Santa Fe County has been awarded $706,054 through the NMFA Local Solar Access Fund to bring solar power and battery storage to three senior centers. The Bennie J. Chavez Senior Center (Chimayó), the Ken & Patty Adam Senior Center (Eldorado), and the Edgewood Senior Center will each receive tailored solar and battery systems designed to reliably provide power during normal operations while also sustaining critical functions during power outages or emergencies. “By adding solar and batteries to these senior centers, we will improve everyday resilience, reduce electricity costs, and enable them to serve as resilience hubs for the surrounding communities,” says PJ Montano, Facilities and Projects Division Director.

The new systems will provide reliable power to these senior centers on a daily basis, and batteries will help each site make the most of the solar energy it generates. When outages do happen, the same systems will keep heating, cooling, lighting, refrigerated medication storage, and device charging available. “Senior centers are already places our residents count on for a range of services,” says Brian Snyder, Public Works Department Director. “Solar and batteries will help these facilities run smoothly and efficiently day in and day out, while also giving us backup power we can count on when it’s needed.”

These senior centers will provide comfortable, climate-controlled spaces for community members, support local emergency response activities, and increase on-site solar energy generation for County operations. “We’re always looking for ways to support our community while increasing resilience,” says Jonathan Butler, Community Development Director. “We’re grateful to receive this award and look forward to bringing reliable, renewable energy to our senior centers.”

The Santa Fe County Backyard Composting Program provides free compost system installations