayhem to raise funds, tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 15 at Estrella del Norte Vineyards. For more information, contact the market at 505.747.3006 or espanolacm@gmail.com.

With more and more people becoming interested in local foods, and the Community Market’s increased product offerings, the new cooperative offers a win-win for all. +

In 2011, the co-op launched its online marketplace (www.espanolacommunitymarket.com) to connect local consumers with products grown in the Valley. The website offers healthy alternative food options and helps the coop determine what consumers in the Valley most desire. “This February, we offered our members goat milk yogurt, chicos, local honey from two vendors, eggs, cota and other herbal tea, lavender salve and bread from Cloud Cliff Bakery made with northern New Mexico heritage flour,” says Zach Schutz, the produce manager.

As of March, there were three deliveries to members. The most popular item is the LOCO Box, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)-style mix of locally grown vegetables. The February delivery contained four different greens, carrots, chard, potatoes and pea sprouts—all from local producers. Local suppliers include Montevista Farms, Santa Cruz Farms, Camino de la Paz Farm-School, Ricardo Sánchez and K-G Farms. “We have the chance to build a store centered on the wealth of

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The “Right” Electric Vehicle for You Now!

Classes on how to build a custom EV With discount group prices on parts NMSEA.org solpwr@plateautel.net

Consider placing an ad in this award-winning publication. Call Skip Whitson (505.471.5177) or Anna Hansen (505.982.0155) 32

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LAS VEGAS, NEW MEXICO

MAKING THE FOOD CONNECTIONS

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rive along the main thoroughfares of most American cities in search of a meal, and you will see the usual suspects—McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and so on. The culinary landscape of Anytown, USA has become dominated by the fast-food franchise paradigm. The inevitable result of this transformation is that Main Street in many cities has itself become much like the products of a fast-food franchise: uniform, consistent, predictable and frankly, uninspiring. Gone are many of the mom-and-pop restaurants, the friendly “dives” that offered their own quirky menus, their own unique takes on the local cuisine, which added to the adventure of motorized travel. Under the regime of fast food franchises, travelers passing through have only convenience to recommend one town over another as a food destination.

It’s time to reverse the trend. It is time to celebrate local, independent dining establishments and to elevate local cuisine.

Local cuisine doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The best is driven not only by local traditions, but also by local ingredients, the kind for which New Mexico is justifiably famous. And that is where Farmto-Restaurant projects come in.

Las Vegas, NM also has a Farm-toRestaurant program, a project of Main Street de Las Vegas. Our Farm-toRestaurant project is beginning its second year and has just added a fifth restaurant, Estella’s Cafe, to the list of those participating. We anticipate at least one more restaurant coming on board this year. With fewer than 15 independent non-franchise restaurants in town, that means that a third of the eligible restaurants are on board.

Conceived with an eye to the principles of permaculture, the Las Vegas Farm-to-Restaurant project is designed to yield multiple benefits. One benefit is the promotion of our local restaurants and elevating Las Vegas’ status as a culinary destination for travelers on I-25. But while attracting spending from outside the community is important, it is not the only benefit of a Farm-to-Restaurant program.

Not all money spent impacts a local economy to the same degree. A dollar can potentially be spent many times before it leaves the community. A dollar that is spent several times over before leaving a community has as much impact as several dollars spent once.

Independently owned, local businesses tend to keep the money within the community, while chains and franchises are more likely to do their purchasing outside the community, have their betterpaying jobs at a corporate office outside the community, and send their profits to owners or shareholders outside the com-

© Marc May

Farm-to-Restaurant projects connect local restaurants with local farmers and ranchers, making it possible for local restaurants to offer regional specialties prepared with fresh, local ingredients purchased directly from the source.

Santa Fe’s Farm-to-Restaurant project is an incredible success story, having operated for five years, with a delivery

program, negotiated pricing and nearly 40 participating restaurants.

The Ma Mayy Fami FFamily amily ami ly Far Farm m in in La La Liendre Lien Lien iendre dre is one off many m providing ovidin ovi dingg fresh din f h produce prod prod forr LLas fo Vegas, NM area restaurants.

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munity. Thus, much of the money spent on chains and franchises tends to leave the community immediately.

By promoting local, independently owned restaurants, Farm-to-Restaurant projects attract spending where it is likely to continue circulating within the community, generating the most local benefit.

In addition, the nature of Farm-to-Restaurant guarantees that some of the money spent will be Estella's Cafe on Bridge Street, Las Vegas, NM re-spent on direct purchases from local farmers and re-spent three times (a reasonable estiranchers; this not only provides the mate) before leaving the local economy, general benefit of local spending on inthe actual economic impact would be dependent businesses but helps to supequivalent to nearly $12 million in port and expand our agricultural base. local spending.

And, apart from the economics, fresh, locally grown meats and produce taste better and keep us healthier.

When I first began investigating Las Vegas’ food economy, I realized that the potential economic benefits of serving and consuming locally grown food were enormous. The research I did places our city’s yearly food spending at around $38 million. How much of that $38 million is spent on direct purchasing from local farmers and ranchers?

About four-tenths of a cent on the food dollar. You could say that is paltry, and you would be right. I prefer to say that we have an incredible opportunity here to improve our diet, strengthen our economy and support our local farmers and ranchers. By simply connecting our output (local agriculture) with our input (local food consumption) so that our food dollar cycles within our community instead of being sucked out of it, we can create a virtual whirlwind of local spending. If, through various local initiatives, we could elevate the percentage of the food dollar spent directly on local farmers and ranchers from four-tenths of a cent to 10 cents, that would represent, at first glance, $3.8 million dollars spent locally. But that is only at first glance, because there is the multiplier effect of local spending to consider. If those dollars end up being

A Farm-to-Restaurant project is easy pickings. Because the restaurant infrastructure is already present, restaurants provide a ready-made avenue to connect the farmer and the consumer.

A Farm-to-School project, which would serve locally grown meats and produce in school cafeterias, is another way to use existing infrastructure to connect farmers and consumers. And that may soon be under way in Las Vegas as well. But I’ll tell you more about that another time. % Permaculturalist Lee Einer coordinates Las Vegas, NM’s Farm-to-Restaurant Project.

Email: einerlee@yahoo.com LAS VEGAS, NM FARM TO RESTAURANT PARTICIPANTS EL FIDEL RESTAURANT 500 Douglas Ave., Las Vegas, NM (505) 425-6761 ESTELLA’S CAFE 148 Bridge Street, Las Vegas, NM (505) 454-0048 LANDMARK GRILLE 230 Plaza Park, Las Vegas, NM (505) 425-3591 MARY ANN’S FAMOUS BURRITOS 528 S. Grand Ave., Las Vegas, NM (505) 426-8929 THE WORLD TRAVELERS CAFE 1814 Plaza, Las Vegas, NM (505) 426-8638

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© Seth Roffman

LEE EINER

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NEWSBITES COLLECTING RAINWATER ILLEGAL IN MANY STATES

Many western states, including Colorado, Utah and Washington, have long outlawed individuals from collecting rainwater on their own properties because, according to officials, that rain belongs to someone else. Laws restricting property owners from “diverting” water that falls on their own homes and land have been on the books for over a century in some western states. Only recently, as droughts, declining groundwater and renewed interest in water conservation methods have become more common, have individuals and business owners started butting heads with law enforcement over collecting rainwater for personal use.

A study in Douglas County, Colorado revealed that letting people collect rainwater on their properties actually reduces demand on water facilities and improves conservation. Additionally, the study found that only about 3 percent of the county’s precipitation ended up in streams and rivers. The other 97 percent evaporated, was used by plants or seeped into the ground. This suggests why bureaucrats can’t really use the argument that collecting rainwater prevents that water from getting where it was intended to go. So little of it actually makes it to the final destination that virtually every household could collect many rain barrels worth and it would have a negligible effect on the amount that ends up in streams and rivers.

In Colorado, two laws were passed in recent years that exempt some small-scale rainwater collection systems from restrictions. In New Mexico, water compacts intended to guarantee downstream users a certain amount of water is a factor in the legality of rainwater catchment, although the practice is mandatory for new dwellings in some places.

RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT FUNDING FOR NM TRIBES The US Department of Energy recently awarded $6.5 million to American Indian tribes for 19 clean energy projects on tribal lands across the country.

More than $1 million was awarded to American Indian communities in New Mexico. Jemez Pueblo will receive over $300,000 to complete a 4-megawatt solar plant,

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acquire a power purchase agreement, and install a cordwood-fired biomass energy system to heat the tribe’s visitor center. The funding to Zia Pueblo will allow the tribe to analyze the integrated development of solar, geothermal and wind energy resources. The Navajo community of Tohajiilee will receive funding for pre-construction activities for a planned 30-megawatt solar farm.

ACCESS TO RECYCLING NEARLY DOUBLES IN NM New Mexicans have significantly more locations to recycle around the state, especially in rural areas, with an increase of 81% of access to recycling. In the last 4 years, municipalities around the state have added more than 83 drop-off recycling locations. The majority of NM communities provide drop-off recycling as the primary means to collect the material. There are currently fourteen curbside programs.

