La Montanita Co-op Connection April, 2013

april 2013 connection free

Your community-owned natural foods grocery store

Why Join?• You Care! -about good food and how it is produced• You’re Empowered! -to help support the local/regional food-shed• You Support! -Co-op principles & values & community ownership• You Vote! -with your dollars for a strong local economy• You Participate! -providing direction and energy to the Co-op• You Receive! -member discounts, weekly specials & a patronage refund

• You Own It! -an economic alternative for a sustainable future

Great Reasons to be a Co-op Member

• Pick up our monthly newsletter full of information on food, health, environment and your Co-op.• Member refund program: at the end of each fiscal year, if earnings are sufficient, refunds are returned to members based on purchases.• Weekly member-only coupon specials as featured in our weekly sales flyer. Pick it up every week at any location to save more than your annual membership fee each week.• Banking membership at the New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union.• Member only discount days: take advantage of our special discount events throughout the year-for members only.• Special Orders: order large quantities of hard-to-find items at a 10% discount for members.• General membership meetings, Board positions and voting. Co-ops are democratic organizations. Your participation is encouraged.

Join La Montanita Co-op˜

La Montanita Co-op Administrative Offices901 Menaul Blvd. NE • Albuquerque, NM 87107www.lamontanita.coop

˜

In so many ways it pays to be a La Montanita Co-op Member/Owner˜

EARTH DAY 2013! • NOB HILL, ABQ • SUNDAY, APRIL 21

NEW PRODUCTS! from our neighbor dairy in Estancia, New Mexico

FIVE NEW TRIPLE CREAM STYLE CHEESESCambozola • Ash Ripened • Plain • Chipotle • Green Chile

NEW PRODUCTS!

See Them aT The CelebraTe The earTh FeSTival • april 21 • Nob hill

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLEEarth Day is about celebrating theabundance of our shared resources.Following the waste hierarchy,innovatively reusing materials isthe step before recycling. Our goalis to extract the maximum practicalbenefits from products and in turngenerate the minimum amount ofwaste. Junkado is a kinetic bike orhuman-powered sculpture derby with sculptures andcostumes made with as much reused or recycled materi-als possible.

SUNDAY CELEBRATIONS A/WAY has been hosting costume, sculpture and weld-ing community workshops in preparation in March, butthere is still time to join and get involved. VisitJunkado.org to connect with an existing group andattend a Sunday workshop in April.

A/WAYA/WAY, formerly ABQ Sprout, is extending our meal-based microgranting dinners to a parade format,where the people of New Mexico can share their mes-sage and compete for a $1,000 microgrant. A/WAY isa multi-disciplinary improvement agency workingwith Albuquerque.

PARADE SPECIFICSThis parade is open to both groups and to communityorganizations to celebrate a cause. Collaboration isencouraged and groups can celebrate a cause for a com-munity organization or create their own message. Atotal of 25 groups will ride, but only 10 will have theopportunity to compete for the microgrant of $1,000.Prior to the event, A/WAY will choose 10 grant submis-

Space goes quickly so reserve your booth spacetoday. We give first priority to non-profit envi-ronmental, social and economic justice non-prof-it organizations, farmers, gardeners and farmingorganizations.

Due to space considerations and Fire Department reg-ulations, NO CANOPIES will be allowed. For moreinformation or to reserve your free booth space,please contact Robin at 217-2027, or toll free at877-775-2667 or at [email protected].

We're hoping for a beautiful day, and with MotherEarth's blessing we will once again take time to cele-brate "Her," and reaffirm our commitment to restor-ing and sustaining our beautiful blue/green planetarygem. Join your friends and neighbors as we educateourselves for paradigm shifting action and joyouslydance in the streets at Albuquerque's favorite springgathering. MARK YOUR CALENDAR; THIS IS ONEEVENT YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS.

In Philadelphia, the dream was born andraised—in the parades where I spent most ofmy days. I am a fresh prince to Albuquerque

whose creative roots were sown in Philadelphia withcultivation in three dynamic parade formats: theMummers parade, the oldest running folk parade inAmerica; Peoplehood Parade, a youth focused com-munity parade ending with a performance in thepark; and the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby, afree-wheeling bike powered celebration. Uprootedfrom these rich traditions I have longed for an oppor-tunity to celebrate in the streets with the inhabitantsof Burque. Participating in the Marigold Parade inthe South Valley with my wife and new friends wasan incredible opportunity to connect with the com-munity, but I wanted more.

Junkado, sponsored by A/WAY, is a people poweredperformance parade. Held in conjunction with the23rd Annual Celebrate the Earth Fest at LaMontanita Co-op, this event will allow local organi-zations and individuals to celebrate their creativityand voice. Junkado is a reference to the elaborateJunkanoo parade tradition celebrated in theBahamas. Our name is a play on “doing” more withwhat we all consider “junk.” The sophisticated termfor this is sustainable reuse. An obstacle to artisticcelebration is often the budget for materials and weare working with the local community to sourcematerials typically discarded and headed for thedump or separated for recycling.

Coming together for

EnvironmentalACTION!Sunday, April 21, 10am-6pm

ness Alliance, Citizens for Alternatives to RadioactiveDumping, Agua es Vida Action Team, Desert WomanBotanicals, Animal Protection of New Mexico, OldWindmill Dairy, UNM Sustainability Studies Pro-gram, Project Peace Pal, Charbyda Farm, OurEndangered Aquifer, New Mexico Volunteers for theOutdoors, The Fig Man, Red Tractor Farm, ValleySeed, ABQ Open Space, to name but a few of the manywonderful organizations confirmed at press time.

Ride a Bike!As many of you who have attended the Co-op EarthFest know, due to the popularity of the event andNob Hill parking realities, it’s best to hike, bike orcarpool to the festival site. Given that, we are onceagain honored to be working with the City ofAlbuquerque’s Bicycle program and the AlbuquerquePolice Department on a wide variety of bike safetyand education activities. Thanks to CommanderGeier, of the Southeast Area Substation, get to knowour southeast area Bike Officers. A special thanks

goes out to the City of Albuquerque’s Chuck Malagodi for hishelp on all things bicycle! This year we will once again have aKids Bike Safety Rodeo and other bicycle education.

New Special Earth Fest EventNew this year we are most pleased to partner with A/WAY for-merly known as Sprout. A/WAY has been hosting dinners toraise funds to make micro loans to worthy organizationsthroughout the community. This year the Co-op Earth Fest ispleased to welcome their first Annual Junkado Parade, floatgallery and talent show. The organizational winner of the tal-ent show will receive an A/WAY micro grant to further theirwork. For more information see the article below.

A Community of ArtistsAs always you can count on enjoying some of our communi-ty’s local fine artists and crafts people, hearing some of yourfavorite musicians and seeing performances from gifted localperformers. Some festival favorites, like the AlmaFlamenca, Baile Baile Folklorico and OdigboAdama African Ambassador dancers are comingback, and we are once again honored to havethem grace the little stage under the big tent. Formore information on which great local bands youwill get to hear for FREE, see the full entertain-ment schedule on this page.

Earth FestEntertainment Schedule10am: Ehecatl Aztec Dancers11am: Quality Retreads12pm: Alma Flamenca1pm: Chris Dracup2pm: Baile Baile Folklorico2:30pm: Odigbo Adama African AmbassadorDancers and Drummers3pm: Honey House4pm: Wagogo5pm: Blue Hornets

AT THE NOB HILL CO-OP!

Junkadobike

sculpturePARADE

The Dream of

JUNKADO

23RD ANNUAL CELEBRATE THEEARTH FESTIVAL

BEHIND THE NOB HILL CO-OP, ON SILVER STREET BETWEENCARLISLE AND TULANE, 3500 CENTRAL SE

It’s spring and time for the Co-op’s 23rd Annual Celebratethe Earth Festival in Nob Hill. This year we are encouragingpeople to focus on ways we can come together as a community

and collaborate for a healthy sustainable future for ourselves, com-ing generations and the planet. There is still much work to do on cli-mate chaos, renewable energy, water quality and conservation, foodself sufficiency and many related issues. Come meet and lend yourenergy in support of the efforts of the many dedicated people in ourcommunities who are working on these and other issues.

We firmly believe that with the same cooperative spirit that fornearly 40 years enabled the Co-op to thrive and become the com-munity hub for a sustainable future it has become, we can and willovercome the challenges our communities face.

Again this year the festival will cover two blocks on Silver Streetbetween Carlisle and Tulane behind the Nob Hill Shopping Center.You can expect an inspiring day filled with information, educationand action booths from dozens of environmental, social and eco-nomic justice organizations from around the state. Meet local farm-ers, pet baby goats, get seedlings for a sustainable food supply anddrought resistant plants, and beautiful art from local artists andcrafts people. And of course you’ll get to eat great Co-op food anddance in the street with friends and neighbors, new and old.

We are looking forward to having groups as diverse as BethanyOrganic Farm, Bike ABQ, Amigos Bravos, New Mexico Wilder-

by Robin Seydel

sions that best benefit New Mexico to compete for the micrograntin a performance at the end of the parade. This can include groupstrying to raise funds for an organization that is not their own.Performances will be judged on four criteria: 1) Five-minute per-formance; 2) Float, bike sculpture and costume; 3) Amount ofreused materials used; and 4) Their message.

The parade will run the one-mile length of Silver Avenue, designat-ed as “Bicycle Boulevard,” starting at the west end at Yale Boulevardand joining the Celebrate the Earth Festival at Tulane Avenue.

Our parade theme is Celebrate your Albuquerque Earth. This themeis not limited to environmental interpretation and we encourage eco-nomic, social justice and other activist-based presentations and per-formances. Contact our organization to discuss your participation.

To learn more about how to participate in the parade, submita grant request, or view ideas from other cities, visit us atJunkado.org. Learn more about A/WAY and our upcomingdinners at ThisIsAWay.com.

BY ARYON HOPKINS, A/WAY

reduce, reuse,

recycle

AApprriill 2211eeaarrtthhFFEESSTT

The 23rd Annual Earth Fest is a ZERO WASTE EVENT

thanks to KNOWASTE

www.knowaste.netThe Annual Celebrate the Earth Fest—SundayApril 21st—10am-6pm, at the back door of theNob Hill Co-op location. DON’T MISS IT!

InterFaith Action for the EarthEARTH FESTCOLLABORATION

Immanuel Presbyterian Church, NewMexico Interfaith Power and Light and

the Co-op are collaboratingduring Earth Fest, offering films and

educational/ecological demonstrations.In front of Immanuel Church, participate

in hands on demonstrations on waterharvesting, soil and seeds, building asimple solar cooker, pests and plants

and more from 1-3:30pm. InsideImmanuel’s Fellowship Hall several films

and shorts will be shown during theafternoon. More info contact Joan

Brown at [email protected].

