skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Tips for Hikers Returning to Reopened NM Forests

play audio
Play

Monday, July 16, 2018   

TAOS, N.M. — Hikers are heading back to their favorite trails in New Mexico after rain relieved the extreme fire danger that kept parks, forests and open-space destinations closed for five weeks.

Hiking is a great way to improve your health, but experts say there are some essentials you need to pack along to make the most of it. Cindy Brown is the author of “The Taos Hiking Guide,” and she said the most important thing you need to take is water, followed by food, protection from the sun and a rain jacket. She noted if you're a new hiker, you should start with a basic route.

"So my first advice is always do a flat hike, get acclimated,” Brown said. “We have a lot of beautiful hikes down near the Rio Grande land, and that's a great, great couple of great days of hiking down there, before you go up to the forest."

Water-wise, a half-gallon is typically recommended as a minimum for a day hike. Other hiking essentials Brown recommends include a flashlight, matches, a knife, bandana and a whistle.

Brown said hiking apps on your phone can be useful if you're not familiar with New Mexico's trails, but she also recommended packing the old fashioned navigation tools.

"I suggest that even if you have some kind of GPS function on your phone, that you bring a compass, because sometimes phones don't work, sometimes they run out of batteries,” she said. “So if you're going someplace new, I think a map and a compass is important to have."

New Mexico has many hiking areas that don't require dog owners to keep their pets leashed if they're under voice control, but Brown doesn't recommend it.

"Because the dog, if he chases a bighorn sheep, he could get kicked with a hoof, he could injure the bighorn sheep,” she warned. “So I'm a big fan of dogs on a leash, and really thinking about the kinds of circumstances you're going to encounter."

Hikers should also be aware of fire danger. Northern New Mexico is still categorized as being in "extreme" or "exceptional" drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Iowa families can apply for up to $7,600 a year for private school costs. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An ethics committee in the Republican-led Iowa House has dismissed a complaint filed by a group of community activists against a state lawmaker for hi…


play sound

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of California high school seniors have to figure out if they can afford to go to college in the fall - and two new …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A health care workforce shortage in New Hampshire is leaving Alzheimer's patients and their families with few options for treatment. Patients facing …


South Dakota ranks 49th in the country for its contribution to indigent legal defense costs, according to a 2023 report from the Indigent Legal Services Task Force. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakota is creating an Office of Indigent Legal Services after House Bill 1057 passed the Legislature with nearly unanimous support this month…

Environment

play sound

A Knoxville-based environmental group is voicing concerns over what it sees as an increasing financial strain imposed on taxpayers by nuclear weapons …

Environment

play sound

A bipartisan law set to take effect this summer prohibits foreign adversaries from buying Hoosier farmland. The signature of Gov. Eric Holcomb was …

Social Issues

play sound

Today, people across Arizona are voting in the Presidential Preference Election, a chance for registered Democrats and Republicans to choose their …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021