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.

Casting a Wide Net to Protect New Mexico's Gila River

play audio
Play

Thursday, October 7, 2021   

SILVER CITY, N.M. -- Those who enjoy outdoor activities in the Southwest, say the Gila River and surrounding public lands have it all, and they want to see Congress pass legislation to protect the Gila River as Wild and Scenic.

Alicia Edwards, Grant County Commissioner, will participate in a conference in Silver City this week to call attention to the economic, cultural, recreational and agricultural benefits derived from what is called "America's First Wilderness."

"People have been doing outdoor recreation in this area a long time before it was trendy to call it 'outdoor rec,'" Edwards pointed out. "We've been known for hiking, cycling, hunting, fishing, for many years."

The Gila was inaugurated as America's first wilderness in 1924, 40 years before the Wilderness Act. The two-day "Rivers of Opportunity" conference at Western New Mexico University will feature speakers from a number of state and federal agencies, conservation groups, academics and tribes.

A study by Southwick and Associates estimated a potential increase of at least $144 million in recreation spending by visitors with the Wild and Scenic designation.

Tom Allen, economist and co-author of the report, said it outlines how much money people spend on outdoor recreation in and around the river area.

"And specifically, how many people visit those rivers and what that means in terms of spending and jobs and income and value added to the New Mexico economy," Allen explained.

Beyond benefits to the economy, Edwards emphasized preservation is a core Western value.

"We're losing so much land and so much of our open space here in the West that I just think designating this area as Wild and Scenic will be a real message to people about how we have to preserve these areas," Edwards contended.

Legislation to protect nearly 450 miles of the Gila and San Francisco Rivers and their tributaries was introduced in May 2020. Grant County has already passed its own resolution to support the designation, which only Congress can decide. It would not affect existing grazing and ranching operations in the area.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Disclosure: The Pew Charitable Trusts Environmental Group contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Climate Change/Air Quality, Consumer Issues, Endangered Species and Wildlife, Energy Policy, Environment, Health Issues, Public Lands/Wilderness, and Salmon Recovery. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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…

Social Issues

play sound

This year's high school graduates will be eligible for 14,000 new scholarships offered through Opportunity Next Colorado, a $21 million investment …

The new law will apply only to future sales of Indiana farmland. (Adobe Stock)

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 …

Environment

play sound

Traffic deaths are trending higher in Minnesota this year after a decline the previous year. Groups pushing for safer roads are convinced a small …

 

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