La Montanita CooperativeA Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store

Nob Hill/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.3500 Central SE Abq., NM 87106 265-4631

Valley/ 7am-10pm M-Sun.2400 Rio Grande Blvd. NWAbq., NM 87104 242-8800

Gallup/ 10am-7pm M-S, 11am-6pm Sun.105 E. Coal Gallup, NM 87301 863-5383

Santa Fe/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.913 West Alameda Santa Fe, NM 87501 984-2852

UNM Co-op ’N Go/ 7am-6pm M-F, 10-4pm Sat.Closed Sun., 2301 Central Ave. SE Abq., NM 87131 277-9586

Cooperative Distribution Center 901 Menual NE, Abq., NM 87107 217-2010

Administrative Staff: 217-2001TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP)• General Manager/Terry Bowling [email protected]• Controller/John Heckes [email protected]• Computers/Info Technology/David Varela 217-2011 [email protected]• Perishables Coordinator/Bob Tero [email protected]• Human Resources/Sharret Rose [email protected]• Marketing/Edite Cates [email protected]• Membership/Robin Seydel [email protected]• CDC/MichelleFranklin [email protected]

Store Team Leaders: • Mark Lane/Nob Hill [email protected]• John Mulle/Valley [email protected]• William Prokopiak/Santa Fe [email protected]• Michael Smith/Gallup [email protected]

Co-op Board of Directors:email: [email protected]• President: Martha Whitman• Vice President: Marshall Kovitz• Secretary: Ariana Marchello• Treasurer: Roger Eldridge• Lisa Banwarth-Kuhn• Kristy Decker• Jake Garrity• Susan McAllister• Betsy VanLeit

Membership Costs:$15 for 1 year/ $200 Lifetime Membership

Co-op Connection Staff:• Managing Editor: Robin [email protected] 217-2027• Layout and Design: foxyrock inc• Cover/Centerfold: Co-op Marketing Dept.• Advertising: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher • Editorial Assistant: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher [email protected] 217-2016• Printing: Vanguard Press

Membership information is available at all four Co-op locations, or call 217-2027 or 877-775-2667email: [email protected]: www.lamontanita.coop

Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Address typed, double-spaced copy to the Managing Editor, [email protected]

Copyright ©2013La Montanita Co-op SupermarketReprints by prior permission.The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% post-consumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.

earth day special April 2013 2

BY JESSICA ROWLAND, UNM SUSTAINABILITY STUDIES PROGRAM

COME CELEBRATE EARTH DAY at the University ofNew Mexico’s Sustainability Expo and LoboGrowers’ Market!

Now in its fifth year, the Expo and Growers’ Market isone of the largest and most popular events on campus.This year it will be held on Cornell Mall—just east of theStudent Union Building—on Tuesday, April 23, from10am to 2pm. Everyone is invited to join in the EarthDay-inspired festivities!

The Expo and Growers’ Market offers a great opportunity to interactwith sustainability-minded folks at a variety of engaging displays andactivities, including an alternative transportation exhibition, a green jobsfair, a growers’ market, and a bicycle auction. Learn about sustainable

initiatives on campus and in the surrounding community, con-nect with potential employers, meet local farmers, and enjoythe fun, energetic atmosphere.

The Lobo Growers’ Market portion of the Expo is organizedby Sustainability Studies students who are passionate aboutpromoting local farming and small business, and educatingcampus and community members about sustainable agricul-ture and healthy food choices. The Lobo Growers’ Marketwill kick off the upcoming Albuquerque area growers’ mar-ket season, and will feature numerous local growers, value-added producers and prepared foods vendors.

To learn more about sustainable food and agriculture in NewMexico, check out the Growers’ Market Practicum class blog,

ABQ Stew: New Mexico’s Food for Thought. During the weeks leadingup to the event, students will post interviews with local foodshed heroes,describe successful New Mexico-based food businesses, discuss agricul-tural challenges and solutions in our state, and provide “how-to” guideson various sustainable topics. Additionally, during the month precedingthe Expo, students will host a free series of four film screenings on cam-pus to raise awareness about food and sustainability. Please join us forthis festive and educational event! More Information contact:[email protected].

CO-OPYOU OWN IT

HAPPENINGS FOR THE EEAARRTTHH

BY VIRGINIA POINTEAU

Agriculture drives economies, creates greenjob opportunities and directly affects thehealth of our nation. With the national aver-

age age of US ranchers and farmers approaching 60,and with less than 2 percent of the US population cur-rently dedicated to producing food, it is critical that weincrease the number and accessibility of training oppor-tunities for the next generation of food producers and land stew-ards. All over the nation, enthusiastic young agrarians are readyto take part in the sustainable food movement, but need oppor-tunities to learn alongside established practitioners so that vital,experience-based knowledge can be transferred to a new gener-ation of land stewards.

Since 2008, the Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program(NAP), based in Santa Fe, partnered with ranches and farmsaround the southwest to offer 8- to 12-month apprenticeships fornew agrarians. Designed to support the next generation of foodproducers, this professional development program offers experi-ential training in all aspects of a resilient agricultural enterpriseand targets young people with a sincere commitment to living atthe intersection of conservation and sustainable agriculture. Wework closely with carefully selected ranchers and farmers who arededicated stewards of the land; practice beyond organic, regener-ative methods of food production; provide excellent animal care;and who are natural teachers for young agrarians.

The NAP provides funding to cover theapprentice stipend and other costs associ-ated with the apprenticeships, while men-tors provide food and housing. To assistwith our fundraising needs, together withthe Bar Lazy S Ranch (Los Lunas, NM),we will be offering two, three-day cheese-making courses taught by Vermont cheese-makers Dr. Larry and Linda Faillace, ofThree Shepherds Cheese. “Italian Cheese-

making,” will be offered July 26-28, in Los Lunas, NM, and“Artisanal Cheesemaking” will be offered August 2-4, inBernalillo, NM. Proceeds from both courses will benefit appren-tices in our program.

Founded in 1997 by two conservationists and a rancher, theQuivira Coalition is a non-profit organization dedicated tobuilding economic and ecological resilience in western workinglandscapes. Quivira’s other projects include an annual confer-ence, riparian and uplands demonstration restoration projects,capacity-building collaboration with the Navajo Nation OjoEncino Chapter, our journal Resilience, and the promotion ofcarbon ranching to mitigate climate change through regenerativefood production and land stewardship. More than one millionacres of rangeland, 30 linear miles of riparian drainages and over15,000 people have directly benefited from Quivira’s collabora-tive efforts.

For more information on Quivira Coalition programs or tomake a donation go to www.quiviracoalition.org or email [email protected] or call 505-820-2544, ext. 5.

5T H A N N U A L UNM SUSTAINABILITY EXPO &

LOBO GROWERS’ MARKET

offCENTER’S

Take a self-guided house tour of three uniquely artistic,quirky homes in Albuquerque while giving to a greatcause. The homes and sculpture gardens that are part ofthis year's tour range from a violin maker's shop/homeovertaken by story-high dragons, an artist/hairdresser'sshop/home laden with murals and mosaics and a multi-media artist/collector's home splashed with colored walls,artwork, mosaics and more!

8thannual fundraiserALBUQUIRKY HOUSE TOUR and LITTLE

HOUSES Silent Auction May 3-4

The Albuquirky House Tour is preceded the night before by ourLittle Houses Silent Auction held at Sumner and Dene Creationsin Art. Proceeds from both the auction and house tour ticket salesbenefit OFFCenter Community Arts Project, a local social-profit501(c)3 which provides a group open studio space, materials andskill-building workshops in the visual, literary and musical arts tothe entire public—FREE OF CHARGE.

May 3: Little Houses Silent Auction from 5-8pmat Sumner and Dene Creations in Art, 517 Central NW

May 4: 8th Annual Albuquirky House Tour: 11am-4pm (Self-guided tour throughout Albuquerque)

GET TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATIONat www.offcenterarts.org.

aapprriill2233

cheese making

CLASS

THE QUIVIRA COALITION: MENTORING THENEXT GENERATION OF AGRARIANLEADERS


BY TINA DEINES, NM WILDERNESS ALLIANCE

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA) is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protec-tion, restoration and continued enjoyment of NewMexico’s wild lands and wilderness areas. Founded in1997, we achieve our mission through administrative protec-tion, federal wilderness designation and ongoing advocacy. Wehave a growing membership ranging from 5,000 to 6,000 indi-viduals from all corners of New Mexico and across the nation.Our organizing efforts span the state and involve many diversegroups, including ranchers, sportsmen, land grants, acequiacommunities, tribal and religious leaders, scientists, youth andcommunity leaders. We are the only statewide wilderness

group in New Mexico with a proven track record of buildingdiverse coalitions to protect our public lands.

NMWA is committed to building community and raising pub-lic awareness of wilderness issues. Our Let’s Get Wild! pro-gram connects citizens to wilderness through hikes and volun-teer service projects throughout the state. We reach thousandsof citizens each year through our quarterly newsletter and withour Wild Guide, an almanac of our events filled with wilder-ness anecdotes, art and poetry. Our youth outreach programsengage young people in stewardship of public lands to promotea healthy future for our lands and communities. We hope you’lljoin us in our mission to save New Mexico’s wild places!

BRING A BAG... DONATE THE DIME!THIS MONTH BAG CREDIT DONATIONS GO TO:THE NEW MEXICO WILDERNESS ALLIANCE. Dedicatedto the protection, restoration and continued enjoyment of ourwild lands through education, coalition building and policyadvocacy, www.nmwild.org.

IN FEBRUARY your bag credit donations totally $1,827.96went to Our Endangered Aquifer Working Group.

CCOO--OOPPPPRROOGGRRAAMM

DONATEyour BAG CCRREEDDIITT!

T H E N E W M E X I C O W I L D E R N E S S A L L I A N C E :

PROTECTING WILD LANDS

Santa Fe Farmers MarketInstitute MOVIE SERIES

WEDNESDAY APRIL 17, 7PM

Once upon a time, products werebuilt to last. Not today! The LightBulb Conspiracy traces the story of

planned obsolescence—the deliberate shorten-ing of product life spans to guarantee con-sumer demand. From its start in the 1920swith a secret cartel that limited the life of lightbulbs, to current stories of inkjet printers and iPods thefilm shows the result: discarded electronics piling up inhuge third world electronic waste sites, ruining land and

CONSPIRACYTTTTHHHHEEEE LLLL IIIIGGGGHHHHTTTT BBBBUUUULLLLBBBB

water where the poorest of the poor live—all in the name of“recycling” from wealthy countries.

Offering hope at the end, The Light Bulb Conspiracy depicts thegrowing spirit of resistance among ordinary con-sumers, asking: is planned obsolescence itselfbecoming obsolete?

As part of the Santa Fe Farmers Market PavilionMovie Series, The Light Bulb Conspiracy is show-ing on April 17 at 7pm at the Farmers MarketPavilion at the Railyard at 1607 Paseo de Peralta.

A benefit for the Santa Fe Farmers MarketInstitute: General Admission: $12; Institute

Members, Seniors and Students over 18: $10; under 18 andSanta Fe Farmers Market Vendors come for free. More info call505-983-7726 or email [email protected].

NEW MEXICO NATIONALMONUMENTDESIGNATIONS

We have been waiting years for permanentprotection of the Organ Mountains-DesertPeaks in Doña Ana County and Rio Grandedel Norte in Northern New Mexico. Now thatPresident Obama is settling into his second term,let's get things off on the right foot by asking forhis active support for TWO new national monu-ments in the Land of Enchantment.

PLEASE CONTACT PRESIDENT OBAMA andask him to use the Antiquities Act to createnational monuments for the Organ Mountains-

Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte. Both of these areashave ecological, historical and cultural importance and haveimmense community support in favor of permanent protection.With continued gridlock in Congress, we must look toPresident Obama for leadership to make sure that these beauti-ful and historic places are protected for future generations.

Second terms are traditionally when a president begins to thinkabout his legacy. There is possibly no more important legacythan defending and expanding public lands for our future gen-erations to enjoy.