An analysis conducted by the NM Recycling Coalition (NMRC), an independent statewide nonprofit, documented that at least 87 incorporated and tribal communities provide recycling opportunities for most of the traditional household recyclables. The number has jumped from 37 in 2004. Locations lacking access to recycling occur in Union, Quay, Catron, Harding, Mora and Roosevelt counties.

The access to recycling data supports a similar increase pattern in the state’s recycling rate. In just 5 years the rate has improved 66%, increasing from 9.74% in 2006 to its most recent rate of 16.2% reported for 2010 (NM Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau).

Several funding sources can be credited with the increase in recycling access at drop-off locations. The NMED’s Solid Waste Bureau offers an annual Recycling and Illegal Dumping grant fund to support recycling investments. Since 2007, the program has assisted communities by funding 38 new or expanded drop-off locations. Federal stimulus monies brought in from Dept. of Energy American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds have supported the creation of 32 new drop-off sites, with more planned for 2012.

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giggle. wiggle. groove.

An eclectic mix of informative and entertaining programs await you on KUNM – your passport to the worlds of news, music, community and culture. Publicly supported. Publicly responsive. KUNM is an essential part of New Mexico’s day.

KUNM 89.9FM | STREAMING LIVE 24/7 AT KUNM.ORG

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NEWSBITES NEW MEXICO AT TOP OF NATIONAL SOLAR RANKINGS

GROUPS CHALLENGE BLM FRACKING PLAN

New research from the leading solar industry trade association indicates NM sits atop national lists in two categories for installed megawatts of solar energy in 2011.

Last month, WildEarth Guardians and the San Juan Citizens Alliance challenged the Bureau of Land Management’s plans to open the door for a massive new fracking project in northwestern New Mexico that they say threatens clean air, wildlife and the climate. The groups are appealing the Middle Mesa Plan of Development, the first proposal ever approved by the BLM to allow the oil and gas industry to tap shale gas using horizontal drilling in the San Juan Basin. The fracking would occur near the Navajo Reservoir on the San Juan River.

The Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) most recent Solar Market Insight Report shows that NM reached 166.9 megawatts of cumulative installed solar electric generation. At 77.3 watts per capita, NM is first in the US in the amount of solar per person. The state also ranked first for 2011 per capita additions of solar generation. NM moved from #7 to #4 overall in annual cumulative installed photovoltaic (PV), while ranking sixth overall in total electric generated from concentrated solar power and PV. New Mexico trailed in the deployment of solar electric generation until recently.

This advance is in part a result of policies put in place by the NM Public Regulation Commission, especially the 2007 rules championed by District 1 Commissioner Jason Marks and former PRC commissioner and current US Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, that, as part of the state’s renewable energy portfolio, set specific targets for solar energy and distributed generation.

“New Mexico is poised to greatly expand its solar energy market in the coming years, leading to thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in local investment,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA. Green collar jobs accounted for 5.9 percent of private sector jobs in NM by 2011, according to a study published by the NM Dept. of Workforce Solutions. Fifteen percent of those jobs were in renewable energy.

DECATHLON BRINGS NM INTO THE LIMELIGHT OF SOLAR AND SUSTAINABILITY University of New Mexico engineering, architecture and sustainability studies students will work with a team from Arizona State University to compete in the 2013 Solar Decathlon, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy in Irvine, California.

The participants have begun a two-year process to build solar powered, highly efficient homes that combine affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence.

Everything in the house the students design must be commercially available.

UNM has never participated in the biennial event before, though they have previously applied. NM Solar Energy Association board member (and UNM student) Athena Christodoulou is part of the team. There is a small grant attached to this award, but most winning teams have needed additional support garnered from individuals and businesses. The UNM team is seeking financial sponsorship and/or technical support.

The DOE Solar Decathlon website is www.solardecathlon.gov/. Contact the NMSEA at 505.246.0400, info@nmsea.org or visit www.nmsea.org.

LEGAL SETTLEMENT OBLIGATES PNM, SAN JUAN COAL COMPANY TO CLEAN UP WATER POLLUTION On March 28, the Sierra Club reached a legal settlement obligating the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) and San Juan Coal Company (a subsidiary of BHP Billiton, Ltd.) to stop ground and surface water contamination that the group alleges comes from toxic coal ash waste and other sources at the San Juan Coal Mine and San Juan Generating Station coal-fired power plant. The settlement obligates the companies to build structures including a “slurry wall” and a recovery trench to prevent contaminants from traveling toward the San Juan River, pumping the pollution instead into a lined storage pond.

“This settlement will help clean up northern New Mexico’s water after years of exposure to pollution from the San Juan Generating Station and coal mine,” said Nellis Kennedy-Howard, Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign senior representative in New Mexico. “While these mandatory measures will keep toxic pollution out of the San Juan River basin, coal continues to pollute NM as it’s mined and burned. PNM ought to invest in creating energy from clean sources like solar panels, instead of exposing our air, water and land to ongoing toxic pollution from coal. We must move New Mexico beyond coal, to clean, local sources of energy.”

PNM, the largest utility in New Mexico, owns 46% of shares in the San Juan Generating Station coal-fired power plant, which spews pollutants like nitrogen oxides, smog, soot and sulfur dioxide into the air.

In addition to establishing the groundwater recovery system, the legal settlement obligates PNM, and San Juan Coal Company to fund $2–3.7 million in additional projects to restore the San Juan River basin watershed, control existing pollution sources at the facilities, and monitor downstream waterways.

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The groups are calling on the Interior Board of Land Appeals in Washington, D.C. to overturn the BLM’s decision to allow the project to proceed. Mike Eisenfeld, NM Energy Coordinator for the San Juan Citizens Alliance said that the BLM prepared an Environmental Assessment for a new drilling program for shale that has never been adequately analyzed for full field development, and doesn’t take into account the significant existing cumulative impacts in the project area from decades of conventional natural gas drilling and operations.

For example, the groups say that the agency did not analyze the air quality impacts of the drilling. Recent air pollution inventories show that ground-level ozone forming volatile organic compound emissions are thirty times higher than originally expected. Ozone, the key ingredient of smog that can trigger asthma attacks, is a persistent problem in the San Juan Basin. According to the US EPA, in 2011, federal health limits on ozone air pollution were exceeded three times. The groups also allege that the BLM ignored reports showing that the development of shale gas wells releases more greenhouse gas emissions than traditional wells.

The Interior Board is not expected to issue a ruling on the appeal until the end of the year. In the meantime, WPX has indicated that, due to economic concerns with the low prices for natural gas, the Middle Mesa project will be on hold for 2012.

NEW MEXICO GAINED MANUFACTURING JOBS OVER THE PAST YEAR New Mexico gained 386 industrial jobs between January 2011 and January 2012.

“The recovery is gaining momentum in NM and across the US,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Illinois-based Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (NMI), which has been surveying industry since 1912. “The state boasts an educated workforce and greentech focus paired with abundant natural resources.”

Bright spots for the state include the opening of the state’s largest solar power plant, built by Xcel Energy and Sun Edison in Carlsbad; Snap Green Industry’s new plastics recycling plant in Chaparral; and Joule Unlimited, Inc.’s announcement that it would open a biofuels plant in Hobbs and possibly employ 500 workers.

MNI reports NM’s largest industrial sectors saw the biggest gains in employment, with oil and gas extraction ranking first with 8,441 jobs, up 11.3 percent over the past twelve months. Food products account for 5,998 of the state’s industrial jobs, up 3.3 percent.

MICRO-GRANTS HELP LOCAL WOMEN PUT IDEAS INTO ACTION Dedicated to furthering economic development opportunities in New Mexico, the NM Women’s Foundation (NMWF) provides micro-grants to various groups statewide that help ambitious women to generate income through the sale of handmade arts and crafts and related cottage industries.

The NMWF is accepting grant applications through April 19 from nonprofit organizations that encourage women to develop these entrepreneurial and leadership skills while providing a product or service to their local communities. The microgrants usually range between $2,000 and $4,000 and are awarded to organizations that meet certain criteria including 501(c)(3) status and compliance with the NM Charitable Organization and Solicitation Act. Additionally, a group must be located in NM, have some type of governing body, and consist of three or more women.

Following the April 19 application deadline, the NMWF will schedule a series of onsite visits to the various grant applicants. Funding awards will be announced on June 25. For additional information, call 505.983.6144, email info@nmwf.org or visit www.nmwf.org.

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NEW MEXICO TOURISM

TOURS & TOURIST OPPORTUNITIES

© Anna C. Hansen

APRIL 24-29

Guided Tours of Taos and Northern New Mexico

ArtSpa Workshops

The Town of Taos is offering several tours to visitors in celebration of the 2012 Rem Remarkable Women of Tao Taos theme. The first allinc inclusive tour of Taos and nor northern NM traces the ste steps of some of the most influential women in Taos’ infl history. The 6-day, 5-night his Artours Ltd. guided tour Art includes five nights of inc hotel accommodations, hot breakfasts, lunches and bre Taos Pueblo, northern New Mexico dinners, and the escorted tour to: Rancho de Chimayó and Taos’ High Road, San Francisco de Asis Church (the most painted church in the US), Taos Pueblo, Martinez Hacienda, Harwood Museum of Art, Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Millicent Rogers Museum, a drive over the Río Grande Gorge Bridge, Couse/Sharp Historic Site, Blumenschein Home and Museum, and much more. Participants will get to experience New Mexican culture and cuisine at fine Taos restaurants and stay at the elegant El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa.

