New Mexico Land for Sale - Southwest Properties, Inc. - David Wolfswinkel Broker, AZ, Hitching Post Land Company - David Wolfswinkel, Qualifying Broker. Lic#: 14470 - NM
By allowing a few more bighorn rams to be hunted, state legislators hope to raise at least $800,000 to help the species grow stronger.
The House of Representatives tonight voted 66-1 to increase from two to four the number of bighorn permits that will be auctioned or raffled to moneyed hunters.
State senators approved the bill last week. It now goes to Gov. Susana Martinez for her consideration.
The stakes are high. A hunting permit for one bighorn once brought $190,000 at auction, according to the state Department of Game and Fish.
Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, sponsored the bill to expand the program to four permits.
In addition to the money raised in New Mexico, a matching contribution from federal taxpayers should add a few hundred thousand dollars to the program, Sharer said.
All the money will go toward state conservation efforts to increase bighorn sheep populations in New Mexico.
Desert bighorns have been a success story in New Mexico, going from the brink of extinction to stability in 31 years.
They numbered about 70 when the state added them to the list of threatened and endangered species in 1980. Sharer said the desert bighorns now have a population of more than 700.
The desert bighorn’s recovery marked the first time that conservation efforts succeeded well enough to remove a species from the state’s endangered list.
Rocky Mountain bighorns also live in New Mexico.
Hunting of desert bighorns will not be limited to the auction approved by legislators.
The Department of Game and Fish this year will issue 16 licenses for public hunts of desert bighorns. That is an increase from one public license last year.
Drawings will determine which hunters get the licenses.
Hunting licenses for 24 Rocky Mountain bighorns also will be issued this year, a department spokesman said. That is a decline of one license from last year.
Sharer’s measure to increase the number of special permits is Senate Bill 33.
It was snowing on the mountain on Saturday and they’re making more today: the entire area at Ski Apache is open and ready for business! This month is filled with challenges and a chance to do some good while having a lot of fun. Check out the event calendar and strap on those skis!
Cross Your Heart Cup
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Help Ski Apache support the fight against breast cancer.
Race starts at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm with parade on Easy Street to follow.
Ladies and Guys welcome to enter, but guys must dress up as “Tootsies” (female apparel)
Entry is $10.00. Come help us support a great cause.
For more information call (575) 464-3641
Terrain Park Competition
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Come try your skills in our terrain park competition located at the bottom of the mountain on the gondola lift line. Entry fee is $10.00. Compete for prizes, medals and bragging rights. Call (575) 464-3641 for more information.
Sisters on the Snow
Friday, February 24, 2012
Women’s Ski Seminar Camaraderie, Control & Confidence
This special two day clinic is designed for women and conducted by women. The Women’s Seminar offers an opportunity to explore the slopes with women instructors who know how to provide a supportive and relaxed learning experience. This clinic is for all levels of skiers, from first time beginners to intermediate and advanced skiers, ages 18 and over.
Seminar includes two days instruction, video analysis and a personal improvement plan. Breakfast and lunch will be provided both days as well as a wine and cheese get together at 4pm the final day. Participants will need to rent or provide their own equipment.
Ski Apache Cup
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Come compete with your friends for a one day event on the Smokey Bear race course.
Teams of 3 race each other:
One Snowboarder
One Female
One of your choice
Entry fee is $15.00 per team. Race for prizes, medals and bragging rights. For more info call (575) 464-3641.
Stiffer penalties may lie ahead for water users who violate Ruidoso’s drought conservation rules.
Village councilors Tuesday set Feb. 28, as the date for a public hearing to look at changes in the village ordinance governing water conservation that would simplify the phases, define penalties, impose a surcharge on high water use, enforce a requirement to install water shutoff valves on the customer side of water meters and establish specific criteria for restoring service after a customer-requested shutoff.
Las Vegas— California-based precision home builder, Blu Homes, has taken a significant step toward revolutionizing the way homes are built in the United States with the announcement that it has sold and will be manufacturing the first Blu home personalized entirely online in 3-D by a consumer.
The two-bedroom Element 48 home was designed by Cathy and Walter Pearlman, using the Blu | 3-D Configurator, bluhomes.com/configurator, which allows anyone to go online to style, visualize and spend time in their own Blu Home before it is ever built.
Blu Homes demonstrated the Configurator at the ShowStoppers @ CES 2012 media event in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Unlike conventional architectural 3-D renderings, Blu is able to connect the 3-D models created in the Configurator back to Blu’s precision-building process, creating a seamless integration between design and manufacturing and advancing construction quality significantly. Blu builds each home from the client’s 3-D custom model, using precision tooling and trained craftsman in its climate-controlled factory in Vallejo, CA.
After choosing the Element, one of Blu’s seven eco-friendly, architect-designed home designs, the Pearlmans were able to personalize everything for their new Pembroke, MA home—from exterior siding and kitchen appliances to bathroom fixtures and cabinetry finishes—all in an easy-to-use, realistic 3-D environment. The Pearlmans then sent their design to their dedicated Blu representative. After just one meeting to confirm their selections – with only one minor change to the bathroom tile – they were ready to purchase their home at a fixed, pre-agreed upon price.
