Archive for Edgewood
Hazardous Conditions At Edgewood Post Office
by John Weckerle 
Today’s photos were taken yesterday at the Edgewood post office, four days after the storm that hit last week. At the time the photos were taken, the sidewalk along the north side of the building had not been cleared of snow, and part of the parking lot remained a sheet of ice. We understand that the past weekend was a holiday weekend, that the Edgewood Post Office has been without a postmaster since July, and that the Post Office is looking to save money where it can. However, this has been a problem at the Edgewood Post Office for years, and it’s about time for it to be resolved. The USPS has an obligation to protect its patrons from harm while they are on its property, and the conditions just feet from the door are hazardous. A word to the wise, USPS: sooner or later somebody is going to take a fall, and even a minor injury may cost you more than a whole season’s snow removal services.
Message From Wildlife West Founder
by Roger Alink, Executive Director, Wildlife West Nature Park
Wildlife West Nature Park is private 501-c-3 not for profit organization that has numerous restrictions placed upon it by IRS. No involvement in political activity or having the effect of supporting any candidate or groups of candidates is allowed. The park has been perceived to be affiliated with the TEA party primarily because of the large signs around the community advertising the TEA party meetings at Wildlife West Nature Park. Numerous calls concerning this issue were made with great concern that the park was supporting the TEA party. Even though we just rented the facility to the TEA party, sometimes perceptions are a bigger problem than reality. I feel it is unfair for this issue to get misunderstood by many on both sides of the political spectrum and both sides have threatened to withhold support for the park. The park depends on the whole community for support and we are grateful for the outpouring of support we have received throughout the past year. Wildlife West Nature Park is non-partisan and only wants to serve our wildlife and education mission as well as the entire community without any perception of representing political issues. Therefore the decision is to no longer rent our facility to any group representing any political issues and/or candidates or groups of candidates. Let’s put this behind us and work for a peaceful and healthy park in 2011.
Stand Up For Local Charities
by John Weckerle
As our readers might imagine, it is with a great deal of interest that we have observed the developing story of the East Mountain Tea Party’s (EMTP’s) latest brouhaha, this time involving the Moriarty Lions Club and Wildlife West Nature Park. Both organizations recently discontinued the practice of leasing space to the EMTP. As reported by some, reasons given were public perception issues, threatened loss of donations, and potential concerns with respect to the groups’ status as charitable organizations in the context of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) policies. The latter is the official position given by both organizations.
In reality, we can see where there is likely a combination of these three factors at work. Let’s face it: the Tea Party in general, and the EMTP in particular, can be rather pugilistic in their approach to activism, and this has gained them a reputation for divisiveness and combativeness. Some of the positions they have taken have elicited concerns, including some expressed here, regarding bigotry. Both on the national and local front, the movement has indulged in a great deal of name-calling and denigration, excoriating those with whom they do not agree and insinuating that those with opposing viewpoints are somehow less American than those on the “right” side of the fence. Somehow, those affiliated with the Tea Party have taken the position that they are the (self-appointed) heirs to the Founding Fathers, the Sons of Liberty, and so on in terms of patriotism and American values. One need only read through some of the articles on the EMTP’s web site or read last week’s letter from Sylvia Bokor to the Mountain View Telegraph (or the much nastier diatribe on her blog) to get a feel for the tone of the “dialogue.” There are a substantial number of Americans who likely find this kind of invective extremely offensive, and probably a great deal more who are simply tired of hearing it. In short, while the EMTP and other similar organizations are very enthusiastic about their cause, they have expressed that enthusiasm in such a manner as to turn off a large number of people, some of whom are likely donors to the organizations in question.
A Wolf Adventure: Bringing Lobos Home to Wildlife West Nature Park
by John Weckerle
Ted Turner's Ladder Ranch embodies the spirit of southern New Mexico, with breathtaking scenery around every bend in the road.
On November 17, three Mexican Gray Wolves made the move from the Ladder Ranch in southern New Mexico to Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood. Our journey began early, with the van leaving the Park at 5 a.m., carrying eight of us (Park founder Roger Alink; volunteers Christi Boyer and Pat Button; filmmaker Elke Duerr; East Mountain High School teacher Bradd Schulke [who also manages Wildlife West’s summer education program] and two of his students; and your editor) to the Ladder Ranch southwest of Truth or Consequences. The mood was a lot cheery and a little bleary, with some folks chatting and some napping, gathering their strength for the day’s activities. Your editor sat next to Ms. Duerr, who is in the process of creating a documentary on the Mexican Gray Wolf, or lobo. We discussed the lobos and they myths surrounding them, as well as the wolf’s place in the ecosystem and ecosystem management in general. Of course, policy, politics, and special interests had a prominent place in the discussion, but we’ll save those issues for a future article.