HWY. 14 (TURQUOISE TRAIL)

The cost is $1,925 per person, based on double occupancy, and includes all fees associated with sightseeing, admissions, special guides, bus transportation and gratuities.

For details or to book a tour with Artours, call 800-582-9700 or email artours@newmex.com. Visit artoursltd.com for general information.

MAY 18-22, JULY 20-24, OCTOBER 12-16

Seven Directions Tours A 5-day, 4-night tour led by Seven Directions, LLC will introduce participants to the rich tapestry of Native American, Hispanic and Anglo women who journeyed from all corners of the world to make Northern NM their home. The tour includes visits to: the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the NM History Museum; a private, guided tour to Santa Clara Pueblo and Puye Cliffs; Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa; private guided tour to Taos Pueblo; Parks Gallery; Kit Carson Museum and nearby cemetery (where many Taos luminaries are buried); Cooking Studio Taos; Harwood Museum, Mabel Dodge Luhan House; E. L. Blumenschein Home; art stroll on historic Ledoux Street; private dinner and behind the scenes tour at Millicent Rogers Museum; meeting with Taos Pueblo fashion designer, Patricia Michaels; talk with Friends of DH Lawrence President about nine forbidden paintings from the 1920s; and private lunch served in the Karavas Forbidden Art Room. Accommodations include the Hotel Chimayó in Santa Fe and the Casa Benavides Bed and Breakfast Inn in Taos.

Fees for the Seven Directions tour are $1,970 per person, based on a group of eight; or $1,810 based on a group of 10. Package fees includes: four nights accommodations, five meals and three breakfasts featuring local fare, private cooking class, private guided tours, private transportation, gratuities, all admissions to museum, pueblos, lectures and taxes.

To book the Seven Directions tour or for more information, call 877.992.6128, email info@sevendirections.net or visit sevendirections.net for general information.

JUNE 18-24

Earth-Honoring Faith Retreat GHOST RANCH, ABIQUIU, NM One of a series of workshops centered on the idea that faith communities can make a big difference by promoting sustainable practices. This retreat in June looks at “What is our relationship to the food web and our foodshed?” Norman Wirzba’s new book, Food and Faith, will be the anchor book. $380. + housing & meals. 505.685.4333, ext.

4152 or 4155. www.ghostranch.org

JUNE 29-JULY 1

Santa Fe Studio Tour Artists’ Studios and Homes JUNE 29: PREVIEW PARTY & GALLERY, JUNE 30, JULY 1: SANTA FE STUDIO TOUR Meet well-known and emerging painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers, potters and jewelers. A project of Creative Santa Fe. Organized and run by artists.

505.983.6021, www.SantaFeStudioTour.com

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Sculptor Carrie Quade with the help of WESST, a nonprofit helping women entrepreneurs, assists non-artists in discovering artistic skills and hidden creativity through different art forms. 505.474.7333, info@nmartspa.com or www.nmartspa.com

Healing The Self Through Self-Portraits A drawing workshop in support of creative healing offered annually by Amy Stein in Santa Fe. A chance to express one’s authentic voice and true self. 505.983.2069, astein983@aol.com, www.amysteinart.com

Encaustic Painting Workshops Wax encaustic painting with Ellen Koment, who has presented these workshops in Santa Fe for 18 years. Beginning through advanced students get individual attention.

Details, registration: www.nmencausticworkshops.com

Abiquiu Workshops June 18-22: “Honoring the Stone,” stone sculpture workshop with Candyce Garrett and Alexandra Morosco; August 6-10: “Creative Mythologies: Images of Change and Transformation” with Evans Lansing Smith and Cheryle Van Scoy; Open Any Time, 2012: “Special One-On-One Workshop - Painting or Photography” with Walter W. Nelson. 505.685.0921, http://abiquiuworkshops.com

Santa Fe Photographic Workshops 505.983.1400, ext. 16, www.santafeworkshops.com

The Santa Fe Traveler Travel consulting business creates unique itineraries for visitors to Santa Fe and also offers customized tours. The website is a good resource for Santa Fe information, events and things to do. 505.474.4155, www.thesantafetraveler.com

Chimayó Tours Chimayó is home to the revered shrine, El Santuario de Chimayó, famous weavers, heirloom chile, and artisans of all types. It is María Lorraine Vigil’s lifelong home. She recently began a career as a tour guide and unofficial ambassador to this region. She takes individuals, groups of all sizes and corporate travelers. She also works with Hotel Chimayó de Santa Fe. 505.614.6462, mlvculturalservices@yahoo.com, www.Chimayótours.com

Desert Harbor GALISTEO BASIN, NM Green-built, off-the-grid, solar-powered guest cottage personal retreat center on 29 acres bordering public wilderness between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. 505.252.0558, anchor@desertharbor.ofg, http://desertharborretreat.com

Glass Beadmaking Classes 926 BACA ST., #4, SANTA FE, NM One-on-one classes taught by Donna Nova at her studio. 505.920.22150 or donna@ donnanova.com

Santa Fe Creative Tourism Initiatives Artists and craftsmen who offer workshops and classes within SF County are invited to list their offerings with Santa Fe Creative Tourism (See “Get Involved” tab to list) at www.SantaFeCreativeTourism.org. This service is free and provided by the city of Santa Fe Arts Commission

Cultural/Educational Vacations Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, Santa Ana Pueblo Jewelry making, pottery classes, bread baking, dance and music performances, educational opportunities on Native American culture 800.554.9288, www.tamaya.hyatt.com

Virtual Geologic Tour Even if you are unable to physically visit many of the impressive sites of our unique, multicultural state during this Centennial year, thanks to amazing satellite images and Virtual View software, you can spend hours getting lost in General Geology, Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Geochronology – just by visiting this website: geoinfo.nmt.edu. Did you know that we have six distinct physiographic provinces in the Land of Enchantment?

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NEW MEXICO CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS N M became the 47th state on JanN uary 6, 1912. Led by the NM Department ua of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the NM Centennial Foundation, the NM Centennial 1912-2012 is an inclusive statewide te commemoration offering a wide range of co events – from a Longhorn cattle drive to art ev ex exhibitions, festivals and tours. Many are listed on the official website (nmcentennial. li org). Here are some of them: or

NM CENTENNIAL AIR TOUR – SEPTEMBER 29, 1-4 PM This September, the NM Pilots Association sponsors a Centennial Air tour of historic and modern aircraft. The tour highlights significant NM aviation events such as the first airmail route and Charles Lindbergh’s aerial archeology.. Pilots will fly a circle route, landing at community airports for commemorative celebrations. Stops include Grants/Milan, Santa Fe, Tucumcari, Roswell, Carlsbad, Doña Ana County and Socorro, The public is invited to experience aviation history firsthand; viewing aircraft and interacting with pilots and crew. Info: 575.694.21236, www.nmpilots. org/2012_Aviation_Celebration.asp

SAVOR ALBUQUERQUE

Courtesy of NM Pilots’ Assn.

At various locations from June 7-16, this event will celebrate Albuquerque’s fine arts, culture and cuisine. It culminates with a centennial celebration in downtown Albuquerque. Spotlight events include the Festival Flamenco Internacional, “The Seven” at the Cell Theatre, the 6th Annual Duke City Improv Festival and RoofTapas, a culinary showcase at area restaurants. (itsatrip.org/savorabq)

SUMMERFEST The largest event may be Summerfest in Albuquerque on June 16. It will take place at Civic Plaza and on Central Avenue, from 2nd to 10th streets with five pavilions. Los Lobos is the headline band. Attractions include a juried art market, a car show, kids’ events and a territorial village. Other Summerfest activities will take place on July 21 and August 18. Featured music will include Hispanic, American Indian, world, rockabilly and traditional Western. (cabq.gov)

REMARKABLE WOMEN OF TAOS A century ago, special places like Taos were sought out by those of adventurous spirit, particularly strong, creative women. To celebrate these women, both historic and current, throughout the year the Taos community is hosting a series of “Remarkable Women of Taos”-themed seminars, workshops, events, films, museum exhibitions, self-guided tours and more. From photography courses to pottery and glass art workshops, visitors can also reconnect with their creative side. http://taos.org/women/

NEW MEXICO: 100 YEARS OF ART

© David Lundy, NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum.

This is project at the Las Cruces Museum highlights artists who have lived and worked in New Mexico over the past 100 years. Lisa Pugh, director of the museum, acquired works from museums, private collectors, artists and the Burlington Santa Fe Railway. After April 14, the exhibition will travel to Carlsbad and Farmington. (www.lascruces.org/museums)

NEW MEXICO CENTENNIAL PONY EXPRESS RIDE On May 26, the NM Centennial Pony Express ride will kick-off at 7:30 am in front of the Western Heritage Museum Complex in Hobbs. The first leg of a 14-day ride begins when Lea County’s Express Master, former State Senator Bill Lee, hands mail to “Red” Harmon Hann, the first rider in the Pony Express. The mail, which will be collected from locations throughout southeastern NM, will be carried by dozens of riders. The relay riders will travel over 365 miles, visiting towns, villages and scenic stops on route to Santa Fe. On June 8, the riders will end their journey as the mail is given to Santa Fe’s Express Master Chuck Franco, NM’s First Gentleman, who will turn it over to a representative of the US Post Office.

