From the Editors

So Long, Farewell, Hagonee, Goodbye: Final Notes and One Last Commentary about the Hermit Peak/Calf Canyon Fire – For Now

Orit Tamir
Jeanne Simonelli
 

As I (Orit) am stepping away from co-editing the SfAA News and focusing my attention on volunteering locally at the Food Depot (https://thefooddepot.org/) and the Democratic Party, an update on the aftermath of the Hermit Peak/Calf Canyon Fire is in order. It has been over a year since hundreds of homes and over 530 square miles were burned by the Hermit Peak/Calf Canyon Fire – the largest wild fire in New Mexico’s history. The fire has developed out of two Forest Service prescribed burns that were fueled by spring 2022 high winds (a common regional occurrence) and years of drought. The two fire eventually merged. Thousands had to evacuate and lost their homes and livelihood. FEMA promised to help…

Per The Las Vegas (New Mexico) Optic, a northern New Mexico newspaper, FEMA has so far paid out less than 1% of the $3.95 billion Congress accolated to New Mexican victims of the wildfire that the Forest Service, by its own admission, started. At most, only $400,000 has gone out to individuals who lost their homes and livelihood. The slow pace of the compensation has frustrated victims, many of whom had to leave the region in search of livelihood and accommodations.

I personally know several people who lost their homes to the fire. The home of a former colleague, Dr. Linda LaGrange, that was situated on beautiful 15 acres of mountainous forest, burned down. Linda chose to donate her land to New Mexico Highlands University Forestry program for post fire restoration research. A piece about Linda was aired on KRQE News – a local CBS affiliate Woman donates burned property to New Mexico Highlands University for research (krqe.com). For the past year, Linda and her husband have lived in Albuquerque, about 150 miles from her former home, and enjoys hiking and volunteering at the Roadrunner Food Bank (https://www.rrfb.org/). They decided to build a new home in Mora county, though the construction has been painfully slow. Linda graciously agreed to organize a session with and about people impacted by the fire for our 2024 Santa Fe meeting. You will be able to meet her during local day events.

Jeanne recently traveled I-40 to revisit Canyon de Chelly (see commentaries, this edition). But there comes a place in every journey when it’s time to get off the Interstate, turn onto the one lane by-ways, and amble down the unpaved roads. There is a simple joy to turning off the computer and to forgetting about deadlines. Those are the instances when you pass on the tasks to the next generation and sit back and contemplate the upcoming ride. Orit and I are doing just that, so this is our last issue of the News. 
Putting the News together is not a lot of work, beyond badgering folks to get their submissions in on time and in the right form. We’ve had the privilege of seeing the News through Covid, encouraging students to send summaries of their research, and attending SfAA Board meetings during exciting transitional times, among other activities.  Now, we’re passing News editorship back to the SfAA office, while the President and Board figure out new directions for publications. 
Trish and Melissa will handle your submissions, so look for their call for contributions. You’ll send your offerings to  info@appliedanthro.org    As always, make sure your work is an attachment, not in the body of the email.  To reiterate:

• TIG news, complete with information on how to join your TIG, news about your members, and Pictures;

• Announcements about other organizations, relationships between them, descriptions and how to join; and PICTURES

• Book and film commentaries and suggestions; new films you've made or supported

• Tips on good reads and films in applied anthropology (short commentaries, not book or film reviews);

• Annotative reports/info from non-academic organizations (CRM; Health; Tribal etc.);

• "How-to" toolkits for anthropologists (what works with your on-line teaching; what doesn’t; how to start and conduct community engagement projects; how has your community reacted to COVID; racism, statues; what’s up with resisting and fighting fracking and pipelines; and lots more);

• Short pieces on teaching applied anthropology (linking Practicing Anthropology and Human Organization to teaching/discussions + key questions);

• Obituaries: we lost some good people recently

• Short research progress reports;

• STUDENTS: We want to feature a 5-page description of a project you are involved in. Please send us a quick inquiry and then your submission.

• And...YOUR SHORT STORIES, POETRY, PICTURES, AND VIDEOS.

We’ll see you in Santa Fe, if not while visiting Pecos Historical Park this fall, where Jeanne will be working.