by Sharon Niederman
RATON — At the Dec. 5, 2023 meeting of the Colfax Soil & Water Conservation District, it was announced that Soil & Water Conservation Day will be held in Santa Fe at the Capitol Rotunda Jan. 31, 2024. The NM Water Dialogue Statewide Meeting will be held January 11, 2024 in Albuquerque; and River Stewardship Program 2024 is due January 4, 2024; NMDA Healthy Soil Program grants are in planning stage.
Agriculture Workforce Development Program grant application must be completed by May 31, 2024; and Stakeholder Identification for NMED’s proposed water reuse regulations has begun the preliminary stages of drafting the State’s Ground and Surface Water Protection for more information visit www.env.nm.gov/water-reuse/.
Ryan Simonson of Vermejo Park Ranch was present. He gave his report. Hunting season is in full swing; youth and veterans hunts will be held in Dec-Jan. There have been around a dozen fires on the Vermejo, but not a major one. New Mexico and Colorado are looking at getting a $150,000 grant for a fuel break near the Santa Fe Trail and parts of the northwest side of Vermejo.
National Resource Conservation Service
A new soil conservation technician for each Field Office in the State will be hired in the near future. Raton and Las Vegas NRCS Offices are looking for applicants for Soil Conservation Technicians. These positions will be open very soon. Restoration plans have been extended to include acequias. As of Oct. 18, 2023, 850 applications for restoration have been received; with 502 plans written and delivered to landowners.
