Non-Local News Releases

Wildfire isn't just a forest phenomenon. 

Fire season kicked off last month with the 2,674-acre 352 Fire near Tucumcari, followed by large fires in Oklahoma and Texas—all grassland fires, driven by strong winds through flashy fuels. A historic snow drought has in part brought fire season to our door earlier.

Speaking of fire at the door, there are crucial steps you can take around your home to prepare for wildfire season. This month, we dive into home hardening and defensible space. Wildfire Prepared Homes offers a roadmap to resilience—and might save your insurance, too. 

Read on for some home-hardening weekend work, your guide to reforestation, biomass pilot projects, spring microgrants, Southwest Wildfire Awareness Week and more. If you're enjoying this newsletter, pass it on to a friend! 

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SOUTHWEST CATCH OF THE WEEK

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 Escondida Lake: Bennie B, age 3, caught two trout using Garlic PowerBait. 

SOUTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing conditions have been adversely affected in the aftermath of the Trout Fire.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing for trout was very good when trolling Woolly Buggers.

Elephant Butte Lake: The South Monticello boat ramp is currently closed and access to Rattlesnake Island is currently restricted due to low water levels. The closures will be lifted when water levels rise and conditions allow.

Escondida Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using Garlic PowerBait.

SANTA FE — New Mexico business incubators have until April 2 to apply for grants of up to $150,000 through the NM Incubator Certification Support (ICS) Grant program.

Administered by the Economic Development Department's Technology and Innovation Office, the competitive grant helps non-certified incubators meet the requirements of the NM Certified Business Incubator program.

Grants are open to all sectors, not just those in tech and innovation. All grantees are required to use these funds to pursue meeting certification requirements through the State's Certified Incubator Program upon completion of the grant period.

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2026 – Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc., a Portland, Ore., establishment, is expanding its Feb. 19, 2026, recall of frozen not ready-to-eat (NRTE) chicken products that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically glass, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The establishment is recalling approximately 33,617,045 additional pounds of various ready-to-eat (RTE) and NRTE chicken and pork fried rice, ramen, and shu mai dumpling products, for a combined total of 36,987,575 pounds subject to recall.

Hermeus' Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 vehicle readies for its first flight Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Spaceport America (photo credit: Hermeus)LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Monday, March 2, 2026) — Hermeus, a high-speed aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., celebrated a successful first flight of its latest Quarterhorse aircraft at Spaceport America.

The flight of the Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 was the second first flight conducted by Hermeus in less than a year and the first from Spaceport America since the company began operations there in December 2025. One of the largest unmanned aircraft to fly, Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 is comparable in size to an F-16 and powered by a Pratt & Whitney (an RTX business) F100 engine.

Albuquerque, NM --- In a groundbreaking civil action, plaintiff Thomas Newsome filed a lawsuit against the University of New Mexico (UNM), alleging systemic violations of the New Mexico Records Management Act and the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA).  The complaint asserts that UNM failed to meet its legal "duty to document" evidence of the public activities of the institution, resulting in the denial, delay, and obstruction of Newsome's lawful right to access government records.

According to the lawsuit [attached below], filed Thursday in Bernalillo County District Court, UNM's chronic failure to create, manage, and preserve essential public records undermines the openness and accountability owed to the citizens of New Mexico, creating a "transparency vacuum."

The New Mexico-filmed documentary AMERICAN HEMP FARMER premieres on PBS March 14. Folks can watch AMERICAN HEMP FARMER from anywhere starting March 14 on the PBS Passport App. Folks can also stream at AMERICAN HEMP FARMER.com  starting the same day. And AMERICAN HEMP FARMER will air on KWRG New Mexico in April. Presented by The Family Farmer Adventure Hour. Thank you so much to all for the watch.

Urban tree-planting efforts branch southward to T or C, Silver City 

SANTA FE – Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has proclaimed March 2026 as Arbor Month and the second Friday – this year, March 13 – as Arbor Day, occasions that highlight the vital role trees play in our lives.

The New Mexico Forestry Division is celebrating Arbor Month 2026 by spotlighting its partner Tree New Mexico, which builds and cares for urban forests, focusing on heat-burdened neighborhoods.