CALL PRESIDENT OBAMA! Phone: 202-456-1111/Fax: 202-456-2461, or send an email to www.whitehouse.gov.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the release ofMexican gray wolves (also known as lobos) back into thewild Gila. The last remaining lobos in the US were killed inthe 1970s. Reintroduction efforts began in 1998 with mixedresults during the ensuing years. The latest good news is thatMexican gray wolves are on the uptick with some 75 roamingthe wild Gila, up from 58 at last year’s count.

But, with only one wolf per 115,184 peopleliving in New Mexico and Arizona, and a 50percent decline in breeding pairs since lastyear’s count, wolves of the Southwest still needour help. With so few roaming free, loboshave yet to play their role in the balance ofnature, in maintaining healthy wild lands.With a decline in the number of breedingpairs, decreased genetic diversity seriouslythreatens their survival. Your continued sup-port of the most endangered wolf on the plan-et is critical.

Please join others in taking a few minutes to e-mail USFish and Wildlife Service Southwest Regional DirectorBenjamin Tuggle: [email protected].

ASK DR. TUGGLE TO:• Release more wolves now. With more breeding pairs pro-ducing pups, greater genetic diversity will make for a moreresilient Mexican gray wolf population. • Allow direct releases of captive-bred wolves in NewMexico. Currently such releases can only occur in Arizona,thus limiting the number of wolves that can be set free andsignificantly hindering recovery efforts. Too many wolves areall dressed up with no place to go!• Thank the US Fish and Wildlife Service for promotingproactive measures that effectively minimize conflict betweenwolves and livestock and strongly encourage them to contin-ue their efforts. Then, take some time to celebrate wildlobos on the landscape.

LOBOS IN THE WILD ALERT!AAAACCCCTTTTIIIIOOOONNNN

Co-op ValuesCooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidar-ity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative mem-bers believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness,social responsibility and caring for others.

Co-op Principles 1 Voluntary and Open Membership 2 Democratic Member Control 3 Member Economic Participation 4 Autonomy and Independence 5 Education, Training and Information 6 Cooperation among Cooperatives 7 Concern for Community

The Co-op Connection is published by La Montanita Co-op Supermarket to provide information on La MontanitaCo-op Supermarket, the cooperative movement, and thelinks between food, health, environment and communi-ty issues. Opinions expressed herein are of the authorsand are not necessarily those of the Co-op.

IN A NUTSHELL!BY DAVE FOREMAN, REWILDING INSTITUTE

Adapted from his new book Man Swarm and the Killing of Wildlife.Excerpted and reprinted with permission from the author. For the fullarticle and extensive footnotes go to [email protected]

Forty years and three billion Men ago, conservationists and most every-one else understood that we were in the middle of a population explo-sion. Today, it seems that many conservationists and

most other folks don’t give it much thought. If we ask“Why?” much of the answer is that we’ve let ourselvesbecome sure that our population explosion is over. Why,some even worry about populations dropping. But takeanother look at the first line: Forty years and three billionMen ago. In 1974, world population snapped the four-bil-lion wire. We will snap the seven-billion wire in anothermonth or two if we haven’t already. So, while we were talk-ing ourselves into believing that the population explosionhad been stopped, we crammed another three billion of usonto Earth and took over millions and millions of acres ofwildlife homes.

From Chapter One, “Man Swarm and the Killing of Wildlife”Sixty-five thousand years seems like forever, yet it is a finger-snap in geological time. Maybe our handicap comes from having a lifespanof only seventy or so years. But walk with me as I slog back 65,000 years.Then there were more than ten kinds (species) of great apes: in east andsoutheast Asia, two kinds of orangutans, two or more kinds of Homo erec-tus offspring, and tiny little folks on Flores and other islands; in Africa, twogorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and likely two hominin kinds, one ofwhich was becoming us—Homo sapiens; and in Europe and western Asia,Neandertals. Also in central Asia, another kind of Homo, not us and notNeandertal.

Genetic and other scientific work shows that there were fewer than 10,000of the elder Homo sapiens living 65,000 years ago—maybe only 5,000.Fifty thousand years later, we had spread out of Africa to Asia, Australia,Europe and the Americas. In a few more thousand years we were buildingyearlong settlements and starting to grow wheat and lentils. We had alreadybrought some wolves into our packs and would soon tame goats and sheep.Some little desert cats would tame us. Our tally had climbed to a million orso by then; about ten thousand years ago. By that time, our nearest kin—the three to six other Homos—were gone, and we likely had much to dowith their going. The Sixth Mass Extinction was going full tilt with thekilling of big “wildeors” wherever we newly showed up.


Another way to look at it is that 50,000 years ago, therewere more tigers than Homo sapiens. Today, for everywild tiger on Earth, there are two million human beings.Sit quietly with your eyes closed and hold that flip inyour head for a minute or two. In India alone, therewere some 100,000 tigers in the wild one hundred yearsago. As the population of Man shot through the roof inIndia, the population of tigers fell through the floor.

Man Swarm Time LineFather-son historians William and J. R. McNeill write,“By the time the first metropolitan web was formingaround Sumer some 5,000 years ago, the earth hostedperhaps 10 to 30 million people.” The widely ack-

nowledged world population for 1 C.E. is 250 million.By 1700 C.E., about the time Benjamin Franklin wasborn, we had grown to 610 million.

Throughout this time of preindustrial civilization,heavy childhood deaths and the “occasional demo-graphic crisis” (epidemics) slowed the dash of growth.As did our bloody swords and spears!

Sixty-five thousand years ago: we were less than10,000. Ten thousand years ago: 1,000,000. Five thou-sand years ago: 10,000,000 to 30,000,000. Two thou-sand years ago: 250,000,000. Three hundred yearsago: 610,000,000. For every Man 65,000 years ago,there were 100,000 in 1700 C.E.

Physician and University of Colorado anthropologyprofessor Warren Hern writes: “As of 1993, we haveadded more humans to the total human population ofthe world in the past 40 years than we added in theprevious three million years...”

Please stop reading for a bit. Sit back and let Hern’swords sink in. They ought to jar your mind. Man’spopulation grew more in the last forty years thanin the previous three million years.

HOW HIGH WILL HUMAN NUMBERS GO?No one gainsays that our population has grown since1700. Nor is anyone believable at odds with the expo-nential growth curve of human population. Where theclash comes is with forecasts, with “cornucopians” say-ing that population growth is slowing, even as they saysuch growth is not a worry. (A wise one knows to raisean eyebrow when tossed this kind of two-sided dodge.)Some of the wrangle comes from the handful of ways to

reckon population growth: rate of growth, whether therate of growth itself is going up or down (and by whatspeed), how many hungry mouths are added each year,number of women coming into their baby-makingyears, population doubling time, and so on.

Biologist Garret Hardin laid out why we need to lookat all these kinds of population growth. Say that thepercentage rate of growth slows from 2.1 percent to1.7 percent a year over a few years while the absoluterate of yearly growth goes from 64 million to 79 mil-lion to 93 million in that time. Hardin wrote in 1993: “The absolute rate of increase has increased every yearsince the end of World War II. It is the absoluteincrease, rather than the relative rate, that stress-es the environment.”

In 2009, about “75 million more mouths” were plead-ing for food than in 2008; it was much the same in2010, with another 75 million more hungry ones than in2009. Thinking that a drop in the population growthrate means that population is not growing is a warningthat our schools are no longer teaching arithmetic!

Another way to look at population is by populationage structure. As big “age cohorts” go through theirchildbearing years, they have many children. In 1995one-third of Earth’s population (2 billion) was underfifteen years of age, while only about five percent of it(300 million people) was over sixty-five. The young-sters are making far more babies now than how manyoldsters are dying; therefore population is growing.This is a big deal, but few think about how longevitygrows population.

In yet another twist, population does not grow evenlyover the world. While Italy, Japan and Russia may haveended their growth, elsewhere—Africa foremost—growth is unbelievably high. Take forlorn Ethiopia,where hunger stalks the land like a marrow-suckingwraith; Ethiopia had fewer than nineteen million soulsin 1950, had 40 million or so when it had its Earth-shak-ing famine in 1984, has 85 million today, and is slatedto have about 174 million in another forty years.

Thirty and forty years ago, Paul Ehrlich and GarretHardin woke up governments with their warnings.Birth control of all kinds became widespread in the1970s. Good work was done—at least for a while. Butin no way has the population bomb been defused. Weadd some 75 million more mouths every year. That is750 million every ten years.

HOW HIGH WILL WORLD POPULATION GO? Dr. Joseph Speidel of the University of California’s BixbyCenter for Reproductive Health Research & Policywarns, “If birth rates remain unchanged, world popula-tion will grow to 11.9 billion” by 2050.

In their May 3, 2011, press release, the UN warns,“Small variations in fertility can produce major differ-ences in the size of populations over the long run.” Inother words, if the UN’s population wizards guesswrong on fertility by only half a baby for the world’swomen, Earth’s population in 2100 would be a mind-blowing 16 billion!

ISN’T IT TIME TO CALL THE CRISIS A CRISIS?

DAVE FOREMAN is executive director of the Re-wilding Institute, a non-profit conservation organiza-tion based in Albuquerque, NM. Please visit www.rewilding.org to purchase a copy of Man Swarm andthe Killing of Wildlife, see a list of books for sale, ormake a donation. Subscribe to Dave Foreman's"Around the Campfire" column by contacting [email protected].

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE WITH UNCLE DAVEPOPULATION

eeeexxxxpppplllloooossssiiiioooonnnn

Man’s populationGREW MORE in theLAST FORTY YEARS

than in the previous THREE MILLION YEARS!

THE

BEYOND PESTICIDES 31ST NATIONALPEST IC IDE FORUMwww.beyondpesticides.org/forum

APRIL 5-6UUNNMM

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on, our recycling rate is much lower than the national average. EnglishBird, the director of the New Mexico Recycling Coalition says, "NewMexico has seen great leaps in our recycling rate in the past years andwe are now up to a 21 percent recycling rate. This compares to a nation-al 34 percent recycling rate, but I feel like we are on track to meet thatrate in the next several years with all of the recycling program

improvements we have seen in the past couple yearsaround the state.”

Our trash offers opportunities for new businesses andways to make sure we’re being more responsible aboutland use, natural resource extraction and consumption.

Albuquerque Recycling Inc. (ARI) provides electronicsrecycling services throughout New Mexico and theSouthwest. ARI opened its doors for operation in 2008and since has become the largest E-waste recycling com-pany in New Mexcio. ARI was founded on the principlethat there is value in what our culture calls "trash.” Thefolks at ARI believe recovering raw materials from ourwaste is now more economical and less invasive thanextracting new (usually non-renewable) resources. Theymake it their mission to "urban mine" these materialsand recover their value while simultaneously providing

jobs and reducing the amount of waste being landfilled in New Mexico.According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, for every 10,000 tonsof solid waste going to landfills, one job is created. That same amount ofwaste – kept out of landfills – can create ten recycling jobs or between 18and 296 material reuse jobs, depending on the material. In particular,computer reuse has been shown to create the most jobs of any reusedwaste. Since its inception, ARI diverted from the landfill and recycled 5.6million pounds of E-waste and employs about twenty people.

While ARI currently holds the city contract for recycling E-waste mate-rials, they have only put a small dent in the volume of material we couldbe reusing or recycling. Tons of material reused or recycled could createhundreds of jobs for New Mexicans. Currently, New Mexico has onlya few businesses that source locally recycled materials: Beck OfficeSystems (Albuquerque Recycled Office Furniture); Vision Paper(Albuquerque manufacturer of recycled-content papers); UnityCenter/Phat Frames (Creates award/picture frames from wooden pallets); andJaiTire (shredded-tire fluff for playgrounds and athletic surfaces). Thesebusinesses represent a small fraction of the types of small- and medium-scale manufacturing that could happen here in New Mexico sourcingaffordable, locally processed recycled materials.

