Colorful critters vie for prizes at Santa Fe County Fair Page C-1
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Our View: Santa Fe, surrounding area would shine on TV Opinions, B-2
Sunday, August 10, 2014
www.santafenewmexican.com $1.25
Gaza talks in Cairo stall
Art comforts dying man
Bobcats aim to beef up
Israel says it will not rejoin negotiations until rockets from Gaza stop. PAGE A-3
Hospice patient with lung disease finds solace, escape in painting. PAGE C-1
McCurdy’s coach hopes nondistrict battles will strengthen team. SPORTS, D-1
Forests struggle with fewer staff, less funding
These birds are declining. It is important for Santa Feans to “ know we are losing all our burrowing owls.”
Jim Walters, burrowing owl advocate
Rare owls find pocket of security near animal shelter
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Saturday refused to give a time limit on America’s renewed military involvement in Iraq, saying he doesn’t think “we are going to solve this problem in weeks” as the country struggles to form a new government. “I think this is going to take some time,” he said at the White House before departing for a vacation on Martha’s Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast. Obama warned Americans that the new campaign to bring security in Iraq requires military and political changes and “is going to be a long-term project.” The president said Iraqi security forces need to revamp to effectively mount an offensive, which requires a
By Staci Matlock The New Mexican
Please see FORESTS, Page A-4
A vandalized tree at the San Antonio Campground in the Jemez Mountains. Once trees have been damaged, there is little park officials can do, other than cut them down. LUKE E. MONTAVON/THE NEW MEXICAN
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President warns U.S. military involvement, solutions will take time By Darlene Superville
Safety, maintenance issues among problems
National forests don’t always offer the quiet respite many people seek. Campers at a developed Santa Fe National Forest campground in the Jemez Mountains in late July had to call law enforcement to stop a man who was beating up his wife. A campground host in the Cuba Ranger District recently quit after a camper refused to pay a fee and became belligerent, pushed her against a trailer and yelled at her. Trash piles up quicker than Forest Service employees or contractors can clean it up. Vandals repeatedly have tagged bathrooms and signs, and recently damaged trees and rock outcroppings around the forest. Trails are washed out and eroded by snow and rain or blocked by fallen trees. Unruly campers, trash, graffiti and damaged trails are nothing new for the Forest Service, but with budgets steadily declining in the last decade, agency officials say they have fewer staff and less money to handle the problems. And some of the problems are intensifying, according to officials. Jeff Harris, recreation manager for the Jemez Ranger District, said the
Obama: Expect lengthy effort in Iraq
Please see IRAQ, Page A-5
A burrowing owl stands outside the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society on Tuesday. Retired National Park Service wilderness manager Jim Walters, who has spent the past decade counting and tracking the petite owls around Santa Fe County and the city, says the area has only four successful nests this year. PHOTOS BY LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN
Today
Prairie dog removal, habitat loss contribute to bird’s decline around city
Scattered afternoon storms. High 83, low 57.
By Staci Matlock
PAGE D-6
The New Mexican
T
he fledgling burrowing owls lift off and hover over their ground nests outside the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society on Caja del Rio Road. One stands on the edge of the abandoned prairie dog hole that serves as its home and swivels its head, its big golden eyes checking for danger. When the little owl flaps its wings and sweeps into the air, it catches the wind, balancing there for a moment between earth and a sunset sky. Retired National Park Service wilderness manager Jim Walters watches the fledglings like a proud dad. An avid birder, Walters has spent the last decade counting and tracking burrowing owls around Santa Fe County and the city. Walters is deeply worried about the little owls. “This is the last viable population near the city,” he says. Walters walks all around the county, looking first for prairie dog colonies and then checking to see if any of the holes have burrowing owls. It’s a labor of love. He doesn’t get paid for his efforts.
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Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010 News tips: 983-3035
Obituaries David L. “LD” Burke, Santa Fe, July 30 Will Eiland, 56, July 31 Geraldine “Jerry” Egan, Aug. 4 Bryan “Blue Star” Griego, 47, Santa Fe, Aug. 5 Antonia (Toni) Lupardus, July 30 Andrew William Manges, 50, July 25 John Houghton Phillips, July 15 Susan Sisneros, 48, Santa Fe, Aug. 7 PAGE C-2
Walters last week observes owls that have taken over old prairie dog holes near the Santa Fe animal shelter. As an advocate for the rare birds, Walters is worried about the species’ shrinking numbers. ‘This is the last viable population near the city,’ he says.
In 2008, he counted 68 breeding pairs of burrowing owls around the county and city. They were along Caja del Rio, at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport and in some parks. “Today, we only have four successful nests,” Walters says. “These birds are declining. It is important for Santa Feans to know we are losing all our burrowing owls.” Another nest failed because the
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breeding pair disappeared before any hatchlings were born. Walters believes the owls’ numbers are declining as prairie dogs are removed and their holes covered over. “It is the same story over and over,” he says. “If you want to destroy wildlife, destroy their habitat.”
Pasapick www.pasatiempomagazine.com
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival Music of Mozart, Haydn and Weber, 6 p.m., St. Francis Auditorium, New Mexico Museum of Art, 107 W. Palace Ave., $55-$75, 982-1890, santafechambermusic.com.
Please see OWLS, Page A-4
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Six sections, 48 pages
Time Out/crossword E-16
165th year, No. 222 Publication No. 596-440
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