Gallup Sun

Week ending Friday, December 25, 2020

Walled Nature

The accelerated construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall over the past year has disrupted animal movements, caused mountains to be dynamited and toppled century-old saguaro cactus. “Interconnected landscapes that stretch across two countries are being converted into industrial wastelands,” Randy Serraglio of the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson told The Associated Press. Field cameras at southeastern Arizona’s San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge have recently captured 90% fewer movements of animals like mountain lions, bobcats and javelinas. “This wall is the largest impediment to wildlife movement we’ve...

2020 Year in Review

Ice Losses

Sea ice surrounding the North Pole was at a record low extent for October due to unusually warm Arctic Ocean temperatures. Danish researchers say the ice was slow to re-form following the summer’s melt, and coverage was at the lowest of the past 40 years of satellite data.

Earthquakes

Despite all of the misery suffered around the world from COVID-19 and various natural disasters, the magnitude of deaths and damage from earthquakes was at the lowest level in memory during 2020.

•  The most deadly temblor killed 118 people around the Turkish city of Izmir on Oct. 30, where many buildings collapsed.

• At least 41 people died when a massive quake...

Recently, a report was published by the Legislative Finance Council regarding a funding method utilized by New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to compensate landowners for conservation practices essential to maintaining critical habitat provided to wildlife on their private property. The report prompted Sen. Martin Heinrich to write a critical letter outlining his disapproval, as well as an article by the Albuquerque Journal. Designed with input from numerous stakeholders, the Elk Private Land Use System has taken the NMDGF decades to perfect and has been credited as a model system among other western hunting states.

EPLUS provides landowners with elk hunting authorizations through...

Food Insecurity, Depression Among the Biggest Problems

ALBUQUERQUE, — New Mexico performs well on access to health care, but is falling short on food security and mental wellness, according to the recent household data in Kids, Families and COVID-19: Pandemic Pain Points and a Roadmap for Recovery, a 50-state report developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how families are faring during the COVID-19 crisis.

This KIDS COUNT report examines data from weekly surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that demonstrate how families across the country are challenged to meet basic needs during the public health crisis while managing school, work, and mental health. The...