KINGSTON CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Known as the “Gem of the Black Range,” the silver mining boom town of Kingston once boasted the largest population in NM Territory. Home to 7,000 miners, merchants and madams, during its mining era this remote community attracted the famous and the infamous, including Mark Twain, Lillian Russell, Grover Cleveland, Captain Jack Crawford, Edward Doheny, and the Hole in the Wall Gang. The Spit & Whittle Club of Kingston is hosting a two-day celebration of community on April 28 and 29. The social club will host a treasure hunt, a parade, historic building tours, mine site tours, an art show, book signings, horseback rides and live music. (www. kingstonNM.com)

ISEA2012 ALBUQUERQUE: MACHINE WILDERNESS

5L^ 4L_PJV ^HZ RUV^U HZ [OL :\UZOPUL :[H[L ILMVYL P[ VMÄJPHSS` ILJHTL [OL Land of Enchantment.

THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT: COMMEMORATING THE CENTENNIAL OF NEW MEXICO STATEHOOD This exhibit at the NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces offers an eclectic look at the last 100 years of NM through historical photos and artifacts. It was created in association with the Doña Ana County Historical Society. (http:// nmfarmandranchmuseum.org)

GET THE PICTURE The NM Department of Tourism has launched a photo contest where participants try to identify 100 historic images on the department’s website (www.newmexico. org), and then go and recreate the photo. There is $10,000 in prize money.

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The 18th International Symposium on Electronic Art is a symposium and series of events on the subject of art, technology and nature. It is held every year in a different location around the world, and has a history of significant acclaim. The ISEA2012 symposium will consist of a conference taking place September 19-24, based in Albuquerque, with outreach days along the state’s Cultural Corridor, including Santa Fe and Taos, and an expansive, regional collaboration throughout the fall, including art exhibitions, public events, performances and educational activities. This project will bring together a wealth of leading creative minds from around the globe, and engage the local community through in-depth partnerships.The lead organizations hosting ISEA2012 are 516 ARTS, the University of NM and the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History. (www.isea2012.org)

ROSWELL: DIAMOND OF THE PECOS This exhibition focuses on the history and accomplishments of Roswell since its inception as a trading post in the Pecos Valley along the Goodnight-Loving Cattle trail in the 1860s. Since the beginnings of that simple outpost, Roswell has grown into the hub of southeastern NM. From the great cattle barons to oil and gas development, from Robert H. Goddard’s liquid-fueled rockets to the purported crash of a UFO, and from the rich legacy of WPA and New Deal projects, this story provides rich context to NM’s varied history. This exhibition, through January 6, 2013 at the Roswell Museum and Art Center, is a collaboration between the Roswell Museum and Art Center and the Historical Center for Southeast NM. (www.roswellmuseum.org)

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NEW MEXICO CENTENNIAL

THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NEW MEXICOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2012 STATEHOOD HISTORY CONFERENCE PLUS A FREE STATEHOOD SYMPOSIUM AT THE NM HISTORY MUSEUM

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utlaws, Rough Riders, classic restaurants and a possible spy will come to life at the 2012 New Mexico Statehood History Conference, May 3-5, in Santa Fe. Presented by the Historical Society of NM and the NM History Museum/Palace of the Governors, this Centennial version of the Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual conference includes a daylong free symposium, open to the public, plus free admission to the History Museum on May 3.

The conference, May 4 and 5 at the Santa Fe Convention Center, is held in collaboration with the NM Heritage Preservation Alliance, which is having its annual conference at La Posada Hotel that weekend. Details, including special hotel rates and how to register for all or part of the conference, are at the web site: http://www.hsnm.org/2012%20Items/home__2012_conference.htm. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in the Centennial or NM history in general, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gathering writers and historians youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll enjoy meeting and whose research is sure to enlighten you,â&#x20AC;? said Mike Stevenson, president of the Historical Society. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Holding this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event in the capital city, where lawmakers worked so hard to move the Territory toward statehood, means weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be surrounded by history indoors at the sessions and outdoors strolling the streets of Santa Fe.â&#x20AC;?

The symposiumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s si keynote address, â&#x20AC;&#x153;New ad Mexico StateMe ho hood, An Earlier Perception,â&#x20AC;? li will wi be given by Dr. Dr Robert W. La Larson, author of the authoritative ta and classi New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sic Quest for StateQu ho 1846-1912. hood, 7HSHJL VM [OL .V]LYUVYZ Other speakers include Dr. David Van Holtby, â&#x20AC;&#x153;New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rough Road to Statehood,â&#x20AC;? Robert TĂłrrez, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Law and Order and the Quest for New Mexico Statehood,â&#x20AC;? and Henrietta MartĂ­nez Christmas, â&#x20AC;&#x153;New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Icons.â&#x20AC;? Dr. Richard Melzer will introduce and moderate the symposium.

The statehood theme continues May 4 and 5 at the Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conference, with topics ranging from traditional foods in Native American communities, land grant studies, Western characters like Kit Carson and Wyatt Earp, and controversial NM politicos such as Thomas Benton Catron, Bronson Cutting, and NMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst Territorial Governor (and possible US spy) James S. Calhoun. The conferenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24 sessions and nearly 70 presentations include: t i+VBO %PNJOHVF[ EF .FOEP[B 4PMEJFS BOE 'SPOUJFSTNBO PG UI $FOUVSZ /.â&#x20AC;? by historians Marc Simmons and JosĂŠ Antonio Esquibel. t â&#x20AC;&#x153; The Changing Character of NM Statehood as ReďŹ&#x201A;ected by the Santa Fe Fiesta Celebration,â&#x20AC;? by Andrew Lovato, assistant professor of speech communications at Santa Fe Community College. t â&#x20AC;&#x153;Butch Cassidy in NM: His Winning Ways, Dancing Feet, and Postmortem Return,â&#x20AC;? by freelance writer Nancy Coggeshall. t â&#x20AC;&#x153;US Army Nurses at Fort Bayard,â&#x20AC;? by Cecilia Jensen Bell, a researcher with the Fort Bayard Historical Preservation Society.

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( WHYHKL Ă&#x2026;VH[ PU :HU[H -L 7HSHJL VM [OL .V]LYUVYZ 7OV[V (YJOP]LZ

t â&#x20AC;&#x153;La Matanza: Conserving Identity through Food in Los Lunas,â&#x20AC;? by Daniel Valverde, an anthropology student at NM State University. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The research that these scholars have accomplished is truly impressive,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Frances Levine, director of the NM History Museum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Visitors can start their weekend history immersion by seeing the maps, paintings, photographs and artifacts that we use in our main exhibit, Telling New Mexico: Stories from Then and Now. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not already a fan of history, the symposium and conference will make you one.â&#x20AC;?

Founded in 1859, the Historical Society of NM is the oldest historical society in the West. Its collections were incorporated into the original Museum of NM, created in 1909 in the Palace of the Governors, and today represent an important part of the NM History Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holdings. The societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photographs, documents and books, Dignitaries join U.S. President William H. Taft as he signs NM into statehood in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 1912. collected from 1885 on, became the core of the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fray AngĂŠlico ChĂĄvez History Library and the Photo Archives at the Palace of the Governors. The Society began its annual conferences in 1974, and also publishes award-winning papers and news of history around the state in La CrĂłnica de Nuevo MĂŠxico.

Society members who register for the conference by April 23 will get a specially discounted rate of $95, which includes the Thursday evening opening reception at the History Museum, lunch on Friday, and the Statehood Centennial Banquet on Friday evening at the Convention Center (a total value of $125). The closing Cinco de Mayo reception at the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mansion will feature the annual Historical Society of NM Awards presentations.

The conference includes a silent auction as well as a book auction. Items will include artwork, jewelry, historical maps, rare books, and statehood memorabilia. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to donate an item, e-mail Mike Stevenson at mgsalp@newmexico.com. %

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JAIN STUDY CIRCULAR THE JAIN STUDY CIRCULAR HAS BEEN POSTED AT WWW.JAINSTUDY.ORG.

Please go our website and study the articles presented in the new issue.

We welcome your comments and suggestions.

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CREATIVE SANTA FE’S NEW INITIATIVE: IMAGINED FUTURES

IT’S ABOUT TIME: 14,000 YEARS OF ART IN NEW MEXICO

EVENTS AND CONFERENCE TO EXPLORE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE IN CITY ECONOMIES

The initial IF events, beginning in May, called The Santa Fe Series, will focus specifically on issues important to Santa Fe. Local, national and international experts will discuss urban growth and development, focusing on how culture, creativity and innovation can influence the way cities evolve.

The Imagined Futures conference, scheduled for fall of 2013, will be designed to attract national and international attendees interested in the topic of cultural influence on worldwide urban economies. A festival of cultural events coinciding with the conference will showcase the food, architecture, urban innovations, music, art and other aspects that make Santa Fe and partner cities culturally stimulating destinations.

“Many cities, large and small, have recognized that their creative economies are an important part of economic development. As a hub for cultural activity, Santa Fe can be a world model in shaping its own future. We hope that the Imagined Futures initiative can contribute to that effort,” stated Creative Santa Fe’s executive director, Clark Hulse.

