Research Area. The ranch has been admirably managed. Cattle grazing has been decreased even as the elk herd has increased. Estimates hover around 7500 elk - the largest herd in NM. With nearly 30 miles of pristine trout streams, the Baca Ranch contains the upland watershed and primary headwaters for the Jemez River. Two of our most precious coldwater resources, the Rio San Antonio and the East Fork of the Jemez River, originate on the Baca Ranch and depend on its clean snow and on that undeveloped and unspoiled watershed.
For the first time in years, this jewel is available for federal acquisition. The sellers are willing and the Clinton Administration has included $50 million in their budget for acquisition. Senator Jeff Bingaman's bill (S-1210) to authorize the purchase of the Baca Ranch is moving slowly through the Congress.
Failure to acquire this land in its entirety could precipitate another kind of invitation - to a conglomeration of developers. The thought of piecemeal parceling can lead the imagination to places it doesn't want to go. Let's just suggest a murky picture of the sprawl of mobile homes on one-and-a-half-acre ranchettes- exactly the kind of checkerboard picture current zoning would allow!
Your help is needed to make sure this acquisition proceeds in a timely manner. The Rio Arriba and Sandoval County Commissions, the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce, and officers of the Northern New Mexico Stockman's Association, along with virtually all sportsmen's and environmental groups, support this acquisition. Senator Domenici and House members Redmond and Wilson need to know how important this issue is to us-to you! Now is the time that continuing letters and phone calls are most important. Call or write today, even if you have already done so.
Please, urge your Senators and Representatives to respect our wishes today for our posterity tomorrow.
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How to Prevent Bird Window Deaths
Deb Novak of Hawks Aloft has written an informative article in that organization's newsletter on birds hitting windows. She notes that over 100 million birds die each year in the United States as a result of striking windows. The accidents are thought to occur because windows reflect the sky and surrounding scenery and birds do not realize the windows are solid until too late. Even birds that do not die immediately from the impact usually die later from brain swelling and other injuries. She points out that hawk decals are not effective except in small windows.
What can you do to reduce this hazard? Deb passes along the following suggestions:
1. For windows that are relatively small, try to place netting over the backside of the windows.
2. For larger windows, uniformly cover the entire window with tightly spaced (2 to 4 inches apart) objects or patterns, visible from the outside. We thought that wood/plastic lattice or strips of tape simulating the lattice pattern might work well. You can also paint or stencil patterns on the interior glass surface with washable transparent type paints available at art supply stores.