»» A Wolf Adventure: Bringing Lobos Home to Wildlife West Nature Park
Wildlife Roundup Disaster: Wolf Pulls Gun, Dozens Injured
by John Weckerle
Wildlife West founder Roger Alink briefs volunteers before the roundup.
Okay, okay – there was no canine carbine activity at this morning’s wolf roundup at Wildlife West Nature Park. But right from the beginning, it was clear that there was trouble brewing. Big, dangerous, snarling, ripping-the-meat-off-of-human-bones* trouble.
Well, maybe not, but there could have been. Maybe. If we’d had a dire wolf instead of our own Mexican gray wolf.
The morning began at “oh-dark-thirty” (a curious expression that generally describes a time significantly later than your editor’s normal second cup of coffee) – 6:30 a.m. in this case. Park founder Roger Alink educated the volunteers on the issues associated with the roundup. Mr. Alink laid out the strategy, explained why we would all be carrying various objects, and detailed the methodology we would be using to guide the wolf into the pen they had prepared. Carrying various implements to make us more noticeable and less edible slightly less approachable, we were to go quietly, single-file southward along the west fence of the enclosure and then fan out along the southern boundary. From there, we would slowly and non-threateningly proceed toward the capture pen (this had been established at least a week before, and Nieta had been feeding in it), convincing the wolf that the path of least resistance would be to retreat into the capture pen. With a certain degree of difficulty due to the number of people, we worked our way into the wolf habitat and proceeded silently (other than the footsteps) along the western side of the enclosure, and began lining up along the southern boundary. And that is exactly where it all went horribly, horribly wrong.**
»» Wildlife Roundup Disaster: Wolf Pulls Gun, Dozens Injured
Woodchip Berms
by Dr. Christian Meuli, La Resolana
Wood chip berm at La Resolana
Woodchip berms are the easiest and most useful rainwater harvesting practice I use. The evolution of this method began in 2002 when the risk of wildfire in New Mexico became extreme and the pine-bark beetle became epidemic in our pinon-juniper forests.
At La Resolana in Edgewood, thirty miles east of Albuquerque, the forest had grown so thick that little snow and only some rain could reach the ground due to the extremely dense tree cover. These trees also shielded the ground from the sun so that few grasses and shrubs could grow beneath them.
Wildlife West Seeks Volunteers for Wolf Roundup
by John Weckerle
Next Monday (November 1), Nieta, one of the Mexican gray wolves at Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood is scheduled to move to a new home at Wolf Haven International in Washington State, where she will go to live with some older males. Because the habitat is large and Nieta is shy of human contact, numerous volunteers are needed to help herd Nieta into her transport carrier. There will be a brief orientation for new volunteers prior to the roundup, which is currently scheduled to start at about 6:30 a.m.
From Wildlife West, Nieta will travel to Truth or Consequences, where she will be joined by another wolf from the El Paso Zoo. Both wolves will be flown to Washington by LightHawk, an organization of volunteer pilots who have been “flying for the environment” for 31 years. Volunteers who would like to assist in the roundup should contact Park founder Roger Alink at (505) 263-9453.
Public Service Announcement – Star Gazing Party in Edgewood
by John Weckerle
The Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS) will sponsor a free Star Gazing Party this Friday, October 15, from 8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m at the Edgewood Community Library. The library is located at 95 State Rd. North, Edgewood. For those unfamiliar with Edgewood, the library is just over a mile north of the I-40 Edgewood exit on NM 344.
Your editor has attended TAAS Star Parties in the past and found them both enjoyable and informative. As it stands right now, weather is predicted to be clear, with a low temperature in the low forties that night, so bring a jacket and get ready to see some interesting celestial features.
For more information, contact (505) 281-0138.
Politics, “Media” Accuracy And Global Climate Change
by John Weckerle
Your editor is participating in a bit of a disagreement on media accuracy (in this case, associated with EPA carbon dioxide regulations) with Edgewood Town Councilor Chuck Ring here.
Edgewood Permaculture Gathering Teaches Harmonious Living And Land Management
by John Weckerle
Dr. Christian Meuli explains his rainwater catchment and cistern systems.
Saturday brought a unique event to Edgewood: the 15th annual Permaculture Gathering at La Resolana. Variously translated as “sun’s glare,” “sunspot,” “sun catcher,” and “sunny place,” La Resolana is a 15-acre parcel that is home to Edgewood’s Dr. Christian Meuli, physician and long-time permaculture expert. In addition to lecturing both locally and elsewhere for years, he has been putting permaculture to the test at La Resolana for more than three decades. With luck, we can hope he will still be doing so three decades hence.
