What's going on, Albuquerque?

Morning Fix: ...

Five dead in Guadalupe Co. plane crash.
Manzano Mountains fire evacuees return, survey damage. Latest blaze burned 5,500 acres.
Limits imposed on Cibola National Forest. Prohibited activities include hiking, biking, motorized vehicles.
High Fuel Prices: "Snail-like" Amtrak getting renewed looks.

MFer tips us to Scholes Hall Watch, a blog poised to get to the bottom of stuff at UNM. They need your help in the following area:
"UNM has lost faculty at a rate not seen since the mid-1990s yet no one seems to keep track of the resignations and what these have cost the university in terms of research dollars, student credit hours, contribution to core programs, such as Native American Studies, Southwest Studies, Latin American Studies, the sciences, and UNM's national and international reputation."

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Comment by Paula Manning-Lewis on June 30, 2008 at 10:47am: It seriously ticks me off that hiking is prohibited! How is hiking going to cause a fire? Most hikers I know don't smoke and if they do, they're smart enough to NOT smoke in the mountains! I'm so sick of being penalized from doing things because of stupid people!

Comment by once banned twice shy on June 30, 2008 at 11:50am: Paula:
I am glad that you and your friends are responsible people. However, the majority of people out there are not responsible and can only think as far as the end of their own nose. In the story in the Albq. Journal about the closures, the reporter encountered some teens who were sitting up at the La Luz trailhead SMOKING. They had no clue there was already a smoking ban. So, yeah, it's too bad that the rest of us have to pay the price for pinheads who don't know any better than to smoke in a tinderbox, but would you rather have the Sandias go up in flames? You want to hike, go up north. No closures up there. Yet.

Comment by Paula Manning-Lewis on June 30, 2008 at 12:55pm: obts,
Yeah, I know, the pinheads are irritating! I definitely don't want the Sandias going up in flames, I just want to go on my twice weekly hikes! The responsible people should be able to get some type of permit to hike anyway, don't you think? You say go up north, where exactly do you mean?

Oh well, I guess I'll pray for rain, or do a raindance or something. Come on rain!!!! :) I wonder if yesterday's cloudburst had any effect on conditions.

Comment by Benny the Icepick on June 30, 2008 at 1:31pm: More than worrying about people who would start a fire, the Forestry folks want to make sure that, in the event that a fire spreads, they don't have to worry about any hikers stranded in the middle of a fire. Evacuations are risky and expensive. An ounce of prevention...

Comment by mombat on June 30, 2008 at 1:32pm: The other reason that the closure includes everyone is that if a fire does start getting people out is one less thing to worry about.
I agree that most people are responsible but one moron is all it takes.

Comment by once banned twice shy on June 30, 2008 at 2:15pm: Up north is as close as the Sangre de Cristos, I believe. Yesterday's cloudburst, while welcome and fabulous, did nothing to change the conditions. We need a great deal more cloudbursts like that to alter conditions enough to where they will lessen closures in the forests here. You can always hike at the petroglyphs for some closer hiking options (early morning, of course).

Comment by Eckleburg and Grumblecake on June 30, 2008 at 4:07pm: Now, If I could only get a government agency to ban me from sitting on my couch in front of my TV . . .