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Last modified:
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Headline
News From
Oct. 25, 2002 Issue
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Man
arrested for burglary, beating & theft
A
Caballo man allegedly entered into an Austin Avenue residence in Truth or
Consequences Monday afternoon demanding money and after the resident
denied owing any debt the man kicked him on the face and stole $30 cash,
apparently to spend on a drinking binge.
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District
38 race heats up
Candidates
for the New Mexico State Legislature’s 38th District Dianne
Hamilton (R-Silver City) and Gary Whitehead (D-Truth or Consequences) met
Tuesday evening in a debate.
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CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE
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Rio
Grande Project
going dry
The end of
the irrigation season on Oct. 11 marked Elephant Butte Reservoir at its
lowest storage level in 23 years.
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Desert
Journal enters 21st Century
Lightning,
thunder, power failures and the beast failed to prevent another
technological advance in Sierra County last week.
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VALOR
Telecom announces $3M
in local network improvement projects
VALOR Telecom
announced Wednesday the completion of an initiative that is now making
high-speed broadband Internet access available locally and the beginning
of new projects for modernizing the company's network infrastructure in
Sierra County.
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The
Wildlands Project comes to Hidalgo County
The
Wildlands Project’s Master Plan consists of an 87-page document,
originally published in Wild Earth in1992.
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OBITUARIES
Notices
for Charles L. Muma, Adelbert
Richard "Dick" Sutter & James R. Fitzgerald Sr.
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…Simply
Halloweird
The
2nd annual Haunted House presented by Halloweird Productions, A
TORC Production, will feature spooks and Sci-Fi spoofs like “Star
Wars” and “Aliens” with themes focused on alien and human
interactions. Four presentations are planned at the Haunted House,
sponsored by the City of Truth or Consequences and numerous merchants, at
the old downtown T or C Fire Hall, 201 S. Date St. Three nights of
Halloweird fun are planned from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Wednesday and
Thursday, Oct. 26, 30 and 31. The cost is $3 for adults and $2 for kids.
DJ
photo by Bill Johnson
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...Don’t
get caught by this dude, he’s bad
An
alien lurks among the fog and rubble at the Halloweird Haunted House at
the old T or C Fire Hall. The presentations on the nights of Oct. 26, 30
and 31 will feature many surprises, including animated electronics,
crawling brains, baby in a bottle, Bloody Mary, mad doctors, a
computer-controlled Star Gate, two men in black and a lot more spooky
weirdness. Proceeds from the event will be used for next year’s haunted
house.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson
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Man arrested for burglary, beating
& theft
Desert
Journal Staff Report
A
Caballo man allegedly entered into an Austin Avenue residence in Truth or
Consequences Monday afternoon demanding money and after the resident
denied owing any debt the man kicked him on the face and stole $30 cash,
apparently to spend on a drinking binge.
Detective
Thomas Schalkofski of the T or C Police Department filed the criminal
complaint Tuesday in the Sierra County Magistrate Court.
Charges
leveled against Patrick G. Jordan, 32, of Caballo, include a count each of
aggravated burglary, aggravated battery, larceny under $100 and tampering
with evidence.
The
burglary and tampering charges
are second and fourth degree felonies, respectively, and the battery and
theft charges are misdemeanors.
At
about 4:24p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to the residence of Charles
Pearson at 217 Austin Ave. to investigate an alleged strong-arm robbery.
Pearson
identified his assailant and told police he left in a brown Dodge pickup.
The victim reported Jordan was wearing steel toed biker boots with a spur
attached to one of the boots.
At
about 4:32 p.m., Officer McAlister found and followed the vehicle
westbound on Austin and stopped it in front of 315 Austin a mere block
away from the victim’s home.
Police
said Jordan was a passenger in the vehicle driven by Linnie Ferguson and
that Jordan did indeed don a spur on one of his boots.
Police
then arrested Jordan but could not find the money he allegedly stole from
Pearson’s home. Police said they searched for the $30 on Jordan’s
person and in the vehicle.
According
to Pearson, he had just got out of the bathroom when he walked into his
living room and noticed Jordan was standing inside his doorway. Pearson
then sat down and Jordan asked him for $100 that Pearson purportedly owed
him, according to the detective’s statement of probable cause.
