Art & Music Expo at Taos Mesa Brewery Oct. 7, 2023:
"A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." Our Art & Music Exhibition was a great success! There were 17 artists and 5 musical acts that participated. Many thanks to Andy Byrd for his musical talents and coordination, Terry Thompson for recording our event, and of course to Jason and the TMB Mothership.
Short 5+ minute video
Longer 15+ minute video
ASPHALT PLANT VIOLATIONS:
Please report suspected violations at the proposed/active asphalt plant across the Rio Grande Gorge, just west of our neighborhood.
Despite the efforts of our neighborhood association and others, the state and county have given approval for an asphalt plant to operate just across the gorge from SNA. The plant is permitted to operate during daylight hours, every day, all year long, though it will be unlikely to operate in the coldest months of winter. One of the only remaining ways to stop or limit the plant’s operation will be to monitor it as best we can for visible dust or other emissions and for operating before 7:00 am or after 7 pm. Here’s a map of the location and information on how to file a complaint.
1. Click this link to report a complaint.
2. Read the information on the page.
3. Click “Public Health or Environmental Tips and Complaints” for detail text.
4. Click the black button: “REPORT AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE OR INCIDENT”
5. Fill out the form “NMED Environmental Notification Reporting”
6. Click “Submit Notification”
Thank You
FIRE DANGER:
Longtime residents of our neighborhood know that the threat of out-of-control fire is as real as our world-class sunsets and afternoon breezes. Whether it’s caused by careless handling of flammable paints and supplies, depleted recreational toy batteries or distant lightning strikes, the specter of runaway combustion here on Taos Mesa is not idle fantasy.
Fire on Tune Drive - July 2023. Photo courtesy Peter Kolshorn
New and old residents would be wise to review the 2016 Taos County Community Wildfire Protection Plan here. Its focus is on fire hazards in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) in the County. It describes three significant fires within eyeshot of Stagecoach Hills in the recent decades —- the 4th of July Encebado Fire of 2003 that threatened Taos Pueblo, the 5th of May Hondo/Lama Fire from 1996 near San Cristobal, and Osha Fire from 2011 near Sipapu. While it’s easy to pooh-pooh the danger from adobe homes scattered in the sagebrush, it’s instructive to reflect on recent events such as the deadly Maui, Hawaii and Boulder, Colorado blazes that razed cities and entire neighborhoods.
The three fire events all had different causes. Encebado on the Pueblo was an Independence Day act of God, specifically lightning. Hondo/Lama was caused by a rubbish burn that escaped the trash barrel, while Osha was due to a faulty power line. Power line failures are suspected in the Maui and Boulder fiascoes. In an era of unprecedented climate change we’re challenged daily with the Catch 22 of unintended consequences and as stewards of our environment we often do not make wise decisions. An obvious lesson from recent catastrophes is that effects of high winds on skinny wires should be taken seriously. SNA residents are no strangers to high winds. For most of us with underground utilities, exposed power lines are not an issue. But that still leaves us exposed to the lethal risk of divine happenstance or human ignorance, perched as we are on the edge of a windy gorge.
For all our full and part-time neighbors we’ve attached the Taos County Open burning rules, click here. Absentee owners with long term rentals or vacation properties in the neighborhood need to be especially vigilant. Some renters are clueless about burning when it is windy. Rental houses should have information posted about outdoor fires. So, if you are a short-term or long term rental owner please read the County rules, post them for your renters to see and inform your guests of our county regulations and basic fire safety. It’s smart to have a connected garden hose handy in case even the most innocuous fire flares out of control. Some of our visitors may think they’re out in the middle of “nowhere” and there is no danger. They are wrong.
Because of the ongoing wildfire danger in New Mexico, we all need to maintain perpetual situational awareness (in other words “be prepared”). The following resources offer helpful hints about fire status and worse case responses: https://nmfireinfo.com/information.
It's a good idea to keep a go bag kit ready in case you need to evacuate: https://www.ready.gov/kit.
Let’s all do what we can to lessen the danger.
FIREWISE PROGRAM:
The SNA was approved as a Firewise Community on February 20, 2023. We now have our two signs at the entrance of Tune Drive and Calle Feliberto.
Rhonda, Terry and Doug installing Firewise sign at the head of Calle Feliberto.
Photo courtesy Linda Thompson
The goal of the Firewise program is to make our community as safe as possible from wildfires, human caused or natural. Certification can provide some homeowners possible insurance premium reductions. There is currently one major insurer, USAA, which participates in the Firewise program.
On May 6, 2023, we held our second annual highway and road clean-up day that also included some educational discussions regarding the requirements for certification as a Firewise Community. The Firewise Communities Program provides homeowners with simple and easy steps to diminish a home’s risk of damage or destruction by a wildfire.
We will continue to hold FIREWISE events annually as part of our road clean-up day. Examples of other possible educational events include: a chipping service day, community clean-up, neighbors helping elderly residents with mitigation work, and other activities that make the whole community safer.
An update to the 2016 Taos County Wildfire Protection plan from 2022 is available for review. It includes the county’s Land Use Regulations with fire-related provisions highlighted. To review the entire update to the plan click here.
All neighborhood residents, from the smallest child to the oldest senior, have a stake in how we maintain our Firewise community. Your neighborhood association appreciates and encourages your active involvement. Don’t hesitate to offer suggestions for improvement. Thank you for your efforts to keep the Stagecoach community safe from wildfires.
To view the Homeowner Fire Prevention Activities expense sheet click here. To then download, please use your browser's export, export to PDF or print options.
WATER CONSERVATION:
Our water resources are getting smaller every year. Here is a guide to help you save water both indoors and outdoors. Using these suggestions could reduce your water consumption by 35% or more.
Click here to download the PDF article submitted by Dion Smith
Annual SNA Dues
Annual SNA Dues
If you haven’t paid your dues yet, please send your $20 or more which is helpful and greatly appreciated payable to:
SNA, PO Box 1974, El Prado, NM 87529
Thank you!
Notice to all dog owners in the SNA
We have had a number of dog issues come up in the SNA neighborhood: some large dogs are leashed and aggressive, while others roam free. Some neighborhood dogs wander a bit and don't seem to bother anyone, while some dogs wander and do seem to bother people.
While there are those of us who enjoy these visits, neighborhood control of the dogs would be difficult. The county has dog restriction ordinances, as well as an animal control officer, but owners are responsible for the whereabouts and behavior of their dogs. Besides being aware of these ordinances, dog owners should be respectful of their neighbors. We don't want dogs harassing people or other dogs, nor do we want to endanger the wildlife. Small dogs left to wander may offer coyotes an alternative to rabbit and lizard diets. In the past, roaming dogs have been bitten by rattlesnakes and it is expensive to save their lives.
Bottom line: control your pets. Most important, keeping your loved family member from wandering means protecting it from harm and yourself from a possible lawsuit.