Daily Postcard: Curious Weasel At Valles Caldera
Daily Postcard: A long-tailed weasel camouflaged by its white winter coat in the snow scans its surroundings, shown on Tuesday at Valles Caldera National Preserve. During the Valles Caldera Winter Fest this Saturday, Feb. 21, Ranger Jordan will lead a hike for little ones to learn about winter wildlife adaptations. Meet at the Volcano Discovery Center a few minutes before 11 a.m. to participate. No registration required. As you hike, try your best to insulate a gelatin creature from freezing in the cruel winter of Valles Caldera. On a cold winter day, there can be upwards of a 40-degree difference Read More
Community Invited To Explore New Mexico’s World‑Class Night Skies At Los Alamos Nature Center Planetarium
The Milky Way Galaxy is seen over the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array west of Socorro, N.M. Photo by NRAO/AUI/NSF/Jeff Hellerman
PEEC News:
The Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) invites the community to celebrate the rich astronomical heritage of our state in a special planetarium program, Astronomy in New Mexico, 7-8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, at the Los Alamos Nature Center Planetarium.
Blessed with dark skies, sweeping landscapes, and a long tradition of scientific discovery, New Mexico is home to some of the most important astronomical observatories in the world. From major Read More
Clouds And Snow Blanket Sangre De Cristos
Early morning view from White Rock of clouds and snow blanketing the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
LAFD: Preparedness Is Great Tool Against Wildfires
An example of defensible zones for a residence. Courtesy/LAC
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
It is only February and there are already fires igniting in New Mexico.
During the Los Alamos County Council work session Feb. 10, Wildland Division Chief Van Leimer reported that this month there are two wildfires in the eastern part of the state. One is about 4,000 acres and the second is approximately 3,500 acres, he said. Luckily, they are grass fires and as of Feb. 10, Leimer said both were 70 percent contained.
It isn’t looking good for the rest of the country, either. Read More
Daily Postcard: Beautiful Sunrise Over Velarde
Daily Postcard: A beautiful sunrise viewed early Wednesday from Velarde. Photo by Johnnie Martinez Read More
Robinson: One-sided Clear Horizons Act Failed In Senate
By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2026 New Mexico News Services
The Clear Horizons Act was another of those bills we’ve seen so often in New Mexico that balances the environment against the economy. In a floor vote, the Senate chose the economy.
Senate Bill 18 was one of those marquee bills that got a lot of attention before and during the session. Senate President Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, revamped the bill she carried last year. It would help reduce natural disasters driven by climate change if legislators could cement greenhouse gas reductions in state law, supporters believed.
I’m not Read More
Daily Postcard: Gunnison’s Prairie Dog At VCNP
Daily Postcard: A Gunnison’s prairie dog standing proudly with its belly out on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Valles Caldera National Preserve. The Gunnison’s prairie dog is a highly social critter that inhabits the montane grasslands throughout the park, living in colonies that can contain hundreds of interconnected burrows, chambers, and underground tunnels. They are herbivores, so their diets consist primarily of plant matter, although they’re known to occasionally consume an insect or two. Adults weigh 23 to 42 ounces, with males averaging slightly larger than females. Photo by Todd Read More
Strong Winds Knock Over Roll Carts In Quemazon
Blustery wind gusts knock over several roll carts this morning in Quemazon. Courtesy photo Read More
Daily Postcard: Butterfly! First Sign Of Spring!
Daily Postcard: The first butterfly of 2026 is a Mourning Cloak spotted on Monday near the Los Alamos Reservoir … the first sign of Spring! Photo by Michael Smith Read More
Los Alamos Geological Society To Meet Tuesday
LAGS News:
The Los Alamos Geological Society (LAGS) will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the Los Alamos Christian Church at 92 East Road.
The guest speaker will be Samuel Perry who will give a presentation summarizing new discoveries in the uranyl sulfate and uranyl carbonate mineral published in the past 15 years (approximately 55 minerals). He will also provide evidence for the existence of natural hollow-cage uranyl carbonate nanoclusters in water, determine the enthalpy of formation of five uranyl sulfate mineral phases and review the structural relationships of every uranyl sulfate Read More
CRRUA To Pay Nearly $200K For Drinking Water Violations
NMED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department today announced a settlement with the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority of five violations committed by the utility since 2023.
The settlement includes a penalty of $189,000, including a “bad faith” enhancement due to CRRUA’s repeated lack of accountability during the enforcement process. The funds will be deposited into the State’s Water Conservation Fund, which supports required water quality sampling and operator training assistance for public water systems statewide.
