Photo Contest

It has been an eventful couple of weeks so let’s start with announcing the winners of the first LCVA Photo Contest.

• LC² Altered Images: Snowy House at Sunrise by Hannah Pollard
• LC² Experience: First Morning Glory by Kathryn Blackmun
• LC² Living off the Land: Moon Over La Cienega by Elise Pollard
• LC² Natural World: Flowerbed Grazing Late Afternoon by Ellie Dickens
• LC² People: Pixie by Suzanne Chavez
• LC² Community Choice: Driving through La Cienega by Donielle Carrillo
• LC² Grand Prize: Cattle Grazing on the River by Ed Sceery

Each winner received a $50 prize with the Community Choice winner also receiving a family membership to El Rancho de las Golondrinas courtesy of our friends at the museum. The Grand Prize winner received a two night stay at Buffalo Thunder Resort thanks to the generosity of The Pueblo of Pojoaque.

The photo contest was, without question, a great time and experience and what wonderful photographs of our community. We really do live in a special place.

The LCVA would like offer a sincere community thank you to Bob DeYoung who did such a great job in managing the contest and to our judges, Kathryn Becker, Lee Manning and Paul Murray for their work in the selection process.

If you haven’t checked out the winners, they are posted on the LCVA web site at lcva-nm.org, the best source for community news. And, you can also view every entry.

County Commission Code Adoption Meeting

On Tuesday, September 23, Carl Dickens attended the County Commission’s special meeting on the code and zoning map adoption. This process is now entering its third year of review with the Commission committed to a final adoption by the end of the year. The LCVA has four concerns that were raised, the high density zoning for the remaining large parcels of land in the community, the failure to recognize the significance of the traditional/historical section of our community, the failure to establish a designated commercial district in the area between 599 and Los Pinos Road (first proposed over 6 years ago) and the County’s decision to zone La Bajada Ranch as a Planned Development District without any community input.

These are issues that the LCVA will continue to address. In Carl’s presentation, it was his intention to have Commissioners Stefanics, Mayfield and Holian understand that the zoning map the La Cienega and La Cieneguilla Planning Committee created was a better map that used a better process and was produced by residents who live in our community. This three year effort, by a Committee of residents who devoted long hours in rewriting our community plan (which included a proposed zoning map), has been completely ignored by County staff.

In this situation, given other community issues with the County, there is a tendency to simply throw up our collective hands and accept the fact we can’t do anything about County decisions and actions. That would be a mistake.

This will be a topic of discussion at the LCVA Board meeting Monday night. To add to the conversation we have invited Dr. Devin Bent to the meeting. Dr. Bent, through a series of e-mail communications among members of the United Communities of Santa Fe County, has identified several issues/conflicts between the County’s Sustainable Growth Management Plan and the proposed Sustainable Land Development Code. In his communication, Dr. Bent has referred to La Cienega as an area of special concern.

Please join us at the LCVA Board meeting Monday night it should be a very interesting land use discussion.

La Cienega Halloween Party and Harvest Festival

OCTOBER 26, 2-5PM at El Rancho de las Golondrinas

Halloween costumes encouraged!!! We’ll have a costume parade, games, pumpkin decorating, Day of the Dead altar, apple pressing, storytelling, crafts and a squash/pumpkin recipe bake-off. Please join in the fun and tell your neighbors (kids!).

Halloween/Day of the Dead Altar: Bring copies of photos of deceased relatives, friends, pets, and also flowers, vegetables, candles (we can’t light them though, no open fires!) – special foods to welcome the souls of the departed to join in the festivities.

Bring your favorite squash/pumpkin recipe for the Squash Bake-off contest!!! Judges will select their favorite in two categories, sweet and savory. All cooks/bakers encouraged to participate. You may win a jar of local honey! Bring your dish ready to serve, including serving utensils and copy of recipe.

We need help with setting up the event, which will be held near the main entrance to Golondrinas, under the portal and, depending on the weather, inside the education center. Decorating and setup will take place the day of the event 10AM-2PM. We need help with some of the activities: bean bag toss, costume parade, pumpkin decorating.

Cash donations for food and decorating supplies are welcome. Also we need help putting flyers on the metal cluster mailboxes throughout the community.

