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Letter to the editor
A note to pet owners
Dear Editor,
Ah, it's Spring,that time of year again when our dogs and cats get frisky! And sadly, their friskiness can lead to many unwanted puppies and kittens. As the saying goes, "Dogs can't add, Cats can't subtract, but they sure can multiply." But there is something we in Socorro and Catron Counties can do to help end the growing number of homeless pets by getting them spayed or neutered. And there is even help to get these procedures through Animal Protective Association of Socorro (APAS). We are a local organization that can assist low income and seniors get their pets fixed for a low cost.
So PLEASE, let's help the Socorro Animal and Adoption Center staff not to be overwhelmed, especially during this time of year. These hard working folks ultimately have to make the hard decisions when they get overcrowded with all these unwanted animals. And if you're looking for a new furry family member, go look at all the adoptable pets at the Shelter that just want a forever home.
Visit the APAS website socorroapas.org or call and leave a message at 575-418-7848. Together we can do this !
Stephanie Mitchell, secretary
Animal Protective Association of Socorro
Senate Bill Perceptions
Dear Editor,
Recently, my spouse received a letter from our state senator, Crystal Diamond Brantley, in which she highlighted some of the “bad” legislation that Republicans at the Roundhouse had stopped in the 2026 legislative session. This legislation included two Senate bills, Senate bill #17, entitled Stop Illegal Guns Act, and Senate bill #18, the Clean Horizons Act.
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I decided to look deeper into the bills. Senate Bill #17 would have required licensed gun dealers to keep inventory records and implement security measures. Also, gas-operated semi automatic firearms, .50 caliber rifles and magazines holding more that 10 rounds would be classified as dangerous weapons. To me, these provisions seem like reasonable, common sense gun legislation, not an infringement on our Second Amendment rights.
Senate Bill #18, which Republicans voted down, would have established a long-term plan to invest in clean energy. The bill was intended to focus on the largest industrial sources of pollution. It would have held polluters accountable in order to protect the health of the environment and New Mexicans.
The above information demonstrates how perception shapes our reality. What the senator sees as an infringement of rights, I see as logical safety precautions. This is why it is important to have greater context in order to make decisions that affect our lives, communities and New Mexico.
Carol A. Courtney
Magdalena
A call for member participation from a former Socorro Electric Co-op board director
Dear Editor,
I’ve been putting off writing, since the Socorro Co-op board of directors, informed me at the last minute, that I was ineligible to run for reelection last spring. In fact, I was the last board member to be elected, back in 2022. All the current board members have been appointed to serve vacant seats, or have run unopposed in elections since.
The March 5, 2026, El Defensor Chieftain article, NMPRC requested information about SEC trustees, has prompted this letter. As the article mentions, there is still one board member who is still serving on the board, who is responsible for supporting the board‘s decision to not follow the PRC‘s directive. Not only was the PRC‘s directive not followed, but the board also voted to engage a legal counsel to contest the PRC‘s directive. I remember the board approving over $100,000 in legal fees at one board meeting. Much more than that was spent to take the case to the New Mexico supreme court. SEC lost that case. These are funds that the SEC members pay through their electric bills. While I questioned why the board was not following the PRC directive, I was informed by our then CEO, Joseph Herrera, that the PRC directive would increase cost for our regular SEC members. So as I remember, I reluctantly supported the issue.
However, what really got me in trouble with the board, since there hadn’t been any support for renewable energy, and it’s cost savings, was the fact that I’d gone out on my own, and got two bids, OE Solar, and Positive Energy Solar, for a 20 MW solar, and three Tesla mega pack battery storage units. Self-generating our own power, would have offset buying $3,500,000 of power from Tri-State, and I figured, saved SEC members $2 million a year, not to mention creating local jobs, and paying local taxes. When I presented my findings to the board, Ron Burnett, made a motion to move onto the next item on the board agenda, which the other board members voted for. There was no discussion, questions, or follow up. Yet the board is responsible to obtain the least cost, that’s financially responsible to our membership. That didn’t happen.
I’d hoped that Chairman Leroy Anaya would resign after a similar article was published about the PRC issue several months ago. Chairman Anaya has supported, voted for all of these issues over the years. But for me, the real issue is, elections, or lack of contested elections, have real consequences. It has, unfortunately, resulted in higher electrical rates for our membership. So I hope our membership will step up to the plate, and put their names in for the next Co-op election, starting in December.
Ward B. McCartney
Belen
Reponse to Mexican Wolf Issues
Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to the various features on Mexican wolf issues in the March 5 Chieftain. I appreciate that both sides were given a voice, and many aspects of the debate were covered.
I really have one simple question for Ms. Anderson of Western Watersheds. She comments that "the burden should be on the ranchers to get along with the native wildlife on public lands." Elsewhere she suggests that "when land managers make the choice to allocate...resources for cows, that affects game animals." So, Ms. Anderson, what burden are you carrying to help restore native wildlife?
Let's look a bit at the perspective behind these comments. For example, much of New Mexico consists of BLM grazing permits that lack surface water. Right now, wildlife thrive - because they can drink from the stock tanks, pipelines, and wells provided by ranchers. Remove the rancher, remove the water, remove the wildlife.
Well, Ms. Anderson may say, it is humans who have taken the water resources. Excellent. The average household in America uses 100,000 gallons of water each year. Look at our cities of Socorro, Albuquerque, and Las Cruces and do the math. These cities arose where they did in large part because of the availability of water. Before the city, that water drew wildlife, prey for the wolves. Therefore, it seems quite reasonable to me that those in the cities who have taken not only space and habitat, but also water, should also bear the burden and make the choices about allocating resources for wildlife. Ms. Anderson, why don't we release one of those families of wolves in your yard ? Or at least the city park, as that's public land. I am sure they will only eat the pets on your street until they can find their way to some more worthy prey, perhaps at the zoo.
Or maybe you could make a less....stressful choice about helping wildlife? Encourage the city dwellers to move elsewhere, maybe to the middle of the desert where little wildlife lives? Or maybe just reduce your water usage? What are you doing, Ms. Anderson, to get along with native wildlife on public lands?
If ranchers should carry the burden, so should everyone else who lives where there might have been a wolf at one time.
Rebecca Dolph
Claunch, NM
