The High Country News Board of Directors met in May in Albuquerque, where we had a chance to reconnect face-to-face and visit with new and longtime friends of HCN.
New Mexico’s celebrity environment reporter Laura Paskus — who is also a PBS producer and a former HCN staffer — moderated a panel about environmental justice in the state. We were astonished by the massive scale of oil and gas drilling in New Mexico; it’s currently second only to Texas in terms of annual oil production. Unfortunately, the energy companies are polluting air and water with little oversight from the state, according to Samantha Ruscavage-Barz, WildEarth Guardians’ legal director. But local people are finding creative ways to hold the industry accountable. Kayley Shoup, of Citizens Caring for the Future, spoke about working to bring community members together to defend public health, something that can be challenging in company towns in the oil-drenched Permian Basin.
Now, a group of young people has sued the state, arguing that its oil and gas permitting and failure to enforce pollution laws violate the New Mexico Constitution, which states that a “beautiful and healthful environment” is “of fundamental importance to the public interest, health, safety and the general welfare.” Jonathan Juarez-Alonzo, of Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA), one of the plaintiffs in the case, pointed out that we already have all the technology we need to make a swift transition to clean energy; we just need to commit to doing the work.
In a meeting at Hotel Albuquerque, HCN staff told the board that this has been a difficult year for fundraising. Many of our readers are struggling to make ends meet, and some longtime supporters who often give generously have had to pull back a bit, owing to the tumultuous financial climate. We’ve made up ground since then, however, and have found ways to tighten our belts, so while we continue to hear about hard times at other news outlets, this reader-supported nonprofit is soldiering on. Thank you!
But the board’s biggest decision was to approve a three-year strategic road map for the organization — the product of nine months of hard work by both staff and board.
We’re excited about this new strategic plan, which we hope will help us engage a new generation of readers who care about the West and its future. It includes:
• Critical upgrades to HCN’s website and other digital infrastructure
• Outreach and partnerships to connect with new and diverse audiences
• A new “customer journey” that lowers barriers to entry and draws readers into deeper involvement over time
• Tools and information that encourage civic participation and empower readers to drive positive change
We’ll have more information for you in the coming months, especially as our new website comes online in the fall.
We welcome reader letters. Greg Hanscom is the executive director & publisher of High Country News. Email us at editor@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor. See our letters to the editor policy.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline HCN in ABQ.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