ARI WILL RECYCLE MOST E-WASTE FOR FREE: They charge formore expensive-to-process tube TVs. They also offer a pickup service,which is free in many cases, dependent on quantity and location. ARIhosts collection events with partner organizations like schools, com-munity organizations, businesses and government agencies.Additionally, they offer free hard drive data destruction, ensuring thatyour sensitive data does not make it into the hands of hackers andidentity thieves. To learn more about recycling your E-waste withARI, find them online, www.albuquerquerecycling.net, or givethem a call at 505-990-3732.

BY SARAH WENTZEL-FISHER AND KEVIN FULLERTON

Electronic devices represent the fasting grow-ing waste stream in terms of what we throwaway. Most cell phone companies encourage their

customers to replace their phones at least every twoyears. Most big computer companies release new modelsannually—handheld and console gaming devices areabout the same. As consumers, industry encourages us toconstantly upgrade our electronic devices for fashion’ssake or through designed obsolescence. So what happensto all our old, unwanted electronic devices?

Often, we simply throw them away and they wind up in alandfill. E-waste, which includes all the types of electronicmaterials we throw away—TVs, computers, cell phones,printers—increasingly shows up in our landfills as ourconsumer habits tend towards more new electronicdevices that we replace on a more regular basis. E-waste isnow the fastest growing waste stream in the US asAmericans buy more electronic gadgets every year.According to a 2009 report issued by the EnvironmentalProtection Agency, 438 million new consumer electronicswere sold that year alone, twice the amount as in 2007.These numbers are staggering when considering that werecycle less than 20 percent of our unwanted electronics.

While we send much of our E-waste to the landfill, thetruth is that almost every component of our electronicdevices can be reused or recycled. While many of the mate-

rials in E-waste like plastics,copper, aluminum and steelare fairly straightforward torecycle into new materials, E-waste also contains poten-tially hazardous materials like mercury, cadmium and leadthat can end up in our community's groundwater whenlandfilled. These hazardous materials require special han-dling for proper disposal. Cathode Ray Tubes, or CRTs,(the devices used to create images in older TVs and com-puter monitors) can contain up to five pounds of lead, notto mention a number of other heavy metals.

In New Mexico, because waste management costs so lit-tle, and because we have so much land to dump our trash

DOE plans to issue three environmental impact state-ments (EISs) this year, each of which would expandWIPP. Expanding WIPP could pave the way for bring-ing high-level waste to New Mexico.

WILL CONGRESS ACT?FOUR SENATORS—Democrats Ron Wyden ofOregon and Diane Feinstein of California andRepublicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska andLamar Alexander of Tennessee—are writing anuclear waste bill to be considered by the SenateEnergy and Natural Resources Committee,which Wyden chairs and Murkowski is the topRepublican on the committee. The SenateAppropriations Sub-committee on Energy andWater Development, which Feinstein chairs andAlexander is the top Republican on the commit-tee, may include a mandate for DOE to designate

a high-level waste storage site, as they did in the 2012 billthat the last Congress did not pass.

New Mexico’s two senators should play importantroles in any such legislation, because, in the past, theyhave supported the legal restrictions on WIPP andbecause they serve on those committees. Senator TomUdall has just become a member of the AppropriationsSubcommittee and Senator Martin Heinrich is a mem-ber of the Energy Committee. Senator Udall also is a member of the Environment and Public WorksCommittee, which should consider the legislation.

BY DON HANCOCK, SOUTHWEST RESEARCH AND

INFORMATION CENTER, JANET GREENWALD, CITIZENS

FOR ALTERNATIVES TO RADIOACTIVE DUMPING

Some people in southeastern New Mexicowant to bring high-level nuclear wasteto New Mexico. If that happens, the waste

could come on any major highway and railroadtrack in the state. To take part in this importantdecision, get informed and take action.

Background2013 could be the year that federal laws regarding nuclear waste in NewMexico are decimated—or kept. New Mexicans fought hard for the laws,and people will need to be involved to ensure that the requirements are kept—and public health and safety are protected.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), 26 miles east of Carlsbad, is theworld’s only underground military nuclear waste disposal site. The facilitycurrently holds almost 86,000 cubic meters of transuranic (TRU, plutonium-contaminated) waste generated by nuclear weapons production. WIPP wasfirst proposed in 1972, but did not open until March 1999 because of signif-icant public concerns about the safety of transportation and the site and whatwastes would be allowed. That extensive debate (including many hearingsand protests) resulted in the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA), signed byPresident George H.W. Bush on October 30, 1992. The LWA limited the facil-ity to 175,564 cubic meters of defense TRU waste and prohibited trans-portation or disposal of high-level waste or spent nuclear fuel.

But with the termination of Yucca Mountain by the Obama administration andCongress stopping all funding for that proposed high-level waste site, somepeople in southeastern New Mexico, some nuclear industry companies, andsome politicians and government officials are promoting WIPP or a nearbylocation for high-level waste storage or disposal. The Department of Energy(DOE) plans to make decisions in the next several months about expandingWIPP for other wastes, and Congress will consider nuclear waste legislation.

WIPP IS UNSUITABLE FOR HIGH LEVEL WASTEIn addition to the repeated promises made to NewMexicans and the legal retrictions, WIPP and south-eastern New Mexico are not technically suitable forhigh-level waste. Such waste contains about 10,000times the radioactivity planned for WIPP, so the healthrisks to the public and the environmental damage ofaccidents and leaks are much greater. Many scientistsfor decades have considered salt to have serious defi-ciencies in comparison to some other geologic forma-tions for high-level waste because such heat-generatingwaste can rapidly deform the rock and create instabil-ity that could endanger workers and release radioac-tivity. In addition, the WIPP site is surrounded byactive oil and natural gas production facilities andreserves underlie the waste disposal area, which canresult in breaches and releases of radioactivity.Pressurized brine reservoirs also underlie the waste dis-posal area, which could result in waste being trans-ported to the surface, if a pathway is created by drillingor other means.

REDUCE

E-WASTE

A C T I O NA C T I O N A L E R T

www.r2solutions.org • www.weeeman.orgwww.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/recycling/index.htm

For more info on recycling in New Mexico ingeneral: www.recyclenewmexico.com

• According to a 2009 EPA study, 438 millionnew consumer electronics were sold in the US;

• 5 million tons of electronics were in storage;• 2.37 million tons of electronics were ready

for end-of-life management; and• 25% of these tons were collected for

recycling.

G O T E - W A S T E T H AT H A TTN E E D S R E C Y C L I N G ?N E E D S R E C Y C L I N G ?Albuquerque Recycling will host two events in April:• April 13 from 9am to 1pm, City of Santa Fe Solid

Waste Management, 1142 Sylar Road• April 20 from 10am to 2pm, Coronado Mall,

AlbuquerqueCALL 505-990-3732 or EMAIL [email protected] for more info.

FOR INFO ON E-WASTERECYCLING:

HIGH LEVEL

NUKEWASTEComing through YOURneighborhood?

CONTACT YOUR SENATORS: Sen. Tom Udall, 110Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20510;202-224-6621; [email protected]. Martin Heinrich, B40D Dirksen Senate OfficeBldg., Washington, DC 20510; 202-224-5521; [email protected] WIPP homepage: www.wipp.energy.gov/SRICnuclear waste homepagewww.sric.org/nuclear/index.php

Come to a dinner and panel discussion (no charge,donations accepted) at the Albuquerque Center forPeace and Justice, 202 Harvard SE, Albuquerque,on Tuesday, April 23, at 6pm.

TAKEAACCTTIIOONN!! NNOO NNNNUUUUKKKKEEEESSSS IINN

OOUURR NNEEIIIIGGHHBBOORRHHOOOODD

W A S T I N G N E W M E X I C O ?

Fastest GrowingWASTE STREAM!

co-op news April 2013 6

BY MARSHALL KOVITZ, BOARD VICE

PRESIDENT

When we speak about co-ops and what it means toco-operate, we may think

about a simple reciprocal arrange-ment: we support La Montanita eco-nomically so that it can then supportus, its owners, by providing us withhealthy food and educating us aboutwhy its products and services areimportant. Many of us provide additional help by volun-teering for board work and other Co-op sponsored activities. Beyondthis relationship with its owners, the Co-op’s support of the largercommunity through its many programs is another expression of howwe all work together to create a better world.

But the far-sighted co-operators at the International Co-operativeAlliance—the umbrella organization for co-ops world-wide—under-stood the need for co-operation to extend beyond individual co-opsand declared Co-operation Among Co-ops to be one of the sevendefining principles of co-operatives. Here at La Montanita, we practicethis principle in many ways. La Montanita belongs to the National Co-operative Grocers Association, a business services co-op owned byretail co-op grocery stores throughout the country. NCGA providesvaluable technical expertise to co-ops. Through the National

Martha and Terry will be presenting at an NCGAnational conference about expansion—another areaat which we excel. Martha has worked with theboard of the Los Alamos Co-op and Martha and Ihave trained the boards of the Dixon Co-op innorthern New Mexico and the Food Conspiracy inTucson. I have also worked with the board of theValley Food Co-op in Alamosa, CO, and I provideassistance to the boards of Albuquerque’s two hous-ing co-ops.

Co-operation Among Co-ops is one of the manytopics our board examines during its monthlystudy work. You are always welcome to join in ourdiscussions and observe our business meeting thatprecedes it. We meet on the third Tuesday of eachmonth with the business segment starting prompt-ly at 5:30pm and the discussion beginning around6:30pm. Discussion topics are wide ranging, futureoriented, strategic in scope, engaging and fun.Come at 5:20pm and join us for dinner. Location isImmanuel Presbyterian Church across the streetfrom the Nob Hill store; enter through the north-ern-most of the two doors facing CarlisleBoulevard. For more information, contact us [email protected].

Look for the board’s table at the Nob Hill store’sEarth Day celebration on April 21; we’ll be askingfor your thoughts about long-term issues affectingthe Co-op. And check the Co-op Connectionnewsletter for other spring events as well asthe summer time opening of our new WestSide store.

WORKING TOGETHER to build COMMUNITY

M E M B E R S H I P I S O W N E R S H I P :

Farmer OwnedWe are a completely farmer-owned and managed seedproduction and marketing cooperative. This allowsfor a strategic, coordinated seed production programto meet specific market demands. We are developinga rigorous quality assurance program made up of fourkey components: a) quality assurance trials; b) stockseed maintenance and improvement program; c) seedtesting protocols; and d) crop production specifica-tions.

We began selling certified organic garlic in August2011 and launched our online store in 2012. Now, inaddition to finding our seed online, you also can findour seed in a variety of retail locations like LaMontanita Co-op.

FFSC is focusing on providing seed for organic marketgrowers, with an emphasis on small to medium-sizedoperations and family gardens. We'll also work withseed companies to develop and produce varieties suit-ed to their particular needs. Community gardenorganizations and other grower groups seeking bulkquantities of high quality seed will also be served.

Developing and delivering quality seed is founda-tional to everything we do. All varieties offeredhave been grown successfully in organic farmingsystems and include some or all of the followingimportant traits:• adaptability to specific climatic and/or soil conditions• adaptability to a wide range of environments; i.e.,"workhorse varieties"• durable disease and/or pest resistance• reliably good/excellent yields• distinctive horticultural/consumer characteristicssuch as outstanding flavor, unique color, or elevatednutritional content.