The Santa Fe Institute will be a key partner for IF. Recent research conducted by the institute points to the quick pace of world urbanization and the expected surge in creativity and innovation, a focus of IF’s conferences.

“The central aspect of IF is outreach, incorporating new, bold ideas from conversations that can be implemented in Santa Fe and other cities. We want to infuse a new energy of collaboration in our community such that we can serve as a model for a better quality of life across the board, socially, economically, artistically and beyond,” stated Bill Miller, Creative Santa Fe’s Board Chairman.

Creative Santa Fe is an independent nonprofit dedicated to the growth and vitality of the region’s creative economy.

The organization works to promote the city’s unique position as an international leader in enhancing urban life through the arts, sciences and other cultural endeavors. It was founded in 2005, after an economic development plan commissioned by the city of Santa Fe from Angelou Economics recommended a strong strategic focus on Santa Fe’s “creative industries.” A follow-up study by the University of New Mexico’s Bureau of Business ad Economic Research confirmed the importance of these industries to Santa Fe’s economy—a $1.1 billion a year industry. For more information, call 505.989.9934 email info@creativesantafe.org or visit www. creativesantafe.org. &

© Seth Roffman

reative Santa Fe has announced the launch of its newest initiative, IF: Imagined Futures, a series of events and workshops that will culminate in an international annual conference that will explore the important role of culture in city economies worldwide.

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NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF ART, SANTA FE

t’s About Time: 14,000 Years of Art in New Mexico celebrates the centennial of statehood by presenting a social history of the art in the Southwest. This exhibition opens May 11, runs through January 2014, and is an official NM Centennial project.

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New Mexicans have always made art, and have always made aestheticized objects that reflect our worldviews. From beautifully made, 14,000-year-old Paleo-Indian tools to contemporary imagery, NM art has reflected changing technologies, embodied ways of making a living, and personified spirituality.

Curated by Joseph Traugott, Ph.D., the museum’s curator of twentieth century art, the exhibition begins with the earliest yet-discovered art—Clovis points— and proceeds in an unbroken continuum to the present. 120 works of art that include Native American, Hispanic American, and European American, work as a single, holistic tradition; not three separate traditions that never interact. Most of the objects in the exhibition were made to be art; others became art by metamorphosis when objects were understood in new cultural contexts. The works range from representational images to abstractions.

As markers of the past and present, the works of art in It’s About Time spur aesthetic responses and a deeper understanding of the region’s diverse cultures—how the art of the early santeros evolved from the more baroque originally imported from Mexico to a more simplified expression to accommodate indigenous artmaking materials and beliefs. Yet, innovation by Native artists was discouraged by early anthropologists who placed a premium on the artistic styles of the past, which they considered to be more “authentic” and culturally pure. Fortunately, San Ildefonso Pueblo’s Maria and Julian Martinez did not hear this message, and influenced generations of artists who followed.

T.C. Cannon, Gerald Cassidy, Judy Chicago, E. Irving Couse, Robert Henri, Marsden Hartey, Luis Jimenéz, Raymond Jonson, Agnes Martin, Bruce Nauman, Georgia O’Keeffe, Agnes Pelton, Florence Miller Pierce, Diego Romero and Luis Tapia are some of the well-known artists in the exhibition.

Museum of New Mexico Press is producing a related hard cover publication New Mexico Art Through Time: Prehistory to the Present. This social history of NM art includes 240 full-color reproductions.

47 STARS New Mexicans proud of achieving statehood got flag manufacturers to produce a 47-star flag—despite a federal law that said flag updates could only happen every July 4. Arizona’s admission to the Union 39 days after New Mexico precluded production of a 47-star flag, but a few of these unofficial versions made it into the hands of New Mexicans. Through November 25, the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe’s “47 Stars” joins a collection of long-term exhibits commemorating statehood.

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The New Mexico Museum of Art is located just off Santa Fe’s Plaza at 107 West Palace Avenue. Admission is $9 for non-residents or $15 for one-day pass to two museums, or $20 for a four-day pass to four museums. Youth 16 and under are free. On Sundays, NM residents are admitted free, and on Wednesdays, NM resident seniors (60+) are free.

For more information, call 505.476.5072 or visit www.nmartmuseum.org. &

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THE ART OF CHANGE CONFERENCE AT IAIA

APRIL 20-21 BONITA RICKERS

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riday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21, the Institute of American Arts in Santa Fe will host “The Art of Change: Climate Justice and Indigenous Solutions.” This conference will bring together art, sustainability and indigenous knowledge through presentations, workshops and community dialogue.

The event has been framed within four key themes: Culture and Stories, Creative Communication, Skills and Technology, and Tools for Change.

These themes will move in a circle, informing one another and the conference experience. Culture and Stories will feature stories of communities that are responding to issues of climate change, cultural values of sustainability, traditional ecological knowledge and inter-cultural and inter-generational dialogue. Creative Communication will highlight methods and mediums of effective communication within organizations and communities working for a common goal. Skills and Technology will focus on alternative energies, building

within the environment and use of media. Tools for Change will bring in effective and accessible strategies, bioregional solutions and organizational clarity.

The conference will have presenters on local and international indigenous environmental issues, as well as a number of workshops. On Friday, Jonah Hill (Hopi) will lead a workshop on cob building. At 7 pm, Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe) of Honor the Earth will be the keynote speaker. Saturday will begin with a number of presenters, including Tom Goldtooth (Dine’/Mdewakanton Dakota), executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, Dave Melton of Sacred Power in Albuquerque, Anna Rondon from the Gallup Solar Group, and a speaker from Native American Public Telecommunications. Following the presentations will be an intergenerational panel of native elders and youth activists that will discuss climate change and its effects on indigenous peoples. In the af-

ternoon, attendees will ill take part in a variety off workshops hosted byy Grandmother Flor-demayo, Student Sus-tainability Leadership,, IAIA alumni and d professors and Littleglobe. The workshops will range from writing and film to gardening and building.

This event is open to the community. Registration and further information can be found at the IAIA website (iaia.edu) and on the Student Sustainability Leadership (SSL) Facebook page. " Bonita Rickers (Ponca) is in her second year at IAIA in the Indigenous Liberal Studies and Studio Arts Programs.

She has been with Student Sustainability Leadership since its inception in 2011.

Poster design by Keith Secola

DESIGN BY NATURE: 2012 TULAROSA BASIN CONFERENCE

MAY 11-13 JOAN E. PRICE

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f you spent several generations gathering your materials to build your home and feed yourselves—and then left your home fully ready for reoccupation sometime in the future, that is a great example of what today is called “historic preservation.” Archaeologists call it ritual abandonment, and it was widespread among the prehistoric Jornada Mogollon residents of the Tularosa Basin.

a researcher on Mescalero Apache petroglyphs on Wind (Alamo) Mountain and evidence of their long occupation of Otero Mesa, one of the last untouched Chihuahan rangelands in the Southwest.

If your men joined to harvest the local salt deposits on the playas and returned with huge gunnysacks on handmade wooden carts for the entire village on a common resource basis, the project could today be called a “sustainability” project. These fascinating topics are among many professional presentations given for the public each year at the annual Tularosa Basin Conference in May in Tularosa, New Mexico.

The Tularosa Basin Conference is designed to bring together scholars, researchers, Native Americans, agency representatives and the interested public to advance understanding of the rich history, prehistory and natural sciences within and adjacent to the Tularosa Basin of south-central New Mexico. The conference will be held at the Tularosa Community Center, where secure space is provided for displays, poster sessions and vending. Video equipment is available. The Knotty Pine Motel has reasonably priced rooms. There is also camping at Three Rivers campground and plenty of accommodations in Alamogordo.

The third conference of profession papers promoting interaction among scholars, researchers and the general public will be held on May 11, 12 and 13, opening with keynote speaker Deni Seymour, Ph.D,

For complete information about this in-depth examination of sustainability and history, go to http://www.tularosabasinconference.nmsua. edu. "

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Archaeologist Pete Eidenback leads a tour of the vast Three Rivers Petroglyph Park during a public conference last year.

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LIFELONG LEARNING

VOLUNTOURISM BRUCE POSTER

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n my previous two columns, I described what I mean by the â&#x20AC;&#x153;New Retirementâ&#x20AC;? and how to plan for your retirement. This month, I turn to an activity that can be undertaken by retirees or, for that matter, by any adult: voluntourism. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Voluntourismâ&#x20AC;? is a vacation, that is for the purpose of supporting a charitable cause, as well as having an interesting travel experience. One can voluntour within the United States or abroad, although most opportunities are abroad.

income? In fact, the local organizations donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the resources to pay for housing, feeding and transporting volunteers or providing for medical insurance and medical care. And matching volunteers to host organizations is time-consuming and requires resources and professional staďŹ&#x20AC;. There are also considerable expenses related to training and supervising volunteers and marketing and administering the programs.

The term â&#x20AC;&#x153;voluntourismâ&#x20AC;? was ďŹ rst used in 2000 to demonstrate the importance of both elements: voluntary service and tourism through unique journeys called â&#x20AC;&#x153;voluntours.â&#x20AC;? Voluntourism has since become an important travel trend, with ever-expanding opportunities.

