SANTA FE – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico State Office recently held a competitive oil and gas lease sale, offering 19 parcels covering 3,128 acres in New Mexico and Kansas.

In total, 451 bids were received, with 14 parcels covering 2,768 acres leased, roughly 88.5% of the total acreage available. A total of $34,414,251 in high bids were received.

The environmental assessment, maps, parcel lists, Notice of Competitive Lease Sale, and proposed lease stipulations are available online at the BLM’s ePlanning website, eplanning.blm.gov/ eplanning-ui/project/2025795/570.

The terms of federal fluid mineral leases will be consistent with the Fluid Minerals Leasing and Leasing Process Rule, which reflects Congressional direction from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including a 16.67% royalty rate for production on any new leases. Revenues are split between the state where the drilling occurs and the U.S. Treasury.

Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources. Before development operations can begin, an operator must submit an application for permit to drill detailing development plans. The BLM reviews applications for permits to drill, posts them for public review, conducts an environmental analysis, and coordinates with state partners and stakeholders.

All parcels leased for oil and gas lease include appropriate stipulations to protect important natural resources. Information on current and upcoming BLM leases is available through the National Fluid Lease Sale System.

Young driver safety clinic set for June 26 in Carlsbad

CARLSBAD — The Permian Road Safety Coalition, in conjunction with the Permian Strategic Partnership, is offering a SKILLS For Life Driving Clinic this month for licensed drivers ages 16-20. The half-day clinic will take place on a driving course designed to give new and young drivers the knowledge and experience to navigate emergency situations. The clinic goes beyond the scope of traditional driver’s ed programs to teach new drivers accident-avoidance skills and behaviors. The training will take students through real-world scenarios in a safe, closed venue. Students will learn to become comfortable with both vehicle limits and their own. Professional instructors will teach situational awareness, the dangers of distracted driving, and utilization of the ABS braking system.

Graduates of the clinic will have the increased confidence, awareness and experience needed to travel the sometimes-dangerous roads of the Permian Basin.

A fee of $25 per student will be charged upon registration. A complimentary lunch and Certificate of Completion will be provided.

Space is limited. The clinic will run from 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, at the Eddy County Fire Service Complex, 1400 Commerce Drive, Carlsbad. To register, use the included QR code.

Child care assistance available

to wildfire evacuees

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department has announced that child care assistance is available to families displaced by the Ruidoso-area wildfires.

Child care is free to evacuees. Local child care professionals can provide a safe, healthy, high-quality learning environment and well-balanced meals. All that is needed to apply is a photo ID.

For more information, call 1-800-832-1321 or email ECECD- ECS-AtRisk@state.nm.us.

DEA El Paso extends invitation to families of individuals lost to fentanyl, other drugs

SHIPROCK — The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) El Paso, Texas, sector invites New Mexico and West Texas families that have lost loved ones to fentanyl or other illicit substances to attend a Family Summit this week in Shiprock.

The summit will run from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 25, and Wednesday, June 26, at the Phil Thomas Performing Arts Center in Shiprock.

The DEA invite families to share their loved ones’ stories. In turn, families will be able to obtain awareness information, educational resources, and introductions to prevention, treatment and counseling partners who will be on hand at the event.

The event is free, but registration is required by contacting Michelle Rincon at 915-479-2540 or michelle.rincon@dea.gov.

NMSP arrest two men for kidnapping, child abuse

DONAANA COUNTY — The New Mexico State Police (NMSP) made two arrests last month after finding a pair of female children amongst a group of undocumented immigrants being transported into the U.S.

On May 29, an NMSP officer patrolling north of Las Cruces on I-25 initiated a traffic stop on a Buick Enclave after noticing passengers in the backseat were not wearing seatbelts. The driver was identified as 40-year-old Saul Rojas Villa.

During the stop, the officer discovered 11 undocumented immigrants in the vehicle, along with two girls, age 11 and 5, in the cargo area. Villa’s passenger, 23-year-old Antonio Guerra Garcia, claimed to be the girls’ uncle, but that information turned out to be false.

Officers eventually learned the mother of the minor girls had paid the men to transport her children across the border, then have them turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas. The two men had passed through El Paso, however, without allowing the children to turn themselves in.

Villa and Garcia were subsequently arrested on charges of kidnapping and child abuse. They were booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center. All other occupants of the vehicle were turned over to the Border Patrol and transported to El Paso. The children were reunited with their mother, who lives in Mississippi.

DEA announces results of Drug Take-Back Day

EL PASO, Texas — The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its partners in local law enforcement have announced the results of April’s Drug Take-Back Day events.