Most of all, please tell your neighbors and friends with kids about it.

If you can help out in any way, contact Carol Cooper at [email protected]. Our next and final planning meeting will be October 14 at Linda Grill’s home, [email protected]

This is very exciting community event, a special thanks to the committee members making this happen, Kathleen McCloud, Linda Grill, Carol Cooper, Ele Harwood, Susan Reid, Kelly Wilson and Mary Winter. Better hurry if you want to help with the event, we already have volunteers for the apple cider press and the costume parade.

You may mail donations to the LCVA, PO Box 23554, Santa Fe, NM 87502. Thank you in advance for your contribution.

Santa Fe River Traditional Communities Collaborative

In a recent meeting with Mayor Gonzales, significant progress was achieved when, at the request of Collaborative members (including the LCVA), he agreed to have the City actively involved in establishing a comprehensive management plan for the stretch of Santa Fe River from the city’s wastewater treatment plant to the Paseo Rael Bridge in La Cieneguilla. The Mayor instructed the Santa Fe River Commission, which was represented at the meeting, to participate in the planning process.

In addition the Mayor agreed to two other collaborative requests. The Collaborative had asked the Mayor to assign a point person to work with the Collaborative that has the authority to act on behalf of the city. The Mayor selected Andrew Erdmann of the Water Division. The final Collaborative request was for the city to file a wildlife complaint with the New Mexico Game and Fish Department. This will permit Wildearth Guardians to live trap beaver families and move them to more appropriate locations. Mr. Erdmann has already started that process.

Special Growers’ Market

If you want some great local produce and honey come to El Rancho de las Golondrinas this weekend. It is fall harvest weekend at the most beautiful living museum in the Southwest and from 10-2 on Sunday, October 5, Rey Romero will be roasting chile, award winning Green Tractor Farm will be there and John Gagne will be selling honey harvested at the Gonzales Farm.

So after you have enjoyed all the activities and done all the fun things at the museum stop by the market for the best local produce around. Support La Cienega Historic Agricultural Traditions!

Event at Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, One of Our Special Places

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Axle Contemporary, in partnership with the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, is producing an exhibition: Wilderness Acts

Artists will create sculptural artworks using natural wild-crafted materials in sites along the main path in the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve in La Cienega. Work will be created during the month of September and will be on view at the preserve through the season, until early November. A companion exhibition of related works will open in the Axle Contemporary mobile gallery on October 17th and continue through November 6th.

Wild places offer a retreat from civilization, a reconnection with the Earth, a place where we find healing, meaning and significance. The artists were asked to make sculptures and installations from materials found on site, occasionally augmented by materials brought from their studios.

Visit the art in nature, only a short distance from Santa Fe, The Santa Fe Botanical Garden’s Leonora Curtin Wetland, Saturdays 9-12 and Sundays 1-4 from September 28th thru November 8th.

A reception for the artists will be held on Sunday October 19th, 1-4 pm, at The Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve in La Cienega, NM. The artists include: Bobbe Besold, Lisa Freeman, Cheri Ibes, Caity Kennedy and Matt King, Don Kennell, Ana MacArthur, Jacqueline Mallegni, Dominique Mazeaud, Michael Motley, Mayumi Nishida and Conrad Skinner.

Library Update

Linda Grill, Library Committee Chair and LCVA Board Member reported that the Library addition has already missed two deadlines for completion, September 23 and September 30. She checked on the project Thursday and was surprised to see how much more work needs to be done. Linda will be checking with the County to see what is causing the delays.

Please look forward to future LCVA notices announcing volunteer opportunities working to support our community library.

Local Groceries and Food Production

The following is provided as a courtesy to local groceries and local food production.

WELCOME!! PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR END OF THE SEASON PICNICS !! COMPLEMENTARY FOOD-MUSIC-GAMES FOR THE KIDS

Where: Southside: Saturday, October 4, from 12 – 3 pm at Plaza Contenta, 4356 Contenta Ave.
Where: Westside: Saturday, October 18, from 12 – 3 pm at the Nancy Rodriguez Community Center, 1 Prairie Dog Loop
SANTA FE GREENHOUSE GROCERY
[email protected] (505)-501-4504