“The Environment Department has for years worked Read More
Sen. Gonzales: Protecting Northern New Mexico’s Land, Water, And Communities From Wildfire
By Sen. Bobby Gonzales
District: 6
Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe & Taos
In northern New Mexico, wildfire is not an abstract threat—it is something we have lived through, endured, and are still recovering from.
Communities across Taos, Mora, San Miguel, and Colfax counties know this all too well. The Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire burned hundreds of thousands of acres, displaced families, damaged acequias, destroyed grazing lands, and forever altered watersheds that our villages and pueblos rely on. The scars remain visible today—not just on the land, but in the lives of the people who
Daily Postcard: Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel At VCNP
Daily Postcard: A golden-mantled ground squirrel at Valles Caldera National Preserve. Courtesy/NPS Read More
Senate Panel Rejects Bid To Classify Nuclear As Renewable Energy In New Mexico
Members of the Senate Conservation Committee meet Saturday, Feb. 8, 2026, at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe to discuss a bill that would classify nuclear energy as renewable under the state’s renewable portfolio standard; the committee later voted Tuesday to reject the bill with a ‘Do Not Pass’ recommendation. Courtesy image
By MARLENE WILDEN
Los Alamos Daily Post
marlene@ladailypost.com
SANTA FE – A proposal to classify nuclear power as a form of renewable energy in New Mexico was effectively killed Tuesday in the Senate Conservation Committee, where lawmakers voted 5-4 on a do-not-pass motion Read More
Public Meeting On Update To Proposed Mescalero Apache Tribe Land Exchange To Be Held Feb. 25
NMSLO News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico State Land Office (NMSLO) and the Mescalero Apache Tribe will host a public meeting in the large banquet room at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces on Feb. 25, to share updated information and gather feedback from the local community regarding changes to the potential land exchange, Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard announced today.
Public Meeting Details:
- 6–7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb.25, 2026
- New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
4100 Dripping Springs Road
Las Cruces, NM 88011 - ZOOM Option
Meeting ID: 895 2836 0038
NMED Acts To Hold DOE Accountable For Legacy Waste
NMED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department issued several actions today to hold the U.S. Department of Energy accountable for failing to prioritize the cleanup of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s “legacy waste” for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
The continued presence of a large volume of unremedied hazardous and radioactive waste demonstrates a longstanding lack of urgency by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and elevates the risk of waste storage failures at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
The term “legacy waste” describes mixed waste that dates Read More
Santa Fe National Forest Plans Blanco Prescribed Fire
Courtesy/SFNF
SFNF News:
ESPAÑOLA — The Santa Fe National Forest is planning prescribed fire operations in the Española Ranger District as early as Feb. 18, 2026, pending all required approvals. The Blanco prescribed fire is a 718-acre broadcast burn located off Forest Road 144 west of Clara Peak and north of Santa Clara Pueblo. Fire managers will look for opportunities to implement this burn from February 18 to March 15, as weather conditions allow. A broadcast burn is when fire is applied across a defined area or boundary to reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure Read More
Increase In Daytime Bobcat Sightings In Los Alamos: What You Need To Know…
A bobcat roots through a resident’s shed in February in Eastern Area. Photo by Jim Goforth
A bobcat hunts around the grounds at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in February. Photo by Amanda Bucklin
A bobcat spruces up in February in downtown Los Alamos. Photo by Kurt Steinhaus
COUNTY News:
Bobcats are found throughout Los Alamos County and have been spotted regularly in the downtown area in the past few weeks. Although elusive and difficult to observe, it is not unusual for the bobcat’s habitat to include a densely populated urban area.
These cats are much smaller than a mountain lion, weighing Read More
State Senate Shoots Down Bill Codifying Emissions Goals In New Mexico
Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, sponsor of the Clear Horizons Act, which would codify emission reduction targets, defends the bill during a debate on the state Senate floor Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. Nathan Burton/The New MexicanBy DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A contentious proposal to put New Mexico’s pollution reduction goals into state statute went up in smoke Wednesday.
The New Mexico Senate on Wednesday rejected Senate Bill 18, known as the Clear Horizons Act, on a 19-23 vote. Seven Democrats joined all their Republican colleagues in voting against Read More
Luján, Scott Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Develop, Demonstrate, And Deploy Technologies To Accelerate Nuclear Waste Cleanup
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) introduced the Combining Laboratory Expertise to Accelerate Novel Solutions for Minimizing Accumulated Radioactive Toxins (CLEAN SMART) Act.
This legislation would build on the success of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Network of National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship (NNLEMS) to accelerate nuclear waste cleanup.
The CLEAN SMART Act would codify and properly fund NNLEMS to leverage the best available science and technology of the nation’s national Read More