“At first, designing our home online seemed so high-tech that it felt more like something our kids’ generation would do. Once we tried it ourselves, we realized how fun and easy it is—especially since everyone at Blu was standing by to help us,” said Cathy Pearlman. “It turns out designing your home online—and then having it built straight from the online designs—is something anyone can do. And getting such a high quality home at a fixed price and in such a convenient way really makes things more relaxed for us!”
“Designing and building homes has historically been an expensive, arduous and time consuming process. This is particularly true for architect-designed homes that typically require months of costly design effort and numerous in-person meetings that can be stressful for all parties,” said Bill Haney, Blu Homes co-founder and president. “With the Configurator and our proprietary IP, Blu is leveraging all of the benefits of online retail, such as lower selling costs, a more convenient shopping experience, reduced need for brick and mortar presence, and streamlined sales and building processes. At the same time, we’re investing in a world-class sales team that supports our customers through the entire process. And customers get world class design support, the tools to personally choose all the finishes for their homes all for free — and then get a fixed price for the house they have chosen!”
“We hope that many more customers will choose to save time and money by building their own eco-friendly, precision-built homes this way,” said Maura McCarthy, Blu Homes co-founder and VP, sales and marketing. “The Configurator makes everything easier for both the customer, and for Blu. The customer gets a beautiful, convenient shopping experience, while Blu gets the benefit of automatically processing customer purchase requests.”
Since its October 2011 launch, almost 6000 home designs have been saved with the Configurator. Anyone can access the Blu Configurator for free at bluhomes.com/configurator and begin customizing a Blu home today.
Blu Homes’ core design and engineering technology—and the technology behind the 3-D home designs in the Configurator—is Blu | 3-D, a proprietary design software similar to that used by automotive and aeronautical designers and engineers at companies like Boeing and Volvo. To create the Configurator, Blu Homes worked with UI experts and game developers to design a consumer-friendly user interface.
Blu Homes’ design team uses Blu | 3-D technology to design and build each home. Because it provides engineering information not often considered in architectural software – such as demands on the structures from wind, snow and seismic activity – Blu is able to achieve climate-specific engineering. That information is then automatically detailed in the building plans used in construction. This means that each home is built with remarkable precision with much lower variance allowances than in average stick-built homes.
All Blu finishes, fittings, appliances and systems are selected by Blu designers for their leading environmental performance, resulting in healthy and beautiful living spaces and high indoor air quality. Offering at least 50 percent energy savings over comparably sized existing homes, Blu homes are Energy Star rated and LEED certifiable.
For more information on Blu Homes go to bluhomes.com.
January 25, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Radon cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled but more Vermonters than ever before can find out if it exists in their homes. The Vermont Department of Health distributed 1,700 free radon test kits to homeowners last year and has more than 3,000 free kits to give away this year.
Radon is a naturally-occurring gas that results from the breakdown of uranium in the bedrock, and is the second leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking) in the United States.
“Radon causes lung cancer over a long period of time, and we know that about one in every eight Vermont homes has elevated levels of radon,” said Lori Cragin, a Health Department epidemiologist.
January is Radon Awareness Month. Because radon levels can change daily, weekly and seasonally, a long-term test of 3-12 months (ideally including a heating season) is the best way to accurately test for the gas.
Radon can get into your home from the soil. A house can act like a large chimney, with warm air rising and escaping out upper floor windows and through cracks in the attic. This creates a vacuum at the lowest level of the house, which can pull the radon from the soil into the home.
The likelihood of a radon problem cannot be predicted by the style, age, or location of a home. All homes are at risk. You cannot know the radon level in a house without testing for it. Testing is easy. Open the kit immediately and leave it in place throughout a heating season, and then mail it back to the Health Department to get your results.
Get a free kit by e-mailing radon (at) ahs.state.vt (dot) us, or call 1-800-439-8550.
Exposure to radon is preventable and fixable through proper venting techniques. If test results show high levels of radon in the air, a mitigation system can be installed at a cost of approximately $800-$2,000.
For more information about radon, radon testing and mitigation, visit the Health Department website at healthvermont.gov.
Building values in December for the village of Ruidoso hit more than $2 million, rebounding nicely from a sluggish November.
Although fewer permits were issued, just 65 compared to 106 the previous month, the value of the construction more than doubled from $996,347 to $2,069.394. Fees collected also increased from $15,987 to $17,839.
Permits for six single-family dwellings helped pump up the value, accounting for $1,567,478. Two were more than $350,000 each, Building Official Shawn Fort reported.
Six different contractors are handling the home building projects. They are LLB Construction, Dig It Construction, Ratliff Custom Homes, Sun Valley Home, Roper Construction and Tower Construction.
In an effort to maintain and improve facilities and services at three popular fee sites in the Las Cruces District, officials with the Bureau of Land Management are proposing to increase visitor fees in 2012, including at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site between Carrizozo and Tularosa.