After
Pearson denied owing Jordan any amount of money, Jordan allegedly kicked
Pearson on the left side of his face with the steel toed boot. Jordan then
reached inside Pearson’s right tube sock and took a $20 and two $5
bills. Jordan then left the victim’s home, the detective’s statement
said.
Pearson
told police that Jordan had been advising him of the $100 debt since Oct.
16. The victim said he also has witnessed Jordan telling other people that
they owed him money when he was drinking and needed more money for
alcohol.
Pearson
said he never had any problems with Jordan before the incident and that he
certainly does not owe him any money, according to Det. Schalkofski’s
statement.
Bond
for Jordan was set at $16,000 cash surety. The magistrate court set his
preliminary hearing for 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 28.
<<<
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…An
island no more
Elephant
Butte, that majestic rock in the middle of Elephant Butte Lake, is no
longer an island surrounded entirely by water as proven by this photo
taken Wednesday afternoon. Due to drought, the lake’s water level has
receded to the point that it is at its lowest elevation since 1979.
Witnesses said they noticed Elephant Butte, which is shown only partly as
the landmass coming off the left-center bank of the photo, was linked up
with the eastern shoreline two weeks ago (Oct. 11) when the Bureau of
Reclamation reported the lake’s storage was only at one seventh of its
capacity.
DJ Photo by Bill Johnson
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District 38 race heats up
By Fred Mramor of the Desert Journal
Candidates for the New Mexico State
Legislature’s 38th District Dianne Hamilton (R-Silver City)
and Gary Whitehead (D-Truth or Consequences) met Tuesday evening in a
debate sponsored by the T or C/Sierra County Chamber of Commerce at the
Ralph Edwards Civic Auditorium.
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Hamilton defends record,
seeks a third term
Seeking her third term in New
Mexico’s House of Representatives, Hamilton said her experience in Santa
Fe, her life experience, her ability to relate to constituents, her being
a full-time legislator who is otherwise retired, and her availability to
constituents makes her the better candidate.
Hamilton said she is running for
reelection to see business started in the legislature come to fruition,
with work left to be done regarding small business, drug decriminalization
and cock fighting legislation.
Hamilton said she is running on a
simple platform of reducing taxes and improving education, which she said
is the most important issue to New Mexico voters.
Hamilton said she has been fighting the
last four years for better teacher pay to attract the best teachers. She
proposed establishing a State Department of Education with a secretary in
the governor’s cabinet.
Hamilton said she has pledged not to
raise taxes and pointed out that New Mexico has the nation’s second
highest state income tax rates but is one of the poorest states.
Hamilton said high taxes discourage
businesses from coming to NM. Neighboring states with lower or no income
tax are flourishing while NM drops further behind, she said.
Hamilton said cities and counties
“live and die” on gross receipts taxes (GRT). She said she supports
the elimination of GRT on food and medical services but that it has to be
phased in “so no one hurts.”
She said lost revenues would have to be
replaced somehow and that government fat and pork should be reduced.
Hamilton declared she is an
environmentalist - in the same way everyone else is, that she wants clean
air and water - but that “the silvery minnow shouldn’t be allowed to
get in the way of our lives.”
Hamilton said she gets very upset when
people are cut out of the picture and asked, “Who is the wilderness to
be kept pristine for, animals?” She said land is for human beings who
must be good stewards and that there must be room for logging, ranching
and mining.
Asked what she has done for Sierra
County, Hamilton said she procured $425,000 worth of sanitation equipment
for the City of Truth or Consequences, $40,000 for a water system in
Cuchillo and $14,000 in playground equipment for Williamsburg.
Hamilton said Sierra County’s
greatest problems is the same one facing much of rural America: old,
crumbling infrastructure, which she said has been maintained in a
patchwork fashion and can’t be jerry-rigged anymore.
Hamilton said wastewater facilities are
desperately needed but she doesn’t know if the State Legislature will
provide necessary funding and that it may have to come from the federal
government.
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Whitehead would bring
county representation
Former Sierra County Commissioner and
County Manager Gary Whitehead said that with him running for the State
Legislature, voters will have the opportunity to elect the first
representative from Sierra County in 12 years.