Get your garden or farm started this year withseed from the FAMILY FARMERS SEED CO-OPERA-TIVE by shopping online at www.organicseedcoop. com or buy some at La Montanita Co-op inAlbuquerque or Santa Fe.

OUR MISSION: Strengthening SeedSovereignty and Seed Security Our over-arching mission is to fundamental-ly change our food system from one thatrelies on distant, industrialized, monocultur-al farm operations to a system that derivesits food from ecologically-based, diverse,local and regional farms and gardens.

We recognize the urgent need to protectseed sovereignty—the right of the public to

own and develop our seed supply—if we are toensure food security and live in a healthy and justsociety. We also know genetic biodiversity is thefoundation of a healthy ecosystem and society, andthat climate change is affecting agriculture indynamic and unpredictable ways that require adap-tation in our seed and methods of farming. To meetthese needs, we are focused on improving andexpanding the seed supply in two key ways:

• Producing high quality seed of important existing,public domain, organically-grown, open-pollinatedvarieties and maintaining varietal integrity throughcontinual selection• Creating new, better performing, organically-grown, open pollinated varieties through trait selec-tion or intentional crosses

The key element for maintaining or improving anyseed variety is that the selection process never stops.With every generation of plants responding to achanging climate, each new selection leads to furtheradaptations. This responsive, open-pollinated breed-ing approach, successfully employed by farmers formillennia, is still needed today for securing a long-term healthy food system accessible to all of humani-ty. It is a deliberate and necessary counter to the cur-rent model that monopolizes the world's seed supply.

BY JONATHAN SPERO, FAMILY FARMERS SEED CO-OP

The Family Farmers Seed Cooperative(FFSC) is a farmer-owned cooperative thatproduces high quality, organic, open-polli-

nated, public domain seeds for farmers. FFSC tookroot in 2008, when eight experienced organic seedfarmers from Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon,Washington and North Dakota formed a coopera-tive, seeking to protect seed sovereignty and thesupply of organic, open pollinated, public domainseeds in the face of growing consolidation andhomogenization in the seed industry. We now have 13 members,recently adding farms from Nebraska and Oregon, and soon will beexpanding into California and Idaho.

We're skilled, seasoned, organic produce and seed growers who spe-cialize in diverse vegetable crops and are located in several distinctbioregions in the US. This diversity strengthens our ability to offer awide range of crops that are adaptive to many soils and climates,including multiple varieties of beans, corn, greens, lettuce, melons,root vegetables, soybeans, squash (winter and summer), tomatoesand garlic.

FAMILY FARMERS SEED

the gift

Purchasing Program, NCGA negotiates with sup-pliers, obtaining wholesale discounts that would beunavailable to individual co-ops if they bargained

on their own. The NCGA alsomaintains a joint liability fund,a rainy day account paid for bymembers and used to supportfinancially distressed co-ops. LaMontanita has always been astrong supporter of NCGA andTerry Bowling, La Montanita’sgeneral manager, sits on theNCGA board.

La Montanita’s managementteam supports the principle in another importantway by providing technical assistance to other co-ops throughout the country. Thanks to our skilledstaff, La Montanita has developed the reputationas the go-to co-op when others need help. Ourpolicies and procedures are the gold standardnationwide. Terry and his staff train other co-ops’employees through on site visits and by bringingemployees to Albuquerque.

La Montanita’s board also supports the principleby providing free governance training to co-ops.Board president Martha Whitman is part of aleadership team in the Western Corridor ofNCGA which publishes the LEADer, a newsletterabout best practices in governance. Next month,

COOPERATIVEMEMBERSHIP IS OWNERSHIP

PROTECTING ORGANIC SEED ACCESS AND SOVEREIGNTY

Looking for a new kind of social investingfor the 21st century? If so, plan to join SlowMoney’s emerging network of thought leaders,investors, donors, farmers, social entrepreneursand everyday folks for their fourth NationalGathering this April in Boulder, CO. The list ofspeakers is phenomenal: the internationalfounder of Slow Food Carlo Petrini; WesJackson, founder of the Land Institute; authorJoan Gussow, who Michael Pollan has referred to as"my guru"; and many more.

There will also be investment presenta-tions from two dozen small food enter-prises and breakout sessions on topicsranging from New Visions of Cor-porate Philanthropy to ExploringSeeds and Biodiversity to Impact In-vesting. The Slow Money NationalGathering brings together people whoare rebuilding local food systemsacross the US and around the world.

More than 2,000 people attended the first three nationalgatherings—with over $22 million now invested in morethan 185 small food enteprises! Join this forward think-ing group now. For details and to register, go towww.slowmoney.org

SLOW MONEY: Fourth National GatheringApril 29-30

GOCO-OP!

BEYONDPESTICIDES31st National PesticideFORUM

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICOApril 5-6

www.beyondpesticides.org/forum

SUSTAINABLEfarms!

sustainable

FOODSUSTAINABLE

FAMILIES

I N A L B U Q U E R Q U E

Resilient Communtiesthrough ORGANIC

practices!

co-op news April 2013 7

There have been some exciting developmentsat our Gallup store. For those not familiar withthis Co-op location, we have been in Gallup, hav-ing merged with the Wild Sage Co-op at therequest of their Board and membership,since 2005. At that time the Co-op wasin debt and run by an all volunteer staff.La Montanita paid off their debt, renteda better location, trained a paid staff andhoped to better serve a community thathas few options to purchase organic/nat-ural/local food. The Gallup store is smallwith only 1,000 square feet of space.

We have never produced positive income in Gallup,but have not lost much money over the years. Alabor of love, this store was designed to serve com-munity needs and my goal for it has been to justbreak even and have the store pay for itself.

When I arrived at La Montanita a good salesweek in Gallup was $6,500. Over the years withcareful attention, a resetting of the shelves andstaff training, the sales increased and a good weekbecame $13,000. Our goal has always been toachieve $15,000 in sales.

About a month ago Michael Smith accepted theStore Team Leader position in Gallup. Michael hasbeen working at the Gallup store for a few yearsand this was a natural progression for him. During

the short time Michael has been ourStore Team Leader the store hasreached $15,000 in sales two times.This is a fantastic accomplishment!Under his watch the Gallup storehas reached a goal that at one timeseemed impossible; most impor-tantly we are serving more membersand providing more healthy food tothe Gallup community.

Thank you to Michael and his staff of three,Loreal, Sydney and Josh, for your dedication tothe Gallup community and the Co-op. If you areever in Gallup, we encourage you to stop by andvisit our small Gallup Co-op store; we know youwill be impressed.

Please contact me anytime you have a need [email protected] or by phone at 505-217-2020. Thanks for your continued support.

-TERRY B.

BY AMANDA RICH

Vandana Shiva said that, “seeds are ourmother,” and indeed we are far more relianton them than we realize. As the spring draws

buds from the branches and we begin to look to ourbackyard gardens, bare and brittlefrom last season, the need for seedsarise. Where do we find them? Arethey saved from last year’s toma-toes and squash? Do we thumbthrough glossy catalogs? Or buyfrom the display at the local gro-cery store? However these tinymothers come to us, we feel thepull of spring as well, drawing usoutside to find the soil that canbirth our future gardens.

To plant seeds is an act of faith. It requires the abilityto dream, imagine and hope. How else can you placean object so small in the large earth and expect a mir-acle? While placing peas in a furrow, I was struck byhow they resembled the head of a newborn. Re-membering a young girl's comment last year at FarmCamp who remarked that, “everything has a seed,even people have a seed. It's one cell.” The seeds andthe young people call us to be present. Any gardenerwill tell you that plants who get our attention thrivebetter. If planted too deep they will not rise. Withoutwater they will wither. Each seed needs care, attention,commitment.

In the 2013 Stella Natura Biodynamic PlantingCalendar, John Burns writes, “A seed ... has withdrawnfrom the stream of time. Often tiny, hard, dry, closed offfrom the world, to all appearances 'dead,' seeds carrythe life of a plant through the death of winter.” To thinkof seeds as small time capsules that hold information asancient as the Anasazi or Egyptians makes them a treas-ure. We help the seed awaken with water, soil and light.However, planted too early, the seed will wait, knowingby its nature, the perfect time to germinate. I watch forthe delphiniums sprouting in my yard for a sign to plantcold hardy wild flowers. When the amaranth and thelambs quarters come up, I know it's safe to plant lettuce

and other non-native greens outside. When we per-ceive seeds as the keepers of wisdom, we can look tothem with the reverence they deserve. They can beour teachers.

How do we treat our mothers and ourteachers in today’s world so focused onmoney and technology? Well, we “engi-neer” them, splicing ancient wisdom withour short-sighted human objectives. On arecent drive through the midwest wheretrains snake around the “amber fields ofgrain” and tin man silos tower on the hori-zon, we tried to identify the crops as theyblurred by: wheat, soy and America'sindigenous grain, corn. How many of thesefields host seeds that are “RoundupReady?” And where are these crops going?

The myth of corporate agriculture and GMOs is thatthey feed the world. But we know that these soybeansare processed into ethanol and that the corn is engorg-ing cows in the feed lots in Texas. Or perhaps it willbe processed into corn syrup, or other staples for high-ly processed foods. This precious water and soil arebeing devoted to fuel cars with gasoline and fill sodaand candy machines. Tonight, 17 million children willgo to bed hungry. Sometimes, I feel like we are livingin a kind of “dark age” that neglects the most essen-tial parts of our communities: children and seeds.

If we choose to nurture our seeds, listen to their wis-dom like a teacher, revere them like a mother, treas-ure them like our children, perhaps we can choose toplant a new world. Maybe dormant for a time, theseed rises, full of the wisdom that was always there.As we dream of our gardens this spring, let us alsodream of a world where everyone eats. And our foodis something our ancestors would recognize. Let usimagine, as we leave this winter of neglect, that ouractions can birth a community founded on the respectof all living things. Our commitment to change startswith the tiny seed of hope. LOOK FOR BotanicalInterests and Family Farmers Seed Co-op organicseeds at your favorite Co-op location.

GALLUP: GROWING THE STORE

THE INSIDE SCOOP

CO-OPS: A Solution-Based System A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons

united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social andcultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and

democratically-controlled enterprise.

4/5-6 31st National Pesticide Forumat UNM, go to www.beyond pesticides.org.

4/16 BOD Meeting, Immanuel Church, 5:30pm

4/20 Santa Fe Pre-Earth Day BBQSee ad this page!

April 21: 23RD ANNUAL EARTH FEST!NOB HILL CO-OP, See page 1 for more information.

AprilCalendarof Events

The CO-OP Foodshed Project: Bringing local farmers together with Co-op shoppers for the best in fresh, fair and local food

SHOPCCCCOOOO----OOOOPPPP!!!!

aa BBBBQQand bbeenneeffiitt

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LA MONTANITAFFUUNNDD::

GRASSROOTSINVESTING TO:

• Help GROW the LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM.

• Help STRENGTHEN the LOCAL ECONOMY.

LOAN PROGRAM• Quick and easy application process• Loans from $250 to $15,000, or more inexceptional cases• Repayment terms tailored to the needs of ourcommunity of food producers• Applications taken in an ongoing basisTo set up a meeting to learn more or for a LoanApplication or help with your application, call or e-mail Robin at: 505-217-2027, toll free/877-775-2667 or e-mail: [email protected].

