District board meetings are generally, the first Wednesday of each month at 9:30 am. The meetings are

held in the same building, in the Forest Service's conference room located at 3463 Las Polomas Dr.

Current SWCD Board of Supervisors:

Bill Mershon, Chairman

Rick Baish, Vice Chairman

Eddie Vigil, Secretary/Treasurer

Bob Nichols, Supervisor

Clyde Davis Jr, Supervisor

James Evrage, Supervisor

Jeff Rabon, Supervisor

NRCS Staff:

Don Ashby, District Conservationist

Mary Sanchez, Rangeland Management Specialist

Sam Gutierrez, Soil Conservation Technician

Rita Stone, Farm Bill Specialist

District Employees:

Victoria Milne, District Manager

Amanda Wylie-Largeteau, Conservation Aide

FSA Staff:

Lynn Muncy, County Executive Director

Carol Ruiz, Program Technician

Otero Soil and Water Conservation District

Otero Soil and Water Conservation District

3501 Mesa Village Dr.

Alamogordo, NM 88310

3501 Mesa Village Drive, Alamogordo, NM 88310 (575) 437-3100 x 3

The USDA Alamogordo Service Center will be closed:

February 20th - President’s Day

The Otero SWCD is

an equal opportunity

employer.

OTERO SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

2012

“Helping People Help the Land”

NRCS Alamogordo Field Office Welcomes

New Soil Conservation Technician

3501 Mesa Village Drive, Alamogordo, NM 88310 (575) 437-3100 x 3

The Alamogordo Field

Office received a new Soil

Conservation Technician, Sam

Gutierrez. Sam is originally

from Mayhill and graduated

from Cloudcroft High School in

1997. He received a Bachelors

of Science in Agriculture from

NMSU in 2002. In 2010, after

working with NMACD in Carrizozo, Sam

accepted a position with NRCS, as the Soil

Conservation Technician in the Las Cruces Field Office.

Sam, his wife Jessica and their two children (Garrett 3 years and

Hartley 9 months) will be settling in on his family’s ranch.

Sam says he “ Is looking forward to working with the local producers.”

From all of us at the Alamogordo Service Center,

WELCOME SAM!

Inside this issue:

District Awards

Luncheon 2

Otero County

Extension Agent

Update

Hydrogeology

Link

Insert:

Hydrogeology

Progress Report

3

The Otero SWCD hosted its Annual Awards Luncheon on December 7th, 2011. In attendance

were Senator Vernon Asbill, Representatives Rick Little and Yvette Herrell as well as spokeswoman

from Congressman Steve Pearce’s office.

The district’s annual report was presented, highlighting the successful management of over five

million dollars worth of projects for Otero County in the last ten years.

Congressman Pearce’s spokeswoman read a letter supporting the

Sacramento Mountains Hydrogeology Study as well as the

conservation of all New Mexico lands.

Geoff Rawling from the NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral

Resources summarized some preliminary findings and answered

questions regarding the completion of the Hydrogeology Study. The

Sacramento Mountains Hydrogeology Study report is being finalized.

NRCS District Conservationist Don Ashby spoke regarding a

very successful year of conservation in Otero County before presenting

Gary Stallings and the Gato Mountain Ranch with the Outstanding

Land Stewardship award. Gary Stallings along with his family and

crew rescued the Gato Mountain Ranch from juniper invasion and have been returning the land to

healthy grassland. They installed livestock and wildlife drinkers as well as many other wildlife

improvements. They have improved the land for livestock and wildlife creating a healthy, enjoyable

habitat for all creatures.

In conclusion, the district’s chairman Bill

Mershon thanked everyone for their continued support.

Congratulations Gary Stallings and

Gato Mountain Ranch!

2011 Outstanding Land Stewardship

OTERO SWCD ANNUAL AWARDS LUNCHEON

Page 2 We are online! Check us out on the web @ oteroswcd.org/

District Conservationist Don Ashby presented the 2011

Outstanding Land Stewardship Award to Gary

Stallings.

Photo By Elva K. Osterreich, Alamogordo Daily News

Associate News Editor

Geoff Rawling, NM Bureau of

Geology and Mineral Resources

Page 3

NMSU COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE OTERO COUNTY AGRICULTURAL AGENTBETH GORDON

The winter of 2011-2012 seems to be shaking out quiet differently from the winter of 2009-2010.

Instead of a very dry mild winter with one very severe cold snap and dry snow in February on 2011, we

have had a fairly wet winter with fairly consistent cool temperatures. That is good news. These heavy wet

snows on the mountains around us have had time to slowly melt and percolate that moisture down into the

soil to recharge springs and seeps, raise water levels in lakes and creeks, and begin to refill the aquifers

down in the Basin. After years of drought, we could sure use several years of this kind of winter moisture.

So, it is a start.

The heavy wet snows of this winter were hard on the juniper trees up the canyons that run into the basin,

causing trees to uproot, split, and break off and split major limbs. A good plan might be to saw up those

trees and branches that split and broke from the heavy weight of the snow, stack the wood in piles no larger

than a cord, cover with heavy (6 ml) clear plastic, bury the edges of the plastic, and let them sit in a sunny

location for several weeks to kill any would-be hitchhiking bark beetles. This should provide you with lots

of firewood for next year and reduce the fire danger on your property from the “dead and down” damaged

trees.

The winter moisture will be good for the nut growers in the basin. After China acquired a taste for

pecans last year, and brought record high prices to pecan growers, this year they also began to buy U.S

pistachios which brought higher prices to pistachio growers also. Again this year, China is buying pecans,

but due to growers in Mexico getting in on a little piece of the action, the prices are not quite as high as last

year but still almost twice as high as they were a few years ago. Chinese citizens are paying about $10.00

(nearly six times Beijing's official minimum hourly wage) per pound for shelled pecans this year as are

American pecan consumers. Therefore, if you want to avoid those high prices freeze some of your crop for

your family’s consumption. In-shell pecans can be stored successfully for 18 months at 32°F to 36°F and

that can extend to 2 years or more when stored at 0°F. If you have no pecan trees of your own, you might

find someone with yard trees that just does not want to “mess with them” this year. In which case you

might offer to “pick-on-shares” for them, where you pick-up a bucket for them for each bucket you pick-up

for yourself.

Time will fly now as we approach the pruning season in late February or early March and then the

planting season in May. Please call the NMSU Otero County Cooperative Extension Service Office at

437-0231 for some excellent publications on any of the above information.

SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS

HYDROGEOLOGY STUDY

Find the most current reports online at:

http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/resources/water/projects/

Southern_Sacramentos.html