It would be the first increase at the sites since 1996, when fees first were established. The other sites being considered are the Dripping Springs Natural Area and Aguirre Spring Campground in the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces. The deadline to submit comments is Jan. 23. Read more at RuidosoNews.com…
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The New Mexico Black History Month 2012 Organizing Committee has prepared a month of creative, educational, and engaging programming for the entire month of February. The New Mexico Black History Month 2012 Festival begins Friday, February 3 and continues until Sunday, February 26, 2012. A full calendar of events is available on the New Mexico Black History Month 2012 website, www.nmblackhistorymonth.com.
Sponsored by the City of Albuquerque, the Office of African American Affairs and Bernalillo County each event in February focuses on one of five major areas: culture, cuisine, health, positive youth development and education. The Black History Month 2012 Festival events include: “Roots Revival,” an original cabaret performance by A-list Albuquerque artists, a Cotton Club Gala sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated Albuquerque Alumnae Chapter and the New Mexico Divine Nine Council featuring Bernard Purdie and Friends; an open discussion with Vertamae Grosvenor, author of Vibration Cooking, and “Masters of Motown” featuring artists performing top hits from Motown.
Cathryn McGill, founder/director of The Black History Month 2012 Organizing Committee says of the planning efforts, “The 2012 Black History Month Festival is an opportunity to build and strengthen community from the inside out. Organizations within the African American community are historically coming together to produce a slate of activities that will be universally appealing.” Co-Chairs of the event are Gene Grant and Cecilia Webb.
The New Mexico Black History Month festival encourages New Mexicans to learn about the contributions that African-Americans have made to the state and to the nation throughout the years. More information about dates and times of the Black History Month Festival events are located on the New Mexico Black History Month website, www.nmblackhistorymonth.com.
The mission of the New Mexico Black History Month Organizing Committee is to preserve the rich cultural heritage that African Americans have made to the state of New Mexico and the United States. The Black History Month Organizing Committee is a collaboration among organizations in Albuquerque who serve the African-American community.
U.S. Postal Service Salutes New Mexico Statehood on new Forever Stamp. (PRNewsFoto/U.S. Postal Service)
SANTA FE, N.M. — The United States Postal Service today delivered one of the nation’s highest honors to New Mexico with the issuance of a commemorative Forever Stamp recognizing the state’s 100th anniversary.
“Known for its rich history, vibrant cultures and stunning geographic diversity, New Mexico is the ‘Land of Enchantment,'” said Mickey Barnett, vice chairman, Board of Governors. “Today, the Postal Service is proud and honored to create this lasting tribute to New Mexico through the issuance of this commemorative stamp.”
Barnett dedicated the stamp today at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe.
Joining Barnett were: Susana Martinez, governor, State of New Mexico; David Coss, mayor of Santa Fe; Edward Romero, former United States Ambassador, Spain and Andorra; Veronica Gonzales, secretary of Cultural Affairs, state of New Mexico; Marie Therese Dominguez, vice president, Government Relations and Public Policy, U.S. Postal Service; and Richard Sheaff, art director.
The stamp art shows a landscape in northern New Mexico, about 65 miles northwest of Albuquerque. In this sweeping view of the high desert, junipers and pinon pines grow in the foreground. In the middle distance, the Rio Puerco courses through an arroyo, while in the background, two peaks known as Cerro de Santa Clara and Cerro de Guadalupe are silhouetted against a vast sky.
When Spanish missionaries arrived in present-day New Mexico in the 1500s, they found a region already settled by Pueblo and Navajo people. The flags of both Spain and Mexico flew over the land before it became American soil. Northern New Mexico was ceded to the U.S. in 1848 at the end of the U.S.-Mexican War. Two years later, Congress established the New Mexico Territory. English-speaking cattle ranchers, cowboys, and miners mingled with the earlier Native American and Hispanic residents to create the unique cultural diversity that characterizes New Mexico today. Even after it became a state in 1912, New Mexico retained much of its frontier and Old Mexico flavor, and Spanish and English are both widely spoken.
A resident of New Mexico for more than 35 years, artist Doug West is best known for his southwestern landscapes and skies. Art director Richard Sheaff selected one of West’s existing oil paintings for the stamp art.
New Mexico Statehood is being issued as a Forever stamp. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.
The stamps go on sale today at Post Offices nationwide, online at usps.com and by phone at 800-782-6724.
Customers may view the New Mexico Statehood Forever Stamp as well as many of this year’s other stamps on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, through Twitter @USPSstamps or on the website Beyond the Perf at beyondtheperf.com/2012-preview. Beyond the Perf is the Postal Service’s online site for background on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news.
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark, New Mexico Statehood Forever Stamp Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at a local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others) and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:
New Mexico Statehood Forever Stamp
Postmaster
120 South Federal Place
Santa Fe, NM 87501-9999
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes by mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by March 6, 2012.
How to Order First-Day Covers The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly “USA Philatelic” catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:
Information Fulfillment
Dept. 6270
U.S. Postal Service
P.O. Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
Philatelic Products There are four philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
468161, First-Day Cover, $.88.
468165, Digital Color Postmark, $1.60.
468191, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
468199, Cancellation Keepsake (Digital Color Postmark w/Pane), $10.95.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
Follow USPS on Twitter @USPS_PR and at Facebook.com/usps.