He said he has the energy and
willingness to serve.
Whitehead said public service is the
highest honor one can achieve. He said his experiences with the public in
county government, and as a small business owner and dedicated family man,
provide him the tools that will make him an effective legislator.
Whitehead said he wants to end four
years of gridlock in Santa Fe where capital outlays have been held hostage
to other issues.
His wife having been a teacher for 20
years, Whitehead too recognized the importance of education. He said
schools must have good teachers and that “we need to recognize New
Mexico’s many good students.”
Whitehead said he wants to work toward
providing better salaries for educators, reducing class sizes and
improving Sierra County’s standing in New Mexico with respect to
education.
Whitehead said he wants also to repair
old infrastructure and replace old books and computers, get parents more
actively involved in their children’s education and provide better
opportunities for vocational training as well as college.
Whitehead said taxation is as
significant an issue as education. He said he wants to make sure tax
reduction is at the local level.
He said he would be cautious and thinks
that tax reductions must be across the board. He said he doesn’t want
the poor to take up the burden.
Whitehead said he would support
reducing gross receipts taxes for medical services but that he doesn’t
want to damage municipalities that rely heavily on food taxes.
Whitehead said he’s a realist rather
than an environmentalist. He said he supports public land use but that
public land must be taken care of for all to enjoy.
He said the human factor is important,
but no less important than environmental factors. He said people are
getting the message and environmentalists are making concessions.
Whitehead cited his bringing
professionalism to county government, improving roads, constructing local
community centers and saving Sierra Vista Hospital as his contributions
after being elected to two terms as a county commissioner.
Whitehead agreed with Hamilton that
Sierra County’s aging infrastructure is a significant concern but more
important is “finding Sierra County’s identity.” He said county
residents must decide what kind of business they want for their community.
Whitehead said work must be done on
Sierra County’s state parks. He said also steps must be taken to
increase the county’s tourism industry and enhance its agricultural
market.
<<< >>>
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A
shadow of the hill reflects parallel on the shallow surface waters of the
Rio Grande as viewed about a mile downstream of Elephant Butte Dam
Wednesday afternoon.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson
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The
measuring stick in the Rio Grande just downstream of Elephant Butte Dam
shows just a trickle of water is being released, indicating the end of the
irrigation season for the Rio Grande Project.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson
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Rio Grande Project going dry
EB
Lake’s storage
at
lowest level since 1979;
farmers
stand to lose
on
2003 water allocation
The
end of the irrigation season on Oct. 11 marked Elephant Butte Reservoir at
its lowest storage level in 23 years.
The
lake’s water level receded to the point that Elephant Butte is no longer
an island.
But
the real hard hitting news is the Bureau of Reclamation’s expectation
that the 2003 winter runoff from Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado
most likely will not support a full allocation of irrigation water for
farmers downstream in the Rio Grande Project of southern New Mexico and
West Texas. In fact, the Bureau expects farmers to receive only a third of
their allocation next year.
The
Bureau of Reclamation on Oct. 11 closed the gates at Caballo Dam, ending
releases for the 2002 irrigation season for the Rio Grande Project.
The
Elephant Butte Irrigation District in southern New Mexico and El Paso
County Water Improvement District No. 1 in far west Texas diverted the
remaining water supply in the Rio Grande from Caballo Dam to El Paso, TX,
from Oct. 11 to 17 completing their irrigation seasons respectively.
Mexico completed its irrigation season on Sept. 15.
Releases
from Elephant Butte Dam were discontinued on Oct. 10.
Initial
releases for the 2002 irrigation season from Caballo Reservoir began Feb.
19 with a full irrigation supply allocated. About 800,000 acre-feet has
been released from storage as of Oct. 11 for the Rio Grande Project’s
New Mexico and Texas irrigation districts and, internationally, for
Mexico.
On
Oct. 11, Elephant Butte Reservoir reached its lowest storage level of the
year at 280,620 acre-feet. That storage level represents 14% of a full
reservoir (1,998,358 acre-feet capacity). This is the lowest storage level
at Elephant Butte Reservoir since February 1979.