PLANTING HOPE Come check usout and see what

we’re about!

spring foods April 2013 10

BY OLD SCHOOL CO-DIRECTORS MAGGIE SHEPARD

AND LEILA SALIM

We like our food old. Old like great-great-great-grandma canning blueberries. Oldlike Alpine milkmaids setting out curds

and whey. Old like hefty German crocks bubblingand like garbanzo beans giving way into hummusdip. Here at Albuquerque Old School, we like it oldbut only if it can work with the new.

We like fermented foods. We like cultured yogurt,kefir and kombucha. We like eating weeds from theyard when we know what they are. And we like themedicine in leaves and roots and stems. We like beesin our backyards, fresh eggs in our baskets, gardensand compost, and growing sprouts and mushroomsin our own kitchens. We like all of this because it isn’ta mystery to us anymore.

In May 2011, Old School launched its first semesterof classes in frugal, traditional and sustainable livingarts welcoming any student who wanted to dabble orevolve in these old-timey ways. Wildly popular fromthe start were canning classes and chicken-keepingclasses. Our dairy culturing (think yogurt and kefir)classes and lacto-fermentation (one very healthfulway food was preserved a long, long time ago) class-es have become standby favorites.

While food preparation is one of our key themes,Old School also offers affordable, fantastic classesin herbalism, how to make body care products, bee-and chicken-keeping, natural pest management,crafts, candle- and soap-making, and more.

Most of our classes are held at the AlbuquerqueMennonite Church on Girard near Constitution,some classes are held at the teacher’s home. We’verecently added South Valley farming to the mix witha new partnership with Erda Gardens and LearningCenter, a biodynamic Community SupportedAgriculture program.

Classes are kept as affordable as possible. At least10 percent of proceeds goes to the charity Water forPeople, which teaches water harvesting and tendingto communities in need.

You can find us at abqoldschool.com where weschedule new classes every few months. In themeantime, check out some of the simplest recipesfrom a few of our teachers.

FROM OUR HERBALISM TEACHER, DARA SAVILLE OF

ALBUQUERQUE HERBALISM:

Cooling Herbal Iced TeaGreat for upset stomachs or just dealing with theheat of desert summers. Equal parts raspberry leaf, lemon balm and pepper-mint.

Pour boiling water on the herbs to make an infusionand steep for 6 minutes before straining. Use 1ounce dry herb to 40 ounces water. Add ice or chilluntil cold. Enjoy this delicious rehydrating iced tea.

FROM OUR CHEESEMAKING TEACHER, ALEXIS CORBIN:

Figs with Goat CheeseChèvre is a delightful cheese all on its own, or enjoyed ontop of your favorite cracker. But to take your chèvre to thenext level, try this easy appetizer:

Stuff fig halves with goat cheese. Wrap each with one sliceof prosciutto (vegetarian option: use a grape leaf). Bakefor 10 minutes at 350° F. Enjoy!

FROM OUR TRADITIONAL FOODS TEACHER, AMYLEE UDELL OF

INSPIRED BIRTH AND FAMILIES:

Fudgy Coconut Flour BrowniesTaking it easy with the grains? Try this treat when thatcraving hits. Adapted from WellFedHomestead.com

1 cup butter melted and slightly cooled or ghee1 cup cocoa powder9 eggs1 cup honey3/4 teaspoon vanilla3/4 teaspoon sea salt3/4 cup coconut flour

Butter a 9 by 13-inch pan. Preheat the oven to 350° F.Melt the butter in a saucepan, remove from heat. Add thecocoa powder into the butter, set aside. In a separate bowl,whisk the eggs. Add in the honey, vanilla and salt, andwhisk well. Add in the coconut flour, little bits at a time,mixing well to avoid lumps.

Add in the cocoa powder-butter mixture and whisk verywell. If you do not whisk well enough, you’ll have clumps inyour brownies that are yellow when the rest is chocolatey-brown. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for20 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

FROM OUR HUMMUS AND PITA TEACHER, LEILA SALIM:

Baked Eggplant SticksI’ve heard from more than one friend they wouldn’t knowwhat to do with an eggplant. But they grow so well here,so next time you see them at the farmers’ market, pick oneup. If gooey baba ghanoush or eggplant parmesan isn’t foryou, try this recipe. The kids might even like it.

1 large eggplant1 egg, beaten1/3 cup flourSalt, breadcrumbs, olive oil

Slice your eggplant like steak-cut fries, about 3/4-inchthick. Lay them on a towel, sprinkle with salt, and wait for10 to 15 minutes to draw out the moisture. Towel dry, andrepeat on the other side. Toss dried sticks with flour. Dipeach in egg then breadcrumbs, and lay on a baking sheet.You can dry-toast them on parchment or spray the bakingsheet at the tops of the sticks with olive oil. Bake at 450°F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the outside is crispy. Servewith lemon-herb yogurt, marinara sauce or even ketchup!

FROM OUR PARTNER AT ERDA GARDENS, AMANDA RICH:

Spring QuicheWhat to do with all those extra eggs? We use fresh milk andcheese from our goats, but any old dairy will do!

2 to 3 large potatoes, peeled, sliced and boiled untiltender, but not soft

3 to 4 fresh eggs1/2 cup of milk or cream

Old Schoolnew foods!

Mary Alice Cooper,MD

theLa MontanitaFUND

Loan application nowbeing taken!

Get your application in today! For Information call877-775-2667

SPRINGgreens...

Shop your Co-op!

spring foods April 2013 11

1 cup of spinach, washed, stemmed and chopped1 medium onion, sliced and carmelized (optional)1/2 cup of shredded cheese (goat cheese, cheddar, Gruyere, etc.)

Salt and pepper to taste

Layer in a baking dish potatoes, onion, spinach andcheese. Whip eggs with milk or cream for about aminute by hand. Add salt and pepper. Pour on top oflayers and bake for 30 to 40 minutes on 350° F or untilegg is cooked and firm. Enjoy with fresh salad or greensfrom the garden!

SPRING greens!Spring means greens! While fresh local produce gets alittle scarce in the winter, by April, growers are back ingear providing a wide, and tasty, variety of greens. Kales,collards, chards, spinach, turnips, mesclun mix, escarole,pea shoots, asparagus, arugula, mustard, mizuna, tatsoi,and bok choy—just to name a few.

Many of these locally grown greens you can find in Co-op produce departments. At the Valley Store, you canfind: rainbow chard, red Russian kale, bunched and loosespinach grown at Rio Grande Community Farm(www.riograndefarm.org); Easter egg radishes, bunchedturnips, loose salad mix, and asparagus from the Agri-cul-tura Network (www.agri-cultura.org); and mixed greens,spinach, and bunched chard from East MountainOrganics (www.eastmountainorganicfarm.com.) At theNob Hill store, find: Easter egg radishes, tatsoi, andloose spinach from Agri-cultura Network; loose spinachand arugula from East Mountain Organics; and chivesand chervil from Martha Todd. In Santa Fe look forofferings from Khalsa Greenhouses including rainbowchard, mixed salad greens, braising greens mix, andbunched icicle radishes.

Asparagus Milanese

1 pound young asparagus, rinsed, dried, and toughends removed

3 tablespoons butter4 eggs4 tablespoons hard cheese (Parmesan or Romano are both good)

1 lemon, juicedSea salt and fresh ground pepper

In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoonsbutter until foam has subsided, but it has not yet start-ed to brown. Place the asparagus in the pan, distribut-

ing evenly. Cook on one side 2 to 3 minutes, or untilit begins to brown slightly, then turn over and cookfor a minute or two more. The asparagus should beginto wilt, but should still retain some crispness and beintensely green.

Remove the pan from the heat and divide the aspara-gus evenly onto four plates. Squeeze the juice of onequarter lemon over each plate.Using the same pan,return to medium heat, and melt the last tablespoon ofbutter in the same way as the first two. When the but-ter is ready, crack the four eggs into the pan. Cook onone side for 1 to 3 minutes, flip and cook for 30 sec-onds to 1 minute more, so yolks are still runny. Gentlyplace one egg on each plate of asparagus. Sprinkle 1tablespoon cheese and salt and pepper to taste on eachplate. Serve while warm.

Arugula Salad with Mango and AvocadoSpicy arugula is perfectly complimented by fatty fruitslike mangos and avocados. This salad is creamy, tart,and just the right amount spicy and sweet. It’s a greatway to enjoy spring greens, and get in the mood forwarmer weather.

2 cups arugula1 Atufulo mango, sliced1 medium avocado, sliced2 limes, juiced4 tablespoons olive oilSea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Divide the arugula onto four salad plates. In alternat-ing strips, lay mango and avocado slices across thegreens. Drizzle each salad with the olive and juicefrom half a lime. Finish with a dusting of sea salt andfresh ground pepper, then serve.

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale1 tablespoon olive oil1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat an oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet withparchment paper. Remove the kale leaf from the stalkand cut into 2-inch pieces. Rinse the kale and spin ina salad spinner to dry. Toss the greens in the olive oiland salt, then lay out on the cookie sheet. Be sure thatleaves do not overlap. Bake for about 10 minutes oruntil the edges of the kale begins to brown. Let coolon the cookie sheet, then enjoy!

Get yourFamily FarmersSeed Co-op seeds!

Look for Family Farmers Seed Co-op seeds at your favorite La Montanita Co-op location!

PERFECT FOR NEW MEXICOGROWING CONDITIONS

Imagine how many healthcare dollars we could savewith normalized breastfeeding, less cancer? less dia-betes? Imagine how many sick days and lost wageswould be saved by normalized breastfeeding; workingmoms can breastfeed. Normalized breastfeedingmeans

pumping breaks for moms in the workplace; not askingmoms to fight for these short breaks.

Pollution ReductionThen there are the other environmental reasons tobreastfeed. Breastfeeding requires no water to prepareformula, no plastic bottles, no packages of formula, noenergy to boil or heat water, no refrigerator to storeextra and no washing after. Breast milk is a renewableresource that is delivered directly to the end user withno use of industrial or transport resources. For everythree million bottle-fed babies, 450 million cans of for-mula are consumed. The resulting 70,000 tons of metalin the form of discarded cans do not have to be recycled.

The 550 million cans of artificial baby milk sold eachyear to bottle feed US babies alone stacked end to endwould circle the earth one and a half times; 550 mil-lion cans equals 86,000 tons of tin and 1,230 tons ofpaper labels. Imagine the huge reduction in the carbonfootprint of feeding our babies if we normalize breast-feeding?

Healthy IngredientsSome formulas list corn syrup and then sugar as theFIRST ingredients! My guess is that the better formu-las, especially organics with milk and whey as primaryingredients (still, sugar isn't far behind), cost muchmore and that many families must choose the cheaperversion.

Formula needs to be purchased. Imagine the econom-ic impact on a family of not buying formula. Nowimagine the economic impact of normalized breast-feeding on our entire state if families needing stateassistance did not need formula! How I would love forour tax dollars to purchase breast pumps and profes-sional breastfeeding support instead of corn syrupladen formula! And then just imagine the relatedreduction in tax subsidized healthcare costs when ourbabies and children stay healthier!

The goal of normalizing breastfeeding does not mean100 percent breastfeeding rates. Again, I understandthere will always be a need for supplementing andreplacing mothers’ milk, but in a breastfeeding sup-portive culture, this need could be immensely reduced.So what can you do to normalize breastfeeding andimprove overall health for individuals and our entirestate? When you see a mom nursing her baby, con-gratulate her on doing a great job. Ask her if she needsanything. Tell her what you loved about nursing. Or,just smile.

