This category will feature news releases from out-of-area government agencies and representatives, as well as events that are not taking place in the four-county area of Grant, Catron, Hidalgo or Luna. For local events please visit Local News Releases.

Heidi McRoberts Named Cibola National Forest Forest Supervisor

Albuquerque, NM – July 9, 2024 – The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands (NF & NGs) is excited to welcome Heidi McRoberts as Forest Supervisor. McRoberts replaces Steven Hattenbach who serves as Deputy Regional Forester for the Southwestern Region.

McRoberts comes to the Cibola from the position of Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Kootenai National Forest in northwest Montana and northeast Idaho. She provided leadership and was responsible for all aspects of managing the forest's vast resources of 2.2 million acres of National Forest System Lands. Her prior land management experiences were on the Umatilla National Forest in Pendleton, Oregon and the Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forests in Idaho. McRoberts spent 22 years

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Heinrich Cosponsors Bill to Let Every American Choose Medicare

Lower Health Care Costs for Working Families

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) cosponsored the Choose Medicare Act, legislation that gives every American who is not already eligible for Medicaid or Medicare the opportunity to enroll in Medicare.

The Choose Medicare Act opens up Medicare to all Americans with a new 'Part E' and builds on the Affordable Care Act. By allowing Medicare to compete with private health insurance, Medicare Part E puts consumers and businesses in the driver's seat on the road to universal health care.

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Fisher Fire Magdalena Ranger District, NM July 8, 2024

Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands

Reported date / time: July 1, 2024 / 1825 Cause: Lightning Strike Size: 7,211 acres.
 Fuels: Oak and ponderosa pine litter. Strategy: Confine and contain Containment: 0%
Fire Behavior: Low to moderate Resources: 107 Personnel, 11 Other Resources

UPDATE: The Fisher fire is currently 7,211 acres. Yesterday we conducted ground and aerial firing around the planned perimeter and today we will continue firing towards the interior. Yesterday aerial observations were limited by smoke, however, the afternoon allowed for increased visibility and updated acreage report. Today's operational goal is to continue work around the fire perimeter as weather permits.

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Fisher Fire Magdalena Ranger District, NM July 7, 2024

Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands

Reported date / time: July 1, 2024 / 1825 Cause: Lightning Strike Size: 2,500 acres.

Fuels: Oak and ponderosa pine litter. Strategy: Confine and contain Containment: 0%

Fire Behavior: Low to moderate

UPDATE: The Fisher fire is currently 2,500 acres. Yesterday's favorable weather conditions allowed for optimal ground and aerial firing. The confine and contain strategy aims to establish a fire perimeter by a combination of direct and indirect actions and use of natural topographic features, fuel, and weather factors. The Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Lino Baca, assumed command of the fire this morning. The intended outcome of the Fisher Fire includes encouraging the growth of native plants, increasing species diversity in the understory, and the restoration of wildlife habitat.

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UPDATE Fisher Fire – July 5 San Mateo Mountains, Magdalena Ranger District

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, July 5, 2024 - The lightning-caused Fisher Fire reported on July 1 by the Worthington Lookout Tower within the northwest San Mateo Mountains on the Magdalena Ranger District will use a confine and contain strategy within a designated area to reduce fuel loads and promote healthier landscapes.

Reported date / time: July 1, 2024 / 1825         Cause: Lightning Strike            Size: 45 acres

Location: Remote mountainous terrain of northwest San Mateo Mts. on the Magdalena Ranger District – New Mexico on the Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands.

Strategy: Confine and contain.             Containment: 0%.

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The Southwest NM Seed Library July 12, 2024

Fall and Winter Gardening Presentation, free admission, limited seating

Bayard Community Center, 209 Hurley Avenue, Bayard

Learn when and how to plant seeds for cool weather crops and how to care for your fall garden, so you can harvest until it's time to plant again in the spring. The class will focus on growing in the high desert climate. Your presenter is Chris Hammen, who moved to Silver City from the Houston area where she was a master gardener for ten years. Q&A will follow the presentation.

Arrive 15 minutes early to check in and get settled before the presentation begins.

To register, contact janna@wildrocketgardens  or text 575-342-1189

Legislative Finance Committee July 15-17, 2024

See pdf flyer below for schedule

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Nine first-time participants to the Cooperative Marketing Grant Program for FY25

New Mexico Tourism Department

Roughly 71 percent of grants issued to rural communities in FY25

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) is awarding $3.8 million in grant funding to 48 entities through the Cooperative Marketing Grant Program for fiscal year 2025.

NMTD is instituting a 2-to-1 funding match for FY25, meaning the monetary obligation from grant recipients is only 33 percent of the grant total provided by NMTD. Due to this 2-to-1 funding match, the total advertising investment for FY25 is an estimated $5.7 million.

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