Area Fishing and Outdoors Report

By George Morse Sports and Outdoors

Early reports on the opening of grouse season indicate some hunters were successful in finding birds while others didn’t see any. Grouse hunting can be like that. The one day I went out I didn’t see a bird, while other hunters limited out in less than an hour. Grouse are scattered throughout the mountains. Harvest reports indicate some birds were harvested in the El Rito area and others around Tres Piedras.

One interesting statistic in the State Game and Fish Department’s fishing report this week is...

Invitation to Breathe Workshop This Saturday

Submitted by Dr. Herbert Beatty

It is interesting that most people are far more concerned about their breath than their breathing. Thus, the sales of mouth rinses and oral care products amount to a several billion-dollar industry. And yet, our actual breathing and the vital capacity of our respiratory system have far more to do with our health and quality of life than our breath. Actual breathing should be of more concern for obvious reasons...

Labor Day Weekend At Bandelier: Cultural Demonstrators And More

It's hard to believe, but it's already Labor Day weekend! Bandelier National Monument will have not one, but three, cultural demonstrators on the three days of the holiday weekend. All of them have been coming to Bandelier for many years to demonstrate their work, so while some visitors may not have met them before, others may enjoy the chance to see them again.

The Candelaria family from Santo Domingo Pueblo are known for their traditional pottery, as are the Fraguas from Jemez Pueblo. AnnJeannetta David-Baca, who is Hopi but lives nearby at Ohkay Owingeh (formerly San Juan) Pueblo, makes carved figures. They are all scheduled to demonstrate their work on the back patio of the Bandelier Visitor Center 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, Sept. 2-4...

Walleye And Bass At Abiquiu Lake

By GEORGE MORSE Sports And Outdoors
A Sunday morning one month ago a hunch that I had was confirmed. I’d been noticing that one of our hummingbird feeders that I usually end up refilling every day was not getting drained out as quickly. I suspected that a little rufous hummingbird had staked this feeder out and was chasing all others away.
Sure enough, Sunday I spotted the little rufous chasing other hummingbirds away. The little fireball would perch on a nearby elm tree or on a chain link fence. When another hummingbird showed up at the feeder, it would dive bomb them away.
Rufous are cool little birds. They have colorful orange-red throats. Despite being smaller than other species of hummingbirds, they make up for it in aggressiveness. Their wings beat at an astonishing 60-times-a-second. They have the longest migration of any hummingbird, flying each spring north from Mexico to the southern tip of Alaska. In the fall, they return to Mexico to spend the winter.
Later that afternoon, I decided to see if another hunch I had would pay off...

Weekly Fishing Report

While checking out last week’s stocking reports, I found that there were a lot of fish stocked at the Fawn Lakes. There were two stockings, each of 632 catchable rainbows (10 inches). There was also a stocking of 68 rainbow trout averaging 13.5 inches and another stocking of 68 rainbow trout averaging a hefty 16 inches in size. That’s a lot of fish.

Solar Eclipse Touches The Valley

Staff Report

Although the weather may not cooperate, Monday, Aug. 21 marks the first time in over 99 years that a solar eclipse will occur over the entire continental United States.

Although we here in New Mexico will not see a complete eclipse, those of us in the Valley can expect the moon to cover ¾ of the sun, causing a perceptible dimming of the daylight.

Click to see the exact start time, maximum coverage time and how to build a simple eclipse viewer from a cereal box.

Scenes From Chama Days Parade

Last weekend Chama celebrated Chama Days, with a dance, rodeo and of course the parade. Dozens of entries into the parade lined up early Saturday on 1^st Street and began marching at 10 a.m. This year’s Chama Days royalty rode past attendees on floats and horses, along with many other participants. And of course, several candidates for elected office and their supporters also were in the parade.
Read on for several images of this year's parade...

Bandelier Hosts Hubbell Trading Post Navajo Rug Trunk Show Aug. 18-20

From Friday, Aug.18, through Sunday, Aug. 20, Bandelier National Monument will be hosting the Hubbell Trading Post Navajo Rug Trunk Show.

It will be presented from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the park Visitor Center. Authentic Navajo rugs will be available for sale in a wide array of designs and prices, straight from the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site in Ganado, Arizona. Hubbell's trader, Edison Eskeets, will present rug talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day... 

What's At The End Of The Rainbow? Sipapu

Rainbows and beautiful green slopes color Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort. And visiotrs get a sneak peek of the Lodge addition, which will open this winter.

Sipapu offers fun adventures this summer, including a great trout fishing pond, fly fishing on the Rio Pueblo River with free casting clinics Saturdays, as well as disc golf and hiking trails...

Weekly Fishing Report

By George Morse Sports and Outdoors
It seems like that with a few exceptions, the fishing has hit the summer doldrums at many of the lakes in Northern New Mexico. Slow-to-fair fishing has been reported from popular destinations like Fenton Lake in the Jemez Mountains, Hopewell Lake near Tres Piedras, Morphy Lake near Las Vegas and Eagle Nest Lake. All of these lakes experience heavy weed growth in the summer and that makes the popular technique of fishing on the bottom with Power Bait or salmon eggs difficult. I suspect anglers would have better luck using a boober and fishing either worms or flies. That will help keep your bait or fly out of the weeds. Also, fish early of late in the day when the fish are more likely to be feeding on the surface...