In selecting a program, it is suggested that a volunteer consider the following issues:

I commissioned a national survey (by TNS Global, a survey company that specializes in tourism research) in March 2012 to assess current interest in voluntourism. An on-line survey was conducted with a panel of 1307 people representative of the U.S. population. When asked whether anyone in their household traveled primarily to volunteer for a charitable cause within the past 12 months, 12.1 percent of respondents said that they had. These ďŹ gures were about the same for men and women. Those with higher household incomes were more likely to have answered in the aďŹ&#x192;rmative with 16.1 percent of those earning over $75,000 saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;yes.â&#x20AC;? Also older respondents were more likely to have volunteered, with 14.6 percent of those age 60 or above having taken a volunteer trip in the past year.

Respondents were also asked whether anyone in their household expects to travel primarily to volunteer within the next three years. Among the 1,307 respondents, 10.3 percent said â&#x20AC;&#x153;yesâ&#x20AC;? and 16.4 percent said â&#x20AC;&#x153;maybe.â&#x20AC;? The percentage saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;yesâ&#x20AC;? was about the same for men and women. Those with higher incomes were again more likely to say â&#x20AC;&#x153;yes.â&#x20AC;? While the percentage saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;yesâ&#x20AC;? did not vary much by age, the percentage saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;maybeâ&#x20AC;? was higher for the both the youngest respondents (those under age 30) and the oldest respondents (those over age 60). This is probably because younger and older volunteers have more ďŹ&#x201A;exible schedules; also, younger volunteers may gain valuable job experience through their placement.

Many voluntourists combine sightseeing with humanitarian relief and conservation programs and ďŹ nd placements via one of a number of nonproďŹ ts that oďŹ&#x20AC;er voluntouring opportunities. For example, GlobeAware oďŹ&#x20AC;ers vacations in Peru, Costa Rica, Thailand, Cuba, Nepal, Brazil, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Jamaica, Romania, Ghana and China. These one-week trips include cultural immersion and in-country excursions, as well as a large range of volunteer opportunities: from AIDS education, reforestation, and solar/hydro projects to teaching villagers English and working with street kids.

t )PX NVDI JOUFSBDUJPO JT UIFSF XJUI MPDBM SFTJEFOUT t )PX NVDI HVJEBODF XJMM UIF PSHBOJ[BUJPO T TUBÄ&#x160; QSPWJEF t 8IBU UZQF PG QIZTJDBM MBCPS JT JOWPMWFE t 8IBU JT UIF FYJU TUSBUFHZ JG UIF WPMVOUFFS OFFET UP UBLF B CSFBL PS MFBWF UIF USJQ t 8IBU TQFDJmD BDUJWJUJFT BOE UPVST BSF JODMVEFE t )PX NVDI EPXOUJNF JT CVJMU JOUP UIF USJQ t )PX NVDI PG UIF QSPHSBN BOE USBWFM DPTUT BSF UBY EFEVDUJCMF t :PV TIPVME BMTP BTL ZPVSTFMG XIFUIFS ZPV BSF SFBEZ UP CF BO FUIJDBM WPMVOUFFS i.e., one who will ďŹ t comfortably into the host community and be able to contribute to that community. Here are some questions to consider: t "SF ZPV XJMMJOH UP JOGPSN ZPVSTFMG BT NVDI BT QPTTJCMF BCPVU UIF DPVOUSZ BOE the community you wish to travel to? t %P ZPV IBWF UIF BQQSPQSJBUF TLJMMT UP UBLF PO UIF KPC ZPV BSF BQQMZJOH GPS t "SF ZPV SFBEZ UP USBWFM BT B MFBSOFS BOE BT B HVFTU J F BDLOPXMFEHJOH UIBU UIJT will be a two-way learning experience? t "SF ZPV QSFQBSFE UP CF QSPGFTTJPOBM F H BSSJWJOH PO UJNF BOE GPMMPXJOH UISPVHI on your commitments? t "SF ZPV QSFQBSFE UP CF nFYJCMF J F UP NBLF BO FÄ&#x160;PSU UP BEBQU UP UIF MPDBM DVMture and to their ways of communicating and carrying out activities? t "SF ZPV SFBEZ UP UBLF SFTQPOTJCJMJUZ GPS ZPVS PXO QIZTJDBM BOE NFOUBM IFBMUI and safety?

If you can answer â&#x20AC;&#x153;yesâ&#x20AC;? to these questions, you have the potential to be an ethical volunteer and are a good candidate for voluntourism. Those of you who are serious about ďŹ nding opportunities should log onto some of the many websites on voluntourism (start by Googling the three organizations mentioned above) to ďŹ nd a program that works for you. % B r u c e Po s te r i s a C e r t i f i e d R e t i r e m e n t C o a ch w h o h a s lived in Santa Fe for 34 years and previously owned Southwest Planning & Marketing. He can be reached at 505.690.8921 or bruce@retireyourway.biz; or you can visit his website: www.

RetireYourWay.biz

Cross-Cultural Solutions oďŹ&#x20AC;ers programs in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania and Thailand. Programs last from one to 12 weeks. Placements include work in orphanages, childcare centers, schools, health clinics, hospitals, homes for the elderly and centers for people with disabilities. There is also free time to relax and explore the community. Programs fees run from $3,000 for two weeks to $7,000 for 12 weeks.

Global Vision International oďŹ&#x20AC;ers over 100 programs in 25 countries on six continents. Volunteers may choose to be part of an expedition and work with other volunteers on a range of conservation and community issues. Internships are also available to provide training, hands-on experience and professional development. And seven diďŹ&#x20AC;erent volunteer focuses are available, including teaching, sports, healthcare, wildlife and marine conservation, working with children, construction projects and addressing climate change.

Volunteers are sometimes surprised that they are asked to pay for the privilege of volunteering. After all, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a volunteer work for free and forgo potential

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What's Going On! Events / Announcements for those considering bringing Transition to their community. Led by Bill Aal, organized by the UNM Sustainability Studies Program. Community members: $175, Students: $35 includes lunches, materials. Info: 505.400.80223, 505.268.3339 or jenessmay@ gmail.com, http://transitionus.org

ALBUQUERQUE

THROUGH SEPT. 8, TH. OR SAT., 9 AM-1 PM BACKYARD GARDENING COURSES LA ORILLA FARM, 2401 BLACK MESA LOOP (S. VALLEY)

12-part course. $300/individual; $500/ couple. 505.877.2877, screed@earthlink. net, www.mrcog-nm.gov/show-all-ag-blogshowallagblog-211/702-qthe-mother-ofall-back-yard-gardening-courses

APRIL 3, 9:30 AM-1 PM NM FOOD & AGRICULTURE POLICY COUNCIL MEETING LOCATION TBA 2012 legislative policy review, how to participate, what’s next for the Farm Bill? RSVP: 505.473.1004, ext. 12, kathleengonzaleznm@ gmail.com, www.farmtotablenm.org

APRIL 4, 11:30 AM-1 PM USGBC-NM MONTHLY LUNCHEON INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER 2401 12TH ST. NW Green Wheels for Businesses by presenters Monte Ogdahl, president of NMSEA; and Gillis Lang, partner at Linograt LLC. $25 USGBC members, $18 Emerging Green Builders, $30 others. Registration/info: www.usgbcnm.org

APRIL 4, 4-7 PM GROWING LOCAL MIXER ALVARADO URBAN FARM, 101 SILVER SW (100 Gold SW #204 if inclement weather) Land seeker/Landholder mixer. Mix & mingle with area growers and farmland owners if you are interested in finding farmland or if you have farmland you’d like someone to use.

Free. RSVP required. ABQ Growers Market Alliance: 505.369.6758, www.abqmarkets.org

APRIL 5, 6:30-7:45 PM GMO PANEL DISCUSSION ALBUQUERQUE ACADEMY SIMMS AUDITORIUM Genetically modified organisms are increasingly appearing in our food supply and the food supply of our livestock. Panelists including economist Dr. Doleswar Bhandari, geneticist Vaishali Katju, medical doctor Sally Fisher and local grower Michael Reed will answer questions regarding the impacts of GMOs. Free. Info: gilbert@aa.edu. Free.

Register at www.aa.edu/communityacademy

APRIL 19, 6:30-7:45 HOW MUSHROOMS CAN SAVE THE WORLD ALBUQUERQUE ACADEMY, SIMMS CENTER Paul Stamets presentation. Free. Reserve tickets: www.aa.edu/communityacademy

APRIL 21-22, 9 AM-5 PM TRANSITION TRAINING UNM, SARAH REYNOLDS HALL 2001 CENTRAL AVE. NE

APRIL 21, 10 AM-4 PM PUEBLO DAYS AND AMERICAN INDIAN WEEK

INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER 2401 12TH ST. NW Week-long event kicks off with traditional dances, artist vendors and activities for kids. $6 adults/$4 NM residents/$3 children. Info: 505.843.7270, www.indianpueblo.org

APRIL 26-28 NM PUBLIC HEALTH ASSN. & UNM NATL. HEALTH DISPARITIES CONFERENCE CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL Integration, Innovation & Inspiration: Creating a Healthy NM. Info: www.nmpha.org

APRIL 28, 1-4 PM FOOD AND LIFE, THREE SISTERS FOR HEALTH MAXWELL MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY,UNM Presentations, interactive activities and samples of ancient food in modern recipes. How to grow a Three Sisters Garden with Clayton Brascoupe, Blue Corn varieties by Indio Hispano Foods, food sampling with Walter Whitehorse. Lecture & presentations free; food sampling: $5. Info: 505.277.4405, maxwellmuseum.unm.edu

APRIL 30 APPLICATION DEADLINE 2012 MASTER NATURALIST PROGRAM BERNALILLO COUNTY 55-hour training including classroom sessions and field studies followed by a 40-hour service project. Classes take place every Thursday night and every other Saturday in June & July. For an application, visit bernco.gov/openspace. Questions: 505.314.0398, calangan@bernco.gov

MAY 6 FAMILY NATURE MAPPING 60 COLUMBINE LN., CEDAR CREST Special presentation at 10 am and then you can take advantage of over 5 miles of hiking trails, a bird blind, geocaching (bring your GPS) and a picnic site. Sunday programs throughout the year on different topics.

