Submitted by the Las Placitas Association
WELCOME PREP (Placitas Resiliance and Emergency Preparedness Alliance)
Las Placitas Association is thrilled to welcome another “boots on the ground” organization tackling the issue of emergency preparedness in Placitas. Placitas is considered a community at high risk for wildfire. Many have worked over the years to bring about programs to reduce the fuel loads on Sandia Mountain and in Las Huertas Canyon, but these are long-range projects facing government funding and personnel shortages. PREP brings another layer of expertise to the table, already taking part in stakeholder and community meetings. Residents are learning what they can do to mitigate risk on their own property and how to prepare for an emergency (wildfire, flood, pipeline accident, etc.), but as we watch the West burn this summer, we fear an emergency could strike before we are prepared. LPA/KUPR reached out to PREP and the San Antonio de las Huertas Land Grant to begin a conversation about the emergency alert infrastructure in Placitas and where we might be vulnerable. We have no sirens and CodeRED doesn’t help if folks aren’t signed up or have unreliable phone/cell service. Radio alerts can help, but what if the power is off? Do you know your neighbors well enough to knock on doors if that’s what it comes down to? In rural areas, we need multiple ways to alert folks and multiple ways to get information. We are working to identify those we can impact at the local level as if our lives depend on it. You will be hearing more about this.
THANK YOU, PLACITAS AND BEYOND
In July, KUPR launched a fund drive for the replacement of its ten-year-old transmitter, that little piece of essential gear at the heart of FM radio. We estimated it would take two months to raise the $7,000 needed – but in less than a month, we have exceeded our goal. We feel blessed and humbled by the love the community has shown to its community radio station (the only public radio station based in Sandoval County). Most donations were from Placitans, but we have listeners in Albuquerque and as far away as Bozeman, Montana, who decided they needed to help keep us on the air. Any extra funds will be put toward our long list of needs, including a replacement for a seven-year-old computer that runs the station.
BUFFALO TRACT UPDATE:
The LPA’s effort to design the framework for a Recreation Plan for the Buffalo Tract using the NM Trails Grant monies is on course. We have turned all the preliminary work we were responsible for completing over to SWCA, the environmental company experienced with doing BLM Environmental Assessments, to complete the contracted work. Now we wait, answer questions and anticipate a finished product in the fall.
TOAD ROAD AND THE NEW MEXICO SPADEFOOT TOAD:
Do you know how Toad Road on Mustang Mesa got its name? It is named for the magical appearance of tiny New Mexico Spadefoot Toads after a monsoon rain when, for a few short days, ponds of water appear on the parched earth. The spadefoot is pretty much nocturnal and secretive, but you won’t forget the song of the toads in the high desert night once you hear the chorus. (It’s the males who sing – looking for a mate; take a lesson, fellows.)
These tiny toads (1.5 to 2.5 inches long) spend most of their time underground in a state of suspended animation called estivation. When monsoon rains fill the low areas along Toad Road with water, they emerge to feed and breed. The eggs can hatch in as little as 48 hours. The tadpoles are forced to metamorphose quickly, before the water dries up. Any little toadlets that survive will eat frantically (they are omnivorous) and burrow into the ground to wait patiently for the next downpour.
The New Mexico Spadefoot Toad is our official state amphibian. They can be found in all 33 New Mexico counties at elevations from 3,000 to over 8,500 feet.