A total of 670,136 pounds of unused medications were collected nationwide during the 26th Annual Take-Back Day on April 27, with the El Paso Division collecting 2,086 pounds in West Texas and New Mexico law enforcement collecting 4,622 pounds.

“Once again, the communities we serve answered the call by bringing us their unneeded, unwanted, or expired medications,” said Towanda R. Thorne-James, special agent in charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “By doing so, our communities are now safer and healthier.”

In its 15th year of the program, the DEA partnered with more than 4,600 law enforcement partners at close to 5,000 sites nationwide. Since the program’s inception in 2010, Take-Back Day has removed more than 18.6 million pounds of unneeded medication from communities across the country.

Two Southwestern fish, Rio Grande chub, sucker deemed not in danger of extinction

ALBUQUERQUE – After a thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial information, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the Rio Grande chub and the Rio Grande sucker do not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act.

The Rio Grande chub and the Rio Grande sucker often co-occur within the Rio Grande Basin. These cool-water fishes are found in slow moving water at mid-to-high elevations. They are found in waterways with water levels that can fluctuate dramatically and are adapted to withstand these changes.

After completing status reviews for each species; and consulting with scientists, state agencies, species experts and others; the Service concluded that neither species is in danger of extinction or likely to become in danger of extinction and thus do not meet the definition of threatened or endangered species. The primary factors considered in the analysis as impacting the survival of these species include water diversions, groundwater withdrawals, dams, nonnative species, wildfire, and climate change.

Monitoring and conservation efforts for these fishes have been occurring for several decades. These ongoing efforts include a 10year Conservation Agreement for the Rio Grande chub and the Rio Grande sucker signed in 2018. This multi-partner agreement includes federal agencies, Tribes, states, municipalities, non-profits, and private organizations. Through this agreement, long-term management actions for the Rio Grande chub and the Rio Grande sucker includes monitoring populations and habitat, securing and enhancing populations, and improving watershed conditions into the future.

The Rio Grande chub is a small-bodied fish with a maximum length of eight inches. It is found in New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado. Across its range, there are currently 53 populations. The Rio Grande chub is an omnivore and eats fish, invertebrates, and vegetation. It prefers pools with cover such as woody debris, boulders, or vegetation.

The Rio Grande sucker is found in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Mexico. Across its range, there are currently 32 populations. As a benthic feeder, it is found at the bottom of riverbeds, eating algae off cobble and gravel.

A notice of the not warranted findings for the petitions to list the Rio Grande chub and the Rio Grande sucker can be found in the Federal Register on June 20.

BCBS, NFC to bring outdoor Fitness Court to ENMU

PORTALES — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico (BCBS) and National Fitness Campaign (NFC) have announced a partnership with Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) to bring an outdoor Fitness Court and digital wellness programming to the campus.

The Fitness Court, located on the ENMU campus, will open at 10 a.m. June 5 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The campus community and residents in the greater Portales area are invited to attend and experience the Fitness Court.

This Fitness Court was developed by BCBS, ENMU and the NFC to expand free access to high-quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise for communities around the state. The Fitness Court lets people use their own body weight to get a complete workout using seven exercise stations.

“ENMU is proud to partner with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico and National Fitness Campaign to promote health and wellness,” said James Johnston, ENMU chancellor. “We understand that good health is integral to success in the classrooms and life. This fitness court also represents ENMU’s continued efforts to be a great community partner. We are committed to being innovative leaders in higher education and our community.”

Created for people age 14 and over and with all abilities in mind, the workouts are adaptable for all fitness levels, allowing participants to move at their own pace. Users are encouraged to download the free Fitness Court App, which acts as a coach-in-yourpocket and enhances the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness experience.

“Regular physical activity helps prevent heart disease and certain cancers, reduces blood pressure, improves brain function and prevents falls,” said Latha Raja Shankar, M.D., chief medical officer at BCBS. “This outdoor Fitness Court will give residents of Portales access to optimal health outcomes right in their own community.”

“National Fitness Campaign is proud to welcome Eastern New Mexico University to the campaign as a leader in New Mexico, championing health and wellness for their campus community,” said Mitch Menaged, founder of the NFC. “The addition of the Fitness Court, along with digital wellness programming, demonstrates a tremendous commitment to the health and wellbeing of students, faculty, staff and the greater Portales region.”

The Fitness Court was made possible by generous donations from BCBS, JP Stone Community Bank and Childers Construction.

For more information, visit www.enmu.edu/FitnessCourt.