BREASTFEEDINGBY AMYLEE UDELL

I've written on many topics here, but I've never writtenon the topics on which my business is built: childbirthand breastfeeding. This is because I have strong, passionate

opinions on these topics and so objectivity will be harder for meto maintain.

And so in a discussion of the all-around awesomeness of breast-feeding, I know some readers will think I'm making those whodid not breastfeed feel guilty or bad. Know that I understandthere is a place for substituting mother’s milk; adoptive familiesfor whom breastfeeding wasn't an option. I also know of non-biological mothers who stimulated milk supply and used supple-mental nursers to provide a breastfeeding experience and families whochose to avoid store bought formulas in favor of homemade versions likemilk from a milk bank or donated milk from other families.

Improving Family Health: A Cultural NormThe breastfeeding debate is just one facet of the Mommy Wars. There isenough guilt surrounding a mom's every decision, especially a new mom!I love the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force's mission: “To improvethe health of New Mexico's families by creating an environment in whichbreastfeeding is the cultural norm.” The goal is not to badger or guilt fam-ilies into breastfeeding. It's to create a culture that is naturally supportiveof breastfeeding.

We hear it a lot: “Breast is Best.” Breastfed babies have higher IQs, fewerinfections, reduced chance of diabetes, fewer allergies, and many more psy-chological and long-term physical benefits. Breastfeeding moms havereduced likelihood of postpartum hemorrhage, burn more calories, haveless chance of breast, uterine and cervical cancers and many more psycho-logical and long-term physical benefits. But this is a skewed perspective.Instead of saying "Breastfeeding improves health," we need to realize thatbreastfeeding is normal.

A HEALTHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHOICE!earth day special April 2013 12

GREEN PARENTING:CREATING the

NEW NORM

THE GOAL: TO CREATE A CULTURE THAT IS NATURALLY SUPPORTIVE OF BREASTFEEDING.

www.InspiredABQ.comwww.facebook.com/inspiredbirth

A workshop for people from any meditation tra-dition, as well as for people interested in teachers suchas Eckhart Tolle, Pema Chodron, Toni Packer, ThichNhat Hanh and Krishnamurti. Sitting and discussion,April 27, 2-3:45pm, at the Wat Center, 145Madison NE, in Albuquerque. $2 donation. Reser-vations, info at 281-0684, www.cuttsreviews.com.

ClarifyingMeditative WORKAPRIL 27281-0684 THE WAT CENTER145 MADISON NE

agua es vida April 2013 13

BY MICHAEL JENSEN, AMIGOS BRAVOS

A lbuquerque’s Mayor proposed to “connect,”“protect,” and “excite” as the motto for hisRio Grande Vision. Right now, the emphasis

seems badly skewed towards “connect”—as in lots ofinfrastructure being put into the entire length of the urbanriver and Bosque.

It’s hard to find anyone who does not share the idea behindthe Vision; getting better protection and restoration for theRiver and the Bosque will be easier if people feel a betterconnection to them. However, there are many people whoare deeply skeptical about the idea that it is okay to buildlots of infrastructure in the Bosque: boardwalks, hard sur-face trails, boat ramps, toilets, lookout towers, cafés oreven a restaurant.

For one thing, there is the Bosque Action Plan, which restricts orprohibits putting infrastructure into the Bosque. To date, it seems asthough the Mayor and his advisory committee have largely forgot-ten that such a key piece of planning guidance exists.

For another, the River, Bosque and complex set of drains and ditch-es along the river are probably unique in the United States. It is notpossible to find comparable urban forests and rivers and “borrow”from them without making serious modifications in order toaccommodate our unique situation. For example, the initial“vision” for what could be done was to create a “world class”attraction like San Antonio’s Riverwalk … except that that “river”is a concrete lined channel with no surrounding forest.

Finally, the River and the Bosque both need critically importantrestoration. It is not advisable to swim in the River or eat fish fromit. The Middle Rio Grande is listed as impaired—contaminated—forPolychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)s in fish tissue, PCBs in the water,radionuclides and E. coli, and specifically fails to meet its designat-ed use of “Primary Contact” (humans being in the water).

The river has flows so low that the Middle Rio Grande ConservationDistrict can’t meet its irrigators’ water needs for the entire season, theAlbuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (WUA) can’tdivert for the entire season, the Bureau of Reclamation has bought10,000af of water for each of the last two years from the WUA in

order to keep the river flowing, and last year—inthe middle of the summer—there was no nativeRio Grande water actually flowing in the river,only San Juan Chama water released from reser-voirs on the Chama.

Furthermore, the river has been subjected todecades of engineering and re-engineering thathave left it unable to fulfill its natural functions,including sustaining the Bosque that is one of theCity’s premiere outdoor recreation and tourismresources. The cottonwoods in the Bosque needregular flooding in order to propagate, butCochiti Dam prevents that from happening natu-rally and years of controlled flow have led to theriver cutting down its bank so that it flows wellbelow the surrounding Bosque.

However, there is growing consensus on whatneeds to be done to help undo or at least mitigatethe damage that has been done to the River andthe Bosque. The Army Corps of Engineers, theBosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program, the Fishand Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation,and others have been carrying out important andinnovative projects to restore the connection

OUR UNIQUE BOSQUEbetween the River and the Bosque in order to sustainthe cotton/willow forest and suppress invasive

species; develop an effective controlled floodingregime that mimics the historic pattern of flowson the river; develop a more holistic view of theentire Middle Rio Grande and Bosque that cansustain the endangered silvery minnow and wil-low flycatcher; and provide the scientific basis fordeciding where the Bosque should be allowed torevert to native grassland (creating more diversehabitat), where important wildlife corridors exist,and where further projects to reconnect the Riverand the Bosque should occur.

We need this important work to continue so thatfundamentally important scientific, technical andmanagement information can fully inform the Rio

Grande Vision planning process. In particular, weneed a comprehensive overview of all past, presentand planned restoration work on the River andBosque; an updated Bosque Action Plan that encom-passes this new information; and a restoration-basedVision that can overlay the recreation-based plancurrently being pushed by the Mayor. This willensure that both the River/Bosque system and theMayor’s Rio Grande Vision work together in waysthat benefit both.

We NEED to get the River and the BosqueRIGHT. Then we can plan for making any newmodifications.

TAKE ACTION: Documents on the Rio GrandeVision are at www.riograndevision.com. You cancontact the Mayor’s Office at 505-768-3000 or sendan email to: [email protected]. For more informa-tion, contact Michael Jensen, [email protected])

SHOP CO-OP AND BUY LOCAL SHOP CO-OP

RRIIPPAARRIIAANNprotection

BY JANET GREENWALD

According to a recentreport by Paul Robinson,research director of South-

west Research and InformationCenter, the Review of Sandia Nat-ional Laboratories (SNL) 2012,the most current available fromSNL for the TA-V and TAG sites(contaminated sites at SNL),shows a pattern of increasing concentrations for thecontaminants of concern: Trichloroethylene (TCE), aknown carcinogen, and Nitrate in both groundwaterand soil vapor samples.

SNL 2012 data shows that the amount of contami-nants of concern at TA-V and TAG, TCE and nitrate,continues to exceed applicable groundwater protec-tion standards and, at most groundwater samplingsites, is rising above levels previously detected.

Most notably, at TA-V the amount of TCE soil vaporfound in the soil column above the water table ishighest at depths of 400-500 feet below ground sur-face, near the elevation of the regional water table,and the amount of TCE soil vapor is increasing witheach quarterly sample analyzed in most of the soilvapor samples provided.

On a brighter note Senate Memorial 34, whichasks for a review of the Mixed Waste Landfill,a plutonium-contaminated dump poised abovethe Albuquerque aquifer, a memorial proposed

by the New Mexico EnvironmentDepartment, has passed the SenateRules Committee with the steadyadvocacy of the non-profit CitizenAction and its allies.

Concerning the Kirtland Air ForceBase (KAFB) aviation and jet fuelspill, Kirtland AFB has informed theAlbuquerque Bernalillo County WaterUtility Authority that Kirtland has

asked the Environment Department to with-draw its order to stop the movement of the jetfuel plume in the Albuquerque aquifer. Theextent of the plume from the 24,000,000-gal-lon fuel spill still has not been measured asrequired by law. The Water Utility’s hydrogeol-ogist says that there is no evidence that the dis-solved plume of chemicals has stopped movingtoward municipal wells. Although KAFB has known about the spill since 1999, KAFBhas not removed any fuel spill chemicals fromthe aquifer.

Become involved in the campaign toSAVE ALBUQUERQUE’S AQUIFER: contactus@cardnmorg, 595-242-5511 Come visit our table at the 23rd Celebratethe Earth Festival to get involved.

CONTAMINATION THREATS TO ALBUQUERQUE’S

AQUIFERINCREASE

RIO GRANDEVISION(S) INFRASTRUCTURE or GREENBELT?

GUIDANCE FOR A

RESTORATIVEVISION

FIND A MEDITATION CLASS NEAR YOU:• Santa Fe: Sundays 12:30pm to 1:30pm, Mondays 7-8:30pm, andkids’ classes at 1310 Monterey Drive (new location!). 505-820-2226,[email protected]. • Albuquerque: Sundays 10-11:30am, Thursdays 7 to 8:30pm, andWednesdays and Fridays noon to 1pm at 8701 Comanche NE. 505-292-5293, [email protected].

actionalert!

MEDITATEfor a HEALTHY EARTH

Preventingwormy apples and peachesBY DR. TESS GRASSWITZ, NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY

A lthough the tree-fruit harvest is many monthsaway, now is the time to think about controllingthose perennial pests of New Mexico’s apples and

peaches: codling moth and peach twig borer. Both pests can com-plete as many as four generations per year in our part of theworld, and although the late-season generations are the mostdamaging, control measures must be planned well in advance andimplemented from early spring onwards if they are to be effective.

Although both pests are larval stages of moths, the two insectsdiffer somewhat in their life cycles, particularly earlier in the sea-son. The peach twig borer spends the winter as small larvaeinside silken cells (called hibernacula) in cracks and crevices onthe rough bark of peach trees. They emerge in early spring andat that time feed inside developing shoots, causing the tips to wilt anddie, which can stunt the growth of young trees and reduce their vigor.Only later in the season do the adult moths lay their eggs on develop-ing fruits—usually at the stem end and often just as the fruit starts toshow some color. As soon as the eggs hatch, the larvae bore into thefruit, where they are protected from both predators and pesticides.

The codling moth also spends the winter as a larva inside a silkencocoon, either under rough bark, or in protected areas at the base ofapple trees, in fruit storage areas, or orchard trash piles. In contrast topeach twig borer, however, the codling moth larva is fully grown at thestart of winter and pupates and emerges as an adult in early spring, typ-ically early to mid-April in our area. The newly emerged adult femalemoths lay their eggs on developing apples in early spring, and the lar-vae feed inside until they reach maturity. At that point, they leave thefruit to pupate in protected sites on or near the tree. Depending on tem-perature, each generation takes three to five weeks to complete theirlarval development, and the cycle is repeated until the end of the sea-son, with apple damage gradually increasing as the summer progresses.

