Resilient in snow

This is a photo of my brother, David. This picture represents resilience to me because he is from Florida and this is the first time he has been in a snow storm. It represents our ability to overcome or be resilient to massive changes in our environment.

This photo is of a little flower that refuses to give up.
"Keep standing up for what you believe in, even if you are the only one standing."

Contributions by Ryan Daly, April 2015

Chickens and resilience

Many in smaller communities, including our own, have chickens. Having chickens is a great way to support resilience and is kinder on a family budget. Not to mention the immense benefits of children knowing where their food comes from.

The poultry industry is a cause of environmental degradation in the United States. It kills fish and other wildlife and it makes people ill. In nature, chickens and turkeys range in small flocks over wide areas. In poultry factory farming, thousands of birds are crammed unnaturally into extremely small areas. Filth and disease are the result of this unnatural confinement.

U.S. slaughterhouses kill more than 30 million birds every day, 10 billion birds a year (NASS). This pollutes land, air, and water with diseased carcasses, feces, bacteria, parasites, and viruses.

Having chickens, allows the individual family to raise and harvest their own eggs. They are no longer contributing to the financial and land costs of store bought eggs. The chickens are raised humanly, in our case - they are part of the family.

We have five different breeds of chickens - polyculture. This breeds resilience into our flock. Also, I would add insect control, naturally aerifying the soil through dust baths and digging, and natural fertilizers.

(National Agricultural Statistics Service-USDA. Poultry Slaughter.) 

Contribution by January Sadler, April 2015 

sharing the commons

I think that our local parks show how our community can be resilient. They are places that have a gathering of the young and old for outdoor activities and gathering. By having places in a community to gather outside the home we are able to check in on our neighbors and each other in a casual way. It also allows people to spend more active times outside resulting in healthier communities. 

The photographs above were taken at Kit Carson park. This area has open space for gatherings, practices for sports and meditation, as well as a walking path, three baseball/softball fields, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, and a playground for different ages of children. It also includes picnic areas.

The 2nd two photographs are of Fred Baca Park. This park has basketball courts, picnic areas, open space for athletics and playgrounds for different ages. It also have a paved track and a nature walking path for seasonal hikes.

Contributed by Darah Spencer, April 2015

encouraging on-campus recycling

These recycling bins at the Taos Branch are an efficient way to dispose appropriately - Plastic Bottles (Green Bin) and Cans (Blue Bin). In my perspective this is an encouraging way for UNM students to also do it from the comfort of their homes. This is a practice that I've been doing for the last month or so, until I decided to drink from reusable water bottles.

Contribution by Jose Gonzalez, March 2015

fun in reusing

The Kit Carson Park play structure is made from recycled plastic containers, aluminum cans, and soup cans.

Contribution by Jose Gonzalez, March 2015

Whole community resilience - from the prairie dog community

The water from mountain snows would simply run into the river and float away from our local aquifers if not for some often undervalued neighbors in our community, the prairie dog (genus Cynomys). Prairie dog tunnel systems channel rainwater into the water table which prevents runoff and erosion, and can also change the composition of the soil in a region by reversing soil compaction that can be a result of cattle grazing. Their burrows aerate the ground, helping to cool it, which improves root health and encourages plant growth. These little locals are icons of resilience.

 

By Christopher Heron, March 2015

Data and image references:
Hoogland, J.L. (1995) The Black- tailed Prairie Dog: Social Life of a Burrowing Mammal, Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

Image - Jackson, L. D. "Sunday Hunt for Links – Prairie Dog Edition." Political Realities. N.p., 14 Nov. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2015.

Orographic Opportunities

One ubiquitous sign of resilience here are the mountains. They protect our valley from tornadoes and cyclones. They catch passing weather and keep our water table full. They provide fuel, food and medicine with the flora and fauna they house. Mountain streams enable successful farming here, and mountain pastures help keep ranch animals healthy.  For our modern culture, they offer a plethora of marketable activities for tourism which, in and of itself, is a wealth stream of opportunity for our community. 

By Christopher Heron, February 2015