Nmnaturalhistory.org

MAY 20, 10 AM-NOON WETLANDS OBSERVATION & ECOLOGY WORKSHOP BACHECHI OPEN SPACE Local ecologists will lead participants on an exploration of the plants, birds, amphibians, mammals and aquatic species that can be found in the wetlands. Free but registration required: 505.314.3098, calangan@bernco.gov

MAY 22-24 6TH ANNUAL NM NATIVE AMERICAN ECONOMIC SUMMIT HARD ROCK HOTEL, 1100 BROADWAY SE Presented by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of NM and the NM Indian Affairs Dept. Info: 505.766.9545, rfpedro@ questoffice.net, http://nmnaec.com

In-depth experiential intro to Transition

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MAY 30, 4-7 PM GROWING LOCAL SERIES: GROWER/BUYER MIXER ALVARADO URBAN FARM, 101 SILVER AVE. SW For growers, buyers and distributors. RSVP required: RSVP: 505.243.2230, info@alvaradourbanfarm.com

XERISCAPE GUIDE AVAILABLE A comprehensive list of plants and trees best suited to the climate and soil of the Middle Río Grande region including the East Mountains. Revised by landscape designer Judith Phillips. How-to info on garden planting, plant selection, efficient irrigation, rainwater harvesting, xeriscape basics, etc. Available at local libraries, nurseries, home garden centers and community centers or by calling 505.245.3133. More info: 505.768.3655.

RAIN BARRELS AVAILABLE Bernalillo County Barrels are offered to property owners in unincorporated areas who are not customers of the ABQ Bernalillo Water Authority.

To qualify, residents must sign up for a home water conservation survey. $40 for a 100-gallon barrel. 505.848.1500, www.bernco.gov/ water

BENEFICIAL FARMS CSA Weekly distribution at La Montañita Co-op Warehouse, 3361 Columbia Dr. NE. This CSA works with up to 40 regional farms each year, and offers abundant, affordable shares of fresh fruit and vegetables and other local and regionally produced foods year round.

All produce is grown with sustainable chemical-free methods.

SANTA FE

APRIL 3, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM SW AREA COMMUNITY MEETING SOUTHSIDE LIBRARY COMMUNITY ROOM Meeting seeking input from residents on community health by improving the built environment and creating healthy options.

Councilor Carmichael Dominguez: 505231..2052

APRIL 4, 9-11 AM CROWDFUNDING WORKSHOP SF BUSINESS INCUBATOR, 3900 PASEO DEL SOL Workshop will explore business models, sites for your venture and step you need to take to attract funders for creative projects, nonprofits & start-up businesses. Cost: $24.

Pre-registration required. 505.474.4912, marciak@mkaplanconsulting.com

APRIL 5, 10 AM-4 PM SF BUSINESS EXPO & JOB FAIR DEVARGAS CENTER Dozens of local businesses. Find clients, customers, employees, products and services. 505.988.3279, bridget@santafechamber. coms

APRIL 5, 6:30-8 PM SETON CAMPFIRE TALES 133 SETON VILLAGE RD., SETON VILLAGE Seton Legacy Project Curator David L. Witt will tell Seton’s allegorical tale: Karg, the Kootenay Ram at Seton Castle. The story marks the beginning of the environmentalist movement in which Seton shows the consequences of humankind’s destruction of na-

Earth Week Events: see page 26

ture. $10 suggested donation. RSVP required.

505.995.1860, programs@aloveoflearning. org or visit www.aloveofleaerning.org

APRIL 6, 5:30 PM VEGUCATED SCREENING WAREHOUSE 21, 1614 PASEO DE PERALTA Award-winning documentary – a serious and sometimes comedic journey of 3 volunteers who try going vegetarian for 6 weeks. Free pizza & drinks. Info: Meetup.com/Santa-Fe-Veg

APRIL 7, 1-4 GREEN THE SCENE CENTER FOR PROGRESS & JUSTICE 1420 CERRILLOS RD. A practical guide to sustainable film production presented by Holly Roach of Reel Green Media.

Energy use, expendables, product selection, etc.

Free. Sign-up: Michele@iatselocal480.com.

APRIL 7, 1-3 PM THE SPRING GARDEN RAILYARD COMMUNITY ROOM Presentation on garden preparation by Michael Clark. Free to SF Botanical Garden members, $15 non-members. To Register: www.santafebotanicalgarden.org

APRIL 7, 6-9 PM FIRE STATION SOLAR PROJECT FUNDRAISER SECOND STREET BREWERY, 1814 SECOND ST. David Waldrop Band, $10. (see ad on p 45) www.newenergyeconomy.org

APRIL 12-13 DESIGN-BUILD INSTITUTE OF AMERICA CONFERENCE ELDORADO HOTEL & SPA “Design-Build Goes Green in the Land of Enchantment” 8th annual conference for DBIA-SW Region members, affiliated industry professionals, public & private project owners, students and professionals who want to learn more. www.dbia-sw.org/conference_sw.html

APRIL 13, 6 PM WALLACE STEGNER DOCUMENTARY FILM NM HISTORY MUSEUM, 113 LINCOLN AVE. Stegner was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian, novelist, teacher and environmentalist. Free. 505.986.3801, ext. 102, www. nmlandconservancy.org

APRIL 13, 7-9 PM LIVING SOIL IS WHERE IT’S AT SF COMMUNITY COLLEGE, JEMEZ RM. Dr. Elaine Ingham of the Rodale Inst., discusses healthy soil biology, fertility and high production yield. Find out how to become a soil manager for your favorite crops. $10 at www.carboneconomyseries.com

APRIL 14, 9 AM-1 PM E-WASTE RECYCLING DROP-OFF DAY 1142 SILER ROAD Items accepted: Cameras, video equipment, VCRs, keyboards, printers, other electronic equipment. $10 charge for televisions and $5 for CRT computer monitors. gjmontano@ ci.santa-fe.nm.us

APRIL 14,15, 9:30-4:30 WORKSHOPS THE SOIL FOODWEB AND COMPOST TEA TECHNOLOGY SF COMMUNITY COLLEGE, JEMEZ RM.

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On Saturday Dr. Ingham explains in detail how soil becomes food for plants. On Sunday she teaches how to heal soil and plant by altering the biology of the soil instead of adding expensive chemicals. Includes work with microscopes and students’ soil samples. $175 or $300 for all three activities. Info: 818.913.2877 or www.carbonecomonyseries.com

APRIL 14, 10 AM-2 PM VOLUNTEER AT THE COMMUNITY FARM With Homegrown NM. 505.473.1403, homegrownnewmexico.org

APRIL 14, 10 AM-3:30 PM 3RD ANNUAL SWEET SPRING STING SANTA FE GREENHOUSES, 2902 RUFINA ST. Symposium on Pollinator and Human Health. Dr. Ron Fessendon, author of The Honey Revolution, Marygael Meister of DenverBee on Urban Beekeeping, Julie McIntyre with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Miguel Sarria on I Chi Kung Integrative Therapy (Apitherapy) and Mark Spitzig of Zia Queen Bee with Small Apiary Natural Strategies. $10-$15 suggested donation. Info: 505.689.1287, ziaqueenbees@hotmail.com

APRIL 18, 6-7:30 PM LEADING BY BEING® INTRO EVENING 133 SETON VILLAGE RD., SETON VILLAGE The Academy’s foundation course in transformational learning. Cultivate capacity to respond and act in these changing times.