The problem with trying to control both of these pests with insecticidesis that there is only a very limited “window of opportunity” in whichto apply sprays and kill the newly hatched larvae before they enter the

farming & gardening April 2013 14

fruit. Unless spray applications are timed correctly,they will not be effective. Furthermore, dependingon the insecticides used and their residual life (i.e.,period of activity), more than one application maybe needed for each generation of larvae. Correctlytiming spray applications involves monitoring theflight activity of the adult moths (from early spring

onwards), using a pheromone trap for each species,i.e., sticky traps baited with the female sexpheromone (the attractant that males use to locatethe females). The best time to spray is then calculat-ed from a combination of trap catch numbers andthe daily maximum and minimum temperatures. It isa complex and time-consuming process and may notbe feasible for busy homeowners with just one ortwo trees. To make things easier, New Mexico StateUniversity is developing a web-based system thatwill be used to issue spray alerts for home owners invarious parts of New Mexico; the prototype will betested for the first time this year. In the meantime,for those interested in trying to correctly time theirspray applications, Utah State University has twoexcellent fact sheets that explain the process in moredetail*. Larger-scale growers have the option ofusing a pheromone-based “mating disruption” tech-nique, whereby special pheromone dispensers areplaced throughout the orchard, saturating the area

with very high levels of the female sex pheromone;against this “background noise,” male moths areunable to successfully locate the females for mating,and without mating, the females cannot lay viableeggs. This technique can be effective in orchards offive acres or more, but is not suitable for smallerblocks or home gardens.

A different approach that may provide adequatecontrol for home gardeners is the use of heavy-duty “Maggot Barriers®,” nylon mesh bagsthat are placed over the developing fruits whilethey are still small (about an inch in diameter)and secured in place with a plastic twist-tie. Thebag is left in place until harvest and no furtheraction is needed. In trials at New Mexico StateUniversity’s Los Lunas Agricultural ScienceCenter, the bags provided reasonably good pro-tection for both apples and peaches. However,varieties with exceptionally large fruit maystretch the mesh of the bags to the point where

either the egg-laying moths or newly emerged larvaecan still reach (and damage) the fruit. Late-matur-ing varieties also tend to suffer heavier damage. Thetechnique may appear time consuming (it takesabout an hour to bag 100 fruitlets), but it could becombined with fruit thinning (which is often neg-lected by home gardeners) and has the benefit ofbeing a one-time effort compared to the season-longcommitment required for successful insecticidalcontrol. Perhaps it’s time to get creative: why notcrank up the barbecue this April and have an apple-bagging party?!

*Utah State University fact sheets available on-lineat: extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/codling-moths06.pdf and extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/peach-twig-borers07.pdf

Growing your fruit

PESTICIDE-FREEWWIISSDDOOMM

Controlperennialpests!

such as Chimayo and Velarde. Adapting crops to localmicroclimates is crucial, as our survival depends onthese plants that have fed, and continueto feed us.

Chile is one of the earliest domesticatedplants (7500 BC) from Mesoamerica.Domesticated crop plants generallyretain around 66 percent of the traitsfound in the wild source. The lost traitsmight contain resistance to certain dis-eases from fungi or bacteria. By con-trast, a 2009 study conducted inMexico found that domesticated chilesretained 91 percent of the diverse traits found in theirsemi-wild samples. This finding is significant as domes-ticated chiles like our landraces, originating in Mexico,may be invaluable in retaining diversity.

How does one develop a crop specific to a microcli-mate? A farmer begins by planting open-pollinatedseeds. Each year seeds are selected from the plantswith the most desirable qualities—perhaps taste, size

BY ISAURA ANDALUZ, CUATRO PUERTAS

T he warm soil in my hands reminds me of the brutal heatlast summer. Luckily, these weather conditions are not neces-sarily bad for all crops. For the past two years, crops like chile

have been growing through Thanksgiving in some regions. Yet extremecold this past winter urges us to focus on the foundation of agricul-ture—seeds. For seeds harvested from plants exposed to the local ele-ments is what has, and continues, to feed us.

New Mexico’s unique bioregions create prime conditions for diversity.Chile, a staple food crop, must endure high solar radiation, arid andwindy conditions, and a broad range of temperatures from highs of 100Fto nighttime lows of 40F. Through traditional practices, landrace varietiesof chile have been selected for adaptation to local microclimates for over500 years. Drought tolerant, and resistant to pests and disease, they areidentified by their specific pod shape, size and taste. They go by manynames, usually in reference to the locality where they were cultivated,

of plant or pods, or disease resistance. All the while,the seeds continue to acclimate in response to envi-ronmental changes in the fields. Over a seven-year

period of reselection and planting,the seed becomes stable, meaningthat plants grown from these seedswill consistently contain all thecharacteristics the farmer selected.Depending on the crop, periodicreselecting takes place as anotherfarmer’s seed is crossed with the sta-ble seed to prevent inbreeding.

As consumers, we must supportfarmers working to protect diversi-

ty. Farmers who use open-pollinated seeds, no pesti-cides, herbicides, fungicides or chemical fertilizers. Ifthe soil is healthy, the plants will be strong, the polli-nating insects will flourish, the chile will be delicious,and the seeds will continue to feed us. Find farmersyou know and trust. Build a long-term relationshipby purchasing your chile and other crops directlyfrom them. An investment in our local farmers isan investment in local seed production, cropdiversity, food security and the environment.

ADAPTING TOMICROCLIMATES

I N V E S T I N G I N C L I M AT E C H A N G E :

PPLLAANNNNIINNGGfor

effectiveness

When researchers from the Centers for DiseaseControl study chemicals in Americans' bodies, they

find breakdown products of chlorpyri-fos in more than 90 percent of thosesampled—and the highest levels arefound in children 6 to 12 years of age.

Meanwhile, more and more scientificstudies have found that prenatal andearly childhood exposure to thisorganophosphate can cause serious

harm to the development and workings of children'sbrains. One study used MRI imaging technology tolink doses of chlopryrifos in utero to irreversiblechanges in brain architecture. Not good!

We know enough, and it's time for action.Please sign Pesticide Action Network's petition atwww.panna.org, urging the EPA not to overlookthe strong science showing the dangers of chlor-pyrifos to children’s health!

BY KRISTIN SCHAFER, PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK

ACTION ALERT: TELL EPA TOBAN IT TODAY!Something is up in DC. That's wherethe decision's been made—again andagain and again—to keep a nastyinsecticide called chlorpyrifos on themarket. The result? A generation ofchildren with health and cognitiveproblems or issues.

More than a decade ago, products containing chlor-pyrifos were banned for home use because the sciencestrongly linked the chemical to harm of children'snervous system. But use in agricultural fields continued,to the tune of eight to ten million pounds a year.Children in rural areas are breathing the chemical as itdrifts into their homes, daycare centers and schools.And children everywhere consume chlorpyrifos residueon their conventionally produced fruits and vegetables.

PESTICIDES AND HEALTH: CHLORPYRIFOS PUTS

KIDS AT RISK

own

community forum April 2013 15

BY IGINIA BOCCOLANDRO

According to USDA statistics, women own or run thirty-five percent of all small farms in the United States. Thisnumber is projected to increase to

sixty percent in the next twenty-fiveyears. It makes sense, as food suppliesdwindle, as food increases in price, asthe food quality becomes questionable,that women will grow food. The “greenrevolution” to save the world fromhunger by using expensive mechanicaland chemical solutions requiring highquantities of inputs such as fertilizers,pesticides, fuel and machinery to till,huge amounts of water and GMO seedshas failed.

The Carbon Economy Series wants to empower women and thosewho love them to successfully work with the land. This two-daytraining will teach regenerative agriculture principles. The work-shop will be taught by a select group of women who bring localexpertise in holistic land management, planning, design, farming,ranching, gardening, youth integral education, value-added farm-ing, grassland restoration, Northern New Mexico agricultural pro-duction, production cottage industry and much more.

Dr. Ann Adams, a student of Allan Savory, teaches practices thatrestore vast grasslands all over the world; these “HolisticManagement” practices facilitate tremendous carbon sequestration,helping stabilize climate change. As part of the HM practices sheshows how to create holistic goals while designing food productionsystems that meet the triple bottom line: good for the planet, for thepeople and for profit.

Patricia Pantano, a farmer/educator and co-founder of Camino DePaz School and Farm, will host a tour and an organic meal, at herSanta Cruz farm. Her farm is a middle school that engages andinstructs youth in organic food production, harvesting crops, creat-ing products for sale and marketing to Santa Fe. The school pro-vides knowledge, experiential learning and real-life skill buildingthat prepare youth for a successful and meaningful life.

Laurie Bowman and Nancy Ranney are theDirector and President of the Southwest Grass-fedLivestock Alliance (SWGLA), representing produc-ers, consumers, land managers, conservationists,and researchers. The organization seeks to improvehuman, ecological and animal health, and strength-en local agricultural communities by educating

producers and the public about grass-fedlivestock products.

Serena Hena, mother, gardener and Puebloelder, will host at Tesuque Pueblo. ThePueblo has a long history of self-determina-tion, self-reliance, food pro-duction, hunting, art, farm-ing and offering to thedivine for their blessingswith traditional songs,dances and feasts. They haveworked with seeds for mil-lennia; selecting, planting

and blending characteristics that make crops hearty towithstand the extremes of this land of enchantment.Share ancient knowledge, common practices and com-munal principles, and work side by side with Serena tosee the patterns that shaped a civilization that has sur-vived for thousands of years.

Come to the Carbon Economy Series: Women on theLand at the Santa Fe Community College to trainwith these marvelous speakers on April 12, 13, 14,from 7-9pm. Discounts, student/senior rates, interns,work trades and time dollars are accepted. Join us andspread the word. For more information and feescall 505-819-3828 or go to our website: www.car-boneconomyseries.com.

Women on theLLLLAAAANNNNDDDD!!!!

C A R B O N E C O N O M Y S E R I E S

Celebrate the

EARTH FEST!ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONBOOTHS, FARMERS, FOOD,MUSIC AND MORE!877-775-2667

23rd

Sunday, April 21Nob Hill Co-op

10-6pm

april 2013 connection free

Your community-owned natural foods grocery store

Why Join?• You Care! -about good food and how it is produced• You’re Empowered! -to help support the local/regional food-shed• You Support! -Co-op principles & values & community ownership• You Vote! -with your dollars for a strong local economy• You Participate! -providing direction and energy to the Co-op• You Receive! -member discounts, weekly specials & a patronage refund

• You Own It! -an economic alternative for a sustainable future

Great Reasons to be a Co-op Member

• Pick up our monthly newsletter full of information on food, health, environment and your Co-op.• Member refund program: at the end of each fiscal year, if earnings are sufficient, refunds are returned to members based on purchases.• Weekly member-only coupon specials as featured in our weekly sales flyer. Pick it up every week at any location to save more than your annual membership fee each week.• Banking membership at the New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union.• Member only discount days: take advantage of our special discount events throughout the year-for members only.• Special Orders: order large quantities of hard-to-find items at a 10% discount for members.• General membership meetings, Board positions and voting. Co-ops are democratic organizations. Your participation is encouraged.

Join La Montanita Co-op˜

La Montanita Co-op Administrative Offices901 Menaul Blvd. NE • Albuquerque, NM 87107www.lamontanita.coop

˜

In so many ways it pays to be a La Montanita Co-op Member/Owner˜

EARTH DAY 2013! • NOB HILL, ABQ • SUNDAY, APRIL 21

NEW PRODUCTS! from our neighbor dairy in Estancia, New Mexico

FIVE NEW TRIPLE CREAM STYLE CHEESESCambozola • Ash Ripened • Plain • Chipotle • Green Chile

NEW PRODUCTS!

See Them aT The CelebraTe The earTh FeSTival • april 21 • Nob hill

La Montanita Co-op Connection April, 2013

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Transcript of La Montanita Co-op Connection April, 2013