The reservoir began 2002 with a storage
level of 898,020 acre-feet. The sharp drop in storage water at Elephant
Butte Reservoir this year (nearly 45 foot drop in lake level) was due to a
very low spring runoff resulting from poor snow-pack conditions in the
mountains of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, and a dry summer
and fall resulting in below normal precipitation from the area's monsoon
season.
The
2002 spring runoff at the San Marcial gauging stations on the Rio Grande
(just upstream of Elephant Butte Reservoir) was only 62,000 acre-feet
(March-July), which is 11% of the long-term average of 573,000 acre-feet.
That is the sixth lowest runoff since flow records began at the San
Marcial stations in 1895 more than 107 years ago.
In
recent years, from 1996 to 2002, six of the seven years have been below
average runoff into Elephant Butte Reservoir with 1996, 2000 and 2002
being well below average runoff.
The
area’s monsoon season (typically July to September) for 2000, 2001 and
2002 has been dry with below normal precipitation for the last three
years.
All
of these climatic events have resulted in a severe drought for the entire
upper Rio Grande Basin.
With
unusually low storage levels at Elephant Butte and Caballo Reservoirs, the
prospects for a full supply for irrigation for the Rio Grande Project
water users for 2003 are not good.
The
Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is projecting end of year storage levels at
Elephant Butte Reservoir to be only 311,000 acre-feet (16% of full), and
at Caballo Reservoir to be only 40,000 acre-feet (18% of full).
The
end of year combined storage amount of 351,000 acre-feet is not enough to
allocate a full irrigation supply to the Rio Grande Project water users to
start the 2003 irrigation season, according to the BOR.
BOR
says it needs at least an average runoff at the San Marcial stations of
573,000 acre-feet next spring to allocate a full irrigation supply for the
Rio Grande Project water users.
From
1980 to 2002, Reclamation has had enough storage water in Elephant Butte
and Caballo Reservoirs at the beginning of each irrigation season to
allocate a full supply to the Rio Grande Project water users.
However,
2003 will be the first year in 24 years that farmers will have to depend
solely on the spring runoff into Elephant Butte Reservoir to make their
water supply for the upcoming irrigation season.
As
dry conditions persist in the upper Rio Grande Basin, the prospects for an
average runoff next spring are not good.
Dry
soil conditions in the mountains of northern New Mexico and southern
Colorado usually means a less efficient snow-pack runoff in the spring as
more of the snowmelt soaks into the high country soil.
With
the chances increasing that the Rio Grande Project may be faced with a
less than full supply for irrigation next year, BOR continues to
coordinate with the Rio Grande Project water users to discuss the
operations of the Rio Grande Project for 2003 if the water users are faced
with a less than full supply for irrigation.
People
having comments or questions concerning the Rio Grande Project water
supply may call Filiberto Cortez, Manager of Reclamation's El Paso Field
Division, at (915) 534-6301.
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Drought
is evident with the high water marks on surrounding hills and the lake’s
low water level as shown at Elephant Butte Dam Wednesday afternoon.
DJ
Photo by Bill Johnson
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Desert Journal enters 21st
Century
1st in county to
print electronically
Lightning, thunder, power
failures and the beast failed to prevent another technological advance in
Sierra County last week.
The Desert Journal became Truth
or Consequences’ and the county’s first general circulation newspaper
to ever produce in its entirety by electronic means – meaning all
production work, layout and design were done on the computer and the final
product sent via the internet to the printer in Las Cruces for imaging and
printing.
The Sierra County Sentinel
produces its color pages electronically, but printer limitations for
bigger broadsheet publications prevent it from being fully electronic for
the time being.
“We were on a collision
course with time to get this done before November when a rate increase
will go into effect for the old way of doing things,” said Desert
Journal Publisher Bill Johnson.
“The new method is also a
little more expensive but with it comes an excellent printing quality that
we noticed immediately upon seeing last Friday’s (Oct. 18) issue of the
Desert Journal hot off the press,” Johnson said.
“No more cut and paste, no
more paper waste,” Johnson said with glee about the new way of producing
the Desert Journal, this issue being the second fully electronically
produced newspaper.