Free intro. RSVP to 505.995.1860, programs@aloveoflearning.org or visit www. aloveoflearning.org

APRIL 19, 6-9 PM THRIVE’S FOSTER AND KIMBERLY GAMBLE THE PERFORMANCE SPACE 7 CALIENTE RD., ELDORADO Live appearance and banquet with Thrive’s producers, who will offer updated information and a Q&A. $20. Assistant@karentallkatconley.com, www.karentallkatconley.com

APRIL 20, 2:30-5:30 PM WHERE OUR WATER COMES FROM TOUR Presented by the SF Watershed Assn. RSVP: Eileen@santafewatershed.org

APRIL 20, TIME TBA THRIVE SCREENING THE PERFORMANCE SPACE 7 CALIENTE RD., ELDORADO APRIL 21, 10 AM WATER CATCHMENT LECTURE LA TIENDA ZIA FINANCIAL ROOM ELDORADO

Wes Studi. $100 for pre-event reception and program, $30 program only. 505.986.3801, ext. 102, www.nmlandconservancy.org

APRIL 22, 4-6 PM A MAD HATTER’S TEA PARTY SANTACAFE Fine Arts for Children & Teens silent auction on art by celebrated artists and FACT student works. 505.992.2787, director@factsantafe.org, www.factsantafe.org

APRIL 28, 7 AM-NOON GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP DAY IN SANTA FE 1142 SILER ROAD City and county residents, organizations, school groups, businesses pick up litter citywide. Pick up bags and work gloves at Siler Rd. Sign up at www.keepsantafebeautiful. org. sfbeautiful@santafenm.gov

APRIL 28 COMMUNITY EVENT/PROCESSION RAILYARD PARK Event supporting local, national and global movements. Giant puppets, banners, theater. Wise Fool. Help make art for social change on April 5, 12, 19, 26. 505.992.2588, wisefoolnewmexico.org

APRIL 28-29 SF AREA HOMEBUILDERS ASSN. REMODELER’S EXPO SHELLEBARGER TENNIS CENTER, SF UNIVERSITY FOR ART & DESIGN CAMPUS 22nd annual tradeshow and exhibition for the home building industry in northern NM. Open to the public. Award ceremony 4/28, 11:30 am. 505.982.1774, www.sfahba.com/ index.php/site/homeshow/

APRIL 28-29 LA TIERRA TORTURE MTN. BIKE RACE LA TIERRA TRAILS, NW QUADRANT (just north of 599 at Cam. de los Montoyas) Short track racing on Saturday, cross-country racing on Sunday. This family-friendly event has raised $31,000 for local charities over the past six years. brent@bonwell.org, www.latierratorture.com

APRIL 29, 10 AM-3 PM AMPERSAND VOLUNTEER DAY CERRILLOS, NM Sustainable Learning Center projects.

505.780.0535, www.ampersandproject.org

MAY 1, 6 PM SUBMISSION DEADLINE BIZ MIX BUSINESS PLAN CHALLENGE

Lecture by Doug Pushard. 505.510.1231, eldoradogarden@aol.com

Entrepreneurs can win start-up funding, coaching from mentors, legal assistance, office space and other resources. Sponsored by MIX Santa Fe and the SF Chamber of Commerce. http://www.mixsantafe.com/bizmix

APRIL 21, 10 AM – 1 PM ACEQUIA ART WORKSHOP & LA LLORONA PERFORMANCE RAILYARD COMMUNITY ROOM

MAY 5, 19, JUNE 30, 9 AM-1 PM PERMACULTURE DEMONSTRATION SITE TOURS POJOAQUE, NM

Intergenerational art workshop by Ida Kleiterp and performance by Rosalia de Aragon.

RSVP: sfwatershed@railyardpark.org

Tour passive solar straw-bale house, visit extensive permaculture gardens and pollinators’ hedges, mature food forests and heirloom orchard, goats, chickens, restored wetlands and wildlife habitat, learn about greenhouse design, solar heating, soil building in dry climate and more. $10. Community potluck follows tour. To RSVP and get directions: 505.455.0541 or arina@permaculture.org.

APRIL 21, 6PM RECEPTION; 7:30 PROGRAM A TRIBUTE TO THE STEGNER FAMILY NM HISTORY MUSEUM, 113 LINCOLN AVE. With writers Lynn and Page Stegner, Hampton Sides, N. Scott Momaday, Natalie Goldberg and actor/readers Jill Momaday and

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MAY 5, 10 AM-3 PM CAMPUS OPENING AND CONSECRATION ACADEMY FOR THE LOVE OF LEARNING, 133 SETON VILLAGE RD., SETON VILLAGE Dedication and blessing of the land led by Kathy Sanchez and speeches by Michelle Otero and Mayor David Coss. Shared stories and experiences, tour. Free. 505.955.1860, learn@aloveoflearning.org, www.aloveoflearning.org

MAY 5 FOOD FOR THOUGHT BRUNCH CAMINO DE PAZ SCHOOL & FARM SANTA CRUZ (NEAR ESPAÑOLA) Brunch buffet with food grown & raised by Camino de Paz students and prepared by local chefs. Marimba music and inspiring words by guest speaker. Supports financial aid. 505.747.9717, www.caminodepaz.net

MAY 12 COMMUNITY DAY Listen to music, pick up information from local nonprofits and government agencies and dance on the Plaza. Applications are being accepted through May 4. 505.955.6979 or bjmossman@ci.santa-fe.nm.us

MAY 20-25 TRUTHDIG RETREAT Concerned people will take stock of this time in our nation’s history and the prospects for progressive change. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Robert Scheer, Chris Hedges and Col. Ann Wright will lead a series of discussions. $2,250 one person, $2,850 two people.

Payment must be received by April 15. Info: 310.876.2344, events@truthdig.com

JUNE 18-22 AND JUNE 25-29 SUMMER CAMP CAMINO DE PAZ SCHOOL & FARM SANTA CRUZ (NEAR ESPAÑOLA) CdP and Española Valley Fiber Arts Center are offering two exciting weeks of fun on the farm. Animal care, food growing, cooking, making cheese and ice cream. Craft activities such as weaving, felting, sewing, puppet making, drawing offered. Students 8-11: $150/wk. Students may attend one or both weeks. caminodepazschool@gmail.com

HERE & THERE

APRIL 4, 5:30-7 PM CREATIVE TOURISM MEETING FOR ARTISTS ESPAÑOLA LIBRARY 313 N. PASEO DE ONATE, ESPAÑOLA Informational meeting for artists interested in offering workshops, classes and experiences to tourists. Learn how you can expand your business. Presented by Brent Hanifl, creative tourism consultant and Internet marketing expert. Info: 608.792.5746, santafecreativetourism@gmail.com or visit www.santafecreativetourism.org

APRIL 5, 11 AM FOOD FOR THOUGHT BRUNCH CAMINO DE PAZ SCHOOL, SANTA CRUZ (NEAR ESPAÑOLA) Speaker: Joel Salatin. Food served is raised on the school’s farm.505.231.2819,www.caminodepaz.net

APRIL 14, 8AM-4 PM 3RD ANNUAL SEED EXCHANGE LUNA COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAFETERIA LAS VEGAS, NM Exchange of heirloom, non-hybrid, nonGMO seeds. Also features talks on sustainable agriculture. Free lunch of traditional foods. einerlee@yahoo.com

APRIL 14 TAOS TRIATHLON TAOS YOUTH & FAMILY CENTER, 407 PASEO DEL CANON E. Super sprint (2.1-mile run, 9.6-mile bike and 400-yard swim) and children’s triathlon. $45 to register, $85 per team, $15 children. Benefits Taos Land Trust. Registration: www. active.com/triathlon/taos-nm/tritaos-2012, Info: www.taos.org

APRIL 14-15 SW CONFERENCE ON BOTANICAL MEDICINE SW COLLEGE OF NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE TEMPE, AZ Over 30 presentations. Pre-conference events.

541.482.3016, www.botanicalmedicine.org

APRIL 17, 2-11 PM PRINCIPLES OF LEAN MANUFACTURING WITH EMPHASIS ON GREEN SAN JUAN COLLEGE QUALITY CENTER FOR BUSINESS, FARMINGTON, NM Learn how to eliminate wastes in production processes. Presented by NM Manufacturing Extension Partnership. 505.262.0921, http://newmexicomep.org/events

APRIL 19-20, 4-6 PM SOLAR TRAINING EVENT TAOS ACADEMY, 110 PASEO DEL CANON W. For teachers, student leaders and volunteers.

Solar professionals will provide a fun-filled educational experience on solar basics to solar PV, water pumping, heating buildings, passive solar, fuel cells and more. 8 training and curriculum tables, resources for classroom use.

Hosted by the NM Solar Energy Assn. in Taos.

Free. 575.770.0225, www.nmsolar.org

APRIL 28 LOS ALAMOS FOOTHILLS TRAIL REPAIR Help repair section of trail that were lost during the Las Conchas fire. NM Volunteers for the Outdoors: 505.292.6030, bill@rabbit.org

MAY 13-17 ASES WORLD RENEWABLE ENERGY FORUM COLORADO CONVENTION CENTER DENVER, CO. The American Solar Energy Society and the World Renewable Energy Network presents this educational event for solar energy professionals in North America. This year’s theme: Empowering the World with Renewable Energy. Prominent speakers and technical presentations from universities, renewable energy laboratories, installations and industries around the world.

303.443.3130, ases@ases.org, www.wref2012.org

MAY 14-16 GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM TAOS CONVENTION CENTER, TAOS, NM Delegates, speakers, trade show. New opportunities and roles for the tourism industry. Registration: students $170, members $250-$300, non-members $300-$350. Info: 505.345.5553, www.tanm.org

MAY 17 PECHA KUCHA NIGHT TAOS TAOS CENTER FOR THE ARTS (TCA) Honoring Taos’ Remarkable Women. Internationally renowned event where local artists showcase 20 images of their work. Each presentation is 6 minutes 40 seconds. Live entertainment, food, drinks, “chit chat.” 575.613.0601, pechakuchataos@gmail.com, www.pecha-kucha.org.

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