Laura Paskus,
Environment Reporter
Hi Friends,

We often cover seemingly intractable—or at the very least, overwhelming—environmental issues. 

On this month’s episode of Our Land, we appreciate the dark night sky and share the words of retired professor Sam Finn, who noted that light pollution doesn’t destroy the night sky. It just hides it. And there are so many ways to get it back.  

If you missed the segment during the weekend broadcast of New Mexico in Focus you can watch it on the PBS Video App.
Last week, correspondent Russell Contreras interviewed Tina Cordova of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. That group has been urging the U.S. government to compensate families poisoned by radiation from the Trinity nuclear bomb test, detonated in the New Mexico desert in the summer of 1945.
  
Congress passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in 1990 (and amended it in 2000) to pay people (and their “eligible survivors”) who became sick with or died from certain types of cancers.
 
Specifically, the fund is for people exposed to fallout from the Nevada Test Site and workers at aboveground nuclear weapons tests, as well as uranium miners, millers and ore transporters. But the law doesn’t apply to Trinity “downwinders.” Now, the deadline to file a claim under the law is less than a year away. (Need to request a claim form? You can do that on the U.S. Department of Justice website.)  

To watch Contreras and Cordova talk about the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium’s latest effort to seek justice for New Mexicans, head over to the New Mexico in Focus YouTube page.
  
It's a fascinating conversation—and a heartbreaking one. The U.S. government didn’t warn families living near Trinity about the test, nor acknowledge they were part of an experiment to unleash the most destructive weapons ever created. Seventy-six years later, people are still suffering. And seeking answers. 

As part of our project, Groundwater War, I spoke with New Mexico Department of Agriculture Jeff Witte about the Air Force’s contamination of groundwater with PFAS. At Cannon Air Force Base, those toxic chemicals made their way to Highland Dairy in Clovis. Witte talked about the state’s efforts to make sure food and dairy products are safe.  
Credit: Jonathon Golden
Lastly, please tune into New Mexico in Focus this week. We’ll be sharing a conversation with three current and former wildland fire fighters, who talk about the risks of the profession. These range from having to fight bigger and more severe fires as the climate continues to warm to struggling with low pay, job insecurity, and mental health challenges. 

While reporting this piece, I learned so much. Especially about the disconnect between what people think they know about wildland firefighting and the reality of life for federal wildland firefighters. You won’t want to miss the show on Friday night.
Best wishes, 
Laura Paskus

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