“We should never be afraid of
new technologies that make our jobs a little easier and thus more
efficient; yet improve the overall image of the product. This is a big
plus for us and our readers and we look forward to the unlimited
opportunities that come with such technological advances,” Johnson said.
“I’ve heard people say
Sierra County is 50 years behind the times. Now we can say the Desert
Journal is caught up as far as the local newspaper industry is
concerned,” he said.
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…New
trail system along the Rio
A
new trail, complete with gravel and wood siding, may be found at the state
park on the Rio Grande just downstream of Elephant Butte Dam.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson
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VALOR Telecom
announces $3 million
in local
network improvement projects
High-speed
broadband
internet
technology
also deployed
TRUTH OR
CONSEQUENCES - VALOR Telecom announced Wednesday the completion of an
initiative that is now making high-speed broadband Internet access
available locally and the beginning of new projects for modernizing the
company's network infrastructure in Sierra County.
"Altogether,
these projects represent more than $3 million in new investments designed
to bring telecom services up to par with many major metropolitan areas
around the country," said D.F. 'Duffy' Swan, vice president of Policy
& Law.
VALOR Telecom
began operations in Sierra County two years ago when it took over the GTE
service areas in New Mexico.
"Our
first local initiative was to bring in a wide range of calling features,
such as call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling, and speed
dialing to the local calling areas, while our second project brought in
caller identification and voice mail services," Swan said.
"Just
recently, we completed our deployment of DSL (digital subscriber line)
high-speed broadband Internet access in Truth or Consequences and Elephant
Butte and, after months of planning, engineering and network enhancements,
we're pleased to offer this highly sought-after capability," he
added.
VALOR's
latest project involves the installation of new call-processing equipment
in the T or C and Elephant Butte switches. "This will increase our
call-carrying capacity and provide us with a new network-management system
in the Sierra County areas we serve," Swan said.
VALOR will
begin installation of the new switch equipment, manufactured by Siemens,
in mid-November, with completion anticipated to be in late March or early
April.
With the
network enhancements, Swan said new software could be deployed quickly,
"which will reduce our costs and allow us to easily add new services
and features as they become available."
In addition
to the new switching equipment, VALOR plans to deploy fiber optics
technology between Truth or Consequences and the radio tower in Engle.
"This
also will increase our capacity considerably and give us the ability to
provide scalable and upgradeable broadband capabilities for government
offices, the university, medical centers and schools," Swan said.
With the
deployment of DSL in the T or C and Elephant Butte areas, VALOR has
completed a project it began a year ago to bring the technology to 10
communities statewide.
DSL provides
Internet users much higher Internet speeds, up to 50 times faster than
dial-up service, and the ability to use the Internet and the phone over
the same line at the same time.
"We're
proud of this accomplishment because it was identified as a high priority
by our customers when we started doing business here two years ago,"
Swan said.
With DSL,
there are no dial-up delays getting on the Internet and downloads that
used to take minutes and hours now take only seconds to complete, Swan
said. These include heavy graphics files, large documents, software,
photos and e-mail attachments.
"Also,
DSL easily accommodates interactive multimedia applications, such as
distance learning and telemedicine," Swan said.
The DSL
options available on the VALOR network range in price from $30 to $295 a
month, depending on speeds required, which range from 384 kilobits per
second to 1.5 megabits per second.
VALOR offers
the new technology option directly to customers and through an association
with ZiaNet, a leading New Mexico Internet services provider.
VALOR Telecom
reached its second anniversary in New Mexico on Sept. 1.
The privately
held company started operations in 2000 after acquiring nearly 300 mainly
rural telephone service areas in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas from GTE
(now Verizon).
In New
Mexico, VALOR has grown from about 80 employees to nearly 340 in numerous
skilled positions, and it operates four retail stores in Española,
Carlsbad, Hobbs and Ruidoso.
The company
located two of its three service centers in Española and Carlsbad that
serve customers in all three states.
VALOR also
serves the New Mexico communities of Abiquiu, Alto, Caballo, Animas,
Canjilon, Capitan, Carlsbad, Carlsbad Caverns, Chama, Dixon, Dulce, El
Rito, Española, Eunice, Gallina, Hillsboro, Hobbs, Jal, Jemez Springs,
Lindrith, Loving, Lovington, Lybrook, Ojo Caliente, Ruidoso Downs, San
Ysidro, Tierra Amarilla, Truches, Vallecitos and Velarde.