Permaculture is a means of land management that incorporates and utilizes the natural characteristics of a given location, taking into account site hydrology, topography, soils, climate, regional ecology, and a myriad other factors that contribute to the “identity” of the place in question. From water harvesting to the understanding and development of living systems, the tenets and techniques that are essential to permaculture practice can be used for beautification, harmonious living, and even agricultural productivity.
The Permaculture Gathering was set to begin at noon, and by 12:03 many of us were already parking on the road on which Dr. Meuli’s residence is located. A short stroll down the driveway led to a large, metal barn, at the door of which visitors were offered a »» Edgewood Permaculture Gathering Teaches Harmonious Living And Land Management
Public Service Announcement: Mountain Bike Ride and Clinic
by John Weckerle
The Town of Edgewood will be hosting a Mountain Bike Ride and Clinic for beginning and intermediate riders (ages 6 to 106) on Saturday, September 18 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Edgewood Open Space (Section 34) off Windmill Road, south of Edgewood. Signs will be posted starting at Edgewood 7 and Windmill. Please bring a mountain bike, a helmet, sunscreen, snacks, and plenty of water. For more information, call 286-3914.
One More Chance…
by John Weckerle
Just one more event remains in Wildlife West Nature Park’s Chuckwagon Supper series for this year. The season finale this Saturday, September 4 will star Holy Water and Whiskey, a regional favorite specializing in “traditional, folk, bluegrass, gospel, western, and some select “whiskey” tunes.” The night’s entertainment includes a free-flight falcon show as well as dinner, and admission to the Park. This is a lot of fun, and a great deal; both shows and the dinner are just $20 for adults, $19 for seniors, and $10 for kids age 5 to 11. Kids under 5 are free! Reservations must be made by 2 p.m. the day of the show.
Harvest Festival This Weekend At Wildlife West
by John Weckerle
Those looking for a little food and entertainment can find it starting tomorrow at Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood. The Park will be holding its annual Harvest Festival celebrating the area’s agricultural heritage. Locally grown products will be available for sample and/or sale, and an opportunity for wine tasting will be provided by Anasazi Fields Winery. Other attractions include blacksmith demonstrations, antique cars and trucks, old iron tractors and machinery, historic ranch equipment, and artists and vendors. Tractor-drawn hayrides around the park will be available. Entertainment will include music by Jimbo, blacksmith demonstrations, and games and stage shows for children. Events include the 5K Pronghorn Run and a 1/4 mile “run” for kids on Sunday morning. The Park will also hold its regular weekly Chuckwagon Dinner, including a free-flight falcon show, on Saturday night.
Edgewood Chamber On The Lam?
by John Weckerle
The local newspapers are abuzz this week with news and commentary on the recent move on the part of the Edgewood Chamber of Commerce to – well, move.
At the heart of the issue are expressions of concern from a number of sources, including NM-Central.com, that the Edgewood Chamber has been perhaps more involved in politics than some might consider appropriate. Much of the current brouhaha seems to revolve around recent concerns associated with a “meet and greet” function for Republican candidates – Jim Smith and Tom Mullins – running for State Representative and Congress, respectively. Some current and past Town officials have expressed reservations regarding these functions, suggesting that the Edgewood Chamber’s actions in this arena, and actually conducting events supporting those candidates in office space provided by the Town, represent a de facto endorsement of the candidates by an organization that is receiving public funding in the form of free office space. One of the candidates counters that the Chamber announced a “meet and greet” event for his opponent. A local Tea Party activist and Chamber booster alleges violations of the Chamber’s First Amendment rights. A person or persons unknown attach a not-too-recently deceased skunk to the Town office with what appears to be 50 tubes of Krazy Glue. Panic ensues.
Only some of this is true (the skunk part and mass hysteria aren’t), but there’s much more to the story(ies)… »» Edgewood Chamber On The Lam?
Music Festival Hits Edgewood
by John Weckerle
For those who may have forgotten, the Wildlife West Music Festival begins tonight with a barn dance and other festivities at Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood. Tomorrow’s headliners includes two-time Grammy nominee Claire Lynch, Grammy Winner Pat Donohue, Spring Creek, and Small Potatoes. They will be joined by Hot Club of Santa Fe, Syd Masters and the Swing Riders, Cheap Shots, Atomic Grass, the Martin Family Band, and the Muddy River String Band. This is a wonderful event for the whole family, and tomorrow promises to be a great experience.