<<<
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...Going
down and we’re not talking elevators
The
Damsite Marina at Elephant Butte Lake, even though in deeper waters, has
faced much the same situation this year with bumping bottom and has had to
shift like the other two marinas at the lake as the result of receding
water levels. In the background is Elephant Butte and one can see how much
the water has dropped by looking at the high water mark or lighter
discoloration at the base of the Butte.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson
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The Wildlands Project
Comes to Hidalgo
County
(Part 5)
- Conservation Biology -
http://stage.conbio.net/ConBio/Who_We_Are_EN.asp?SnID=811666082
A Country Girl’s Musin’
By Judy Keeler
The
Wildlands Project’s Master Plan consists of an 87-page document,
originally published in Wild Earth in1992.
Within
these pages are found the essential elements with which to build a
“biological preserve.” The chapter discussing this reserve design is
entitled “The Wildlands Project: Land Conservation Strategy” by Reed
F. Noss.
Dave
Foreman, Howie Wolke and Bart Koehler actually laid the foundation for
this concept in the early 1980s. Published in the June 1983 issue of Earth
First!, and again in Foreman’s 1991 book, “Confessions of an
Eco-Warrior,” the concept continues to be honed over time.
Normal
scientific findings usually begin with a theory, or hypothesis. The
scientist’s job is to prove the hypothesis using acceptable standards to
reach an unbiased conclusion. These standards include gathering facts,
analyzing data, comparing information with a control group, testing the
hypothesis, then reaching a conclusion.
On
the other hand, conservation biology does not operate using standard
scientific guidelines. In the author’s own words, the Plan is “largely
untested,” a theory yet proven.
It
has, however, been embraced by both academia and the media from Seattle,
WA, and Stanford, CA, to Orona, ME, and Orlando, FL. Incorporated in 1986,
the Society of Conservation Biology claims membership of 10,000 people and
institutions.
Reed
Noss openly
acknowledges, “The ideas and words presented [in the Wildlands
Project’s Master Plan] are part of a continually evolving text.”
According
to Noss’ biography, he is a consultant in ecology and conservation
biology, half time research scientist at the University of Idaho’s
College of Forestry, and a research associate at Stanford University’s
Center for Conservation Biology. He holds a PhD in wildlife ecology from
the University of Florida.
His
most recent stint has been to serve as a paid consultant to the Department
of Interior, hired during Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt’s term. It
is interesting to note here, the Bureau of Land Management’s Rangeland
Reform ’94, birthed through a great deal of controversy during Secretary
Babbitt’s administration, adopts, almost word for word, Noss’
recommendations for maintaining biological diversity.
As
expressed in the Master Plan, in order to maintain biological diversity
one must maintain ecological and evolutionary processes such as
“disturbance regime, hydrological process, nutrient cycle and biotic
interaction.”
Conservation
biologists also believe large carnivores and ungulates require large
expanses of land in order to breed and expand. For a minimum viable
population of 1,000 large predators, an area of 242 million acres would be
required for grizzly bears, 200 million acres for wolverines, and 100
million acres for wolves.
The
reserve design would consist of core reserves, connecting corridors and
two buffer zones. Core reserves would be managed as roadless areas, within
which all roads would be closed, “free from industrial use.”
The
“inner buffer zone would be strictly protected” while the “outer
zones would allow a wider range of compatible human uses.” Outside the
outer buffer area
would be
an area
Noss re- fers to as the “matrix.”
Initially
this matrix would consist of the land surrounding the reserve. However,
according to Noss, the matrix would exist only “in the first stages of a
wilderness recovery project.”
Eventually,
the wilderness network would be expanded to “dominate a region and thus
would itself constitute the matrix, with human habitations being the
islands.”
As
noted in an issue of Science - June 25, 1993 - the long-term goal of the
Wildlands Project “is nothing less than a transformation of America from
a place where 4.7 percent of the land is wilderness to an archipelago of
human-inhabited islands surrounded” by wilderness.
Noss
suggests in the Master Plan, “At least half of the land area of the 48
conterminous [contiguous?] states should be encompassed in core reserves
and inner corridors zones within the next few decades.” That is
assuming, of course, that “most of the other 50% is managed
intelligently as buffer zone.”
Although
this appears to be a very ambitious plan, it does not go far enough for a
few Wildland proponents. Some have called for as much as 89% of our
nation’s land mass to be set aside in these reserves - set apart from
human activities.
For
supporters and affiliates of the Wildlands Project, Noss also discusses
how to select a reserve site and draw boundaries; how large a core reserve
should be; how a core reserve should be managed; the primary functions of
a “multiple-use zone”; the primary functions of corridors; and design
and management criteria.
Under
“restorative management” techniques, he suggests: replanting with
native species; thinning of fire-suppressed stands of forest types;
reintroduction of fire; road closures; control or (where
possible) elimination
of exotic species
(including livestock); and reintroduction of large carnivores.
The
Wildlands Projects’ Master Plan also calls for reserves to be managed by
nongovernmental organizations like the Nature Conservancy.
Dave
Foreman even suggests “Nature Conservancy staff should be plugged in so
that gaps in reserve networks can become priorities for acquisition.”
Noss
continues, “Sympathetic agency personnel should be recruited [to bring
together] professional ecologists and other scientists who understand the
local ecosystem and wildlife as well as the principles of conservation
biology,” and “grass-roots conservation activists who understand the
mechanics of public land management” to help design the preserves.
A
few years ago, I heard the president of a local ranching organization say,
“Conservation biology was the only pure science.”
He
contended the science used by land grant universities to improve rangeland
“had been compromised because it was funded by the ranching
community.”
I
felt the
rancher was
very naïve to believe
organizations like The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society and Sierra Club
are truly altruistic, unbiased and their science un-compromised.
I’m
not alone in questioning conservation biology’s unbiased science. Bi-ologists
around the continent question whether there is really any science to
support the Wildlands Project.
Richard
Hobbs, author of The Role of Corridors in Conservation: Solution or
Bandwagon?, strongly implies the theory that ‘natural corridors’
enhances the free movement of species between reserves is on shaky ground.
This concept, “along with other principles of reserve design, have been
quoted in policy documents and textbooks, despite being supported by few
empirical data at the time, and being subject to considerable debate
since.”
Other
scientists have been even more challenging, preferring to call it
pseudo-science.
Next
week: The Wildlands Project - Dave Foreman Related articles - The
Wildlands Project: www.thewildlandsprojectrevealed.org Diplomatic Immunity
for the Sierra Club: www.citizenreviewonline.org/august_2002/diplomatic.htm.
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OBITUARIES
Charles L. Muma,
68, formerly of Truth or Consequences, died Oct. 15, 2002, at his home in
Albuquerque. He was born March 7, 1934, in Lincoln, NE, to George Joseph
and Ester E. (Lee) Muma. He was a retired 20-year railroad engineer with
the Burlington Northern Railroad. The Korean Conflict veteran also retired
from the U.S. Army.
Survivors include his two sons,
Ty Muma of Parker, CO, and Lee Muma of Chadron, NE; five grandchildren;
his two sisters, Georgia Vonora of Iowa and Mary Ann Speerman of Nebraska;
and his two brothers, Richard Muma and Jay Muma, both of Nebraska.
Private interment will be held
at the Ft. Logan National Cemetery in Denver, CO. Arrangements are by
French Mortuary & Cremation Services of T or C; 505-894-2574.
Adelbert Richard
“Dick” Sutter,
77, of Williamsburg, died Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002, at his home.
He
was born May 2, 1925, in Lakewood, OH, to Albert John and Catherine
Margaret (Hanrahan) Sutter. He was among a dozen siblings in the Sutter
household. He married Margaret Lee and they raised a son. He collected
animated stuffed animals and toys with which he enjoyed entertaining
visitors at his home. He was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Catholic Church and the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau.
Survivors include his two
brothers, John Farrell Sutter and wife Gigi of Lakewood, OH, and Robert
Gerald Sutter and wife Tita of Fort Meyers, FL; his sister, Catherine
Margaret Gehring and husband Donald of Scottsdale, AZ; several nieces and
nephews; and numerous friends he made during his 20 years plus in Sierra
County. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret Lee Sutter; his
son, Adelbert R. Sutter Jr.; his parents; six brothers, Albert, Paul,
Francis, Eugene, William and Edward; his sister, Rosemary; and his dear
friend, Agnes M. Florence, in September 2001.
A devoted Catholic, he took
great pride in his church's choir. In lieu of flowers, donations may be
made to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church for the purchase of a
new organ.
Prayer vigil was held Sunday,
Oct. 20, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church with Rev. Sean
Garrity officiating. Mass of the resurrection was celebrated Monday, Oct.
21, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church with Rev. Art Roberts
officiating. Vernal Trujillo played organ while the Church Choir sang some
of Dick's favorite hymns. A memorial mass will be celebrated Nov. 15 at
St. Matthias Catholic Church in Lakewood, OH, with his nephew, Rev.
Raymond Sutter, officiating. Arrangements were by Sierra Funeral Home, 507
W. McAdoo St. in Truth or Consequences.
James Randolph
Fitzgerald Sr.,
61, a former longtime resident of Truth or Consequences, died Saturday,
Oct. 19, 2002, at Hospice House in Odessa, TX. He was born May 25, 1941,
in Fort Worth, TX, to Thomas R. Fitzgerald and Goldie Bell White. He
married Illa G. Eaves on July 16, 1960, in Snyder, TX.
He had served as director of
Sierra County’s ambulance service before it was privatized more than a
decade ago and he also served as the coordinator and director of the
Sierra County Emergency Management Office. As such, he was an instructor
for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for nine years,
retiring 10 years ago. Fitzgerald served at the pleasure of the county
commission and he often was assigned numerous outside duties, including
grant writer for many of the county’s projects or needs. He also had
been employed as an insurance salesman, an oil roustabout, service station
attendant and truck driver, distributing for companies such as Prices.
He enjoyed art, hunting,
camping, gambling, politics, fishing, football, baseball, basketball and
track, and he collected ducks. He coached boxing for Golden Gloves more
than 15 years, and was a “star” Boy Scout and Scoutmaster for several
years. He was a member of the Jaycees in Andrews, TX, and Lovington, NM,
and the Kiwanis, Odd Fellows and Moose Lodge in T or C. He also was a
member of the Community of Christ Church. He was a foster parent for many
years.
Survivors include his wife,
Illa G. Fitzgerald; his father; his daughters, Nina Xan Simonson &
husband Jeff of Mesa, AZ, Gina Ann Thomas and husband Paul of T or C,
Robina Esquivel and husband John of San Marcos, TX; his son, James
Randolph Fitzgerald Jr. and wife Dalia of El Paso, TX; his sisters, Nadine
Sellers and husband Don of Granbury, TX, and Lenora Nelson and husband
Luke of Denver City, TX; his grandchildren, James R. Fitzgerald III of El
Paso, TX, Robert J., Chad T. and Shelby L. Simonson of Mesa, AZ, David
Fitzgerald of Tucson, AZ, JJ Esquivel of San Marcos, TX, Ashley G.
Fitzgerald of Kermit, TX, Daryl H. Thomas of T or C, and William Gobel of
El Paso, TX; his great-granddaughter, Paris Novell Fitzgerald of El Paso,
TX; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his
mother; his mother-in-law, Nina Eavess; his brother-in-law, Robert Stark;
and his granddaughter, Charlotte Ann Thomas.
Services were held Tuesday,
Oct. 22, at Sunset Memorial Chapel in Odessa, TX, with Rev. Woody Alley
officiating. Memorials may be made to Hospice House of Odessa, TX.
Pallbearers were James R. Fitzgerald III, Robert J. Simonson, David F.
Fitzgerald, Chad T. Simonson, JJ Esquivel, Johnny Nelson, Chris Nelson,
Joel Fitzgerald, James Gavin, Jessie Rivera, Bobbie Gutierrez, Robert
Gutierrez and Andrew Flores. Arrangements were by Sunset Memorial Funeral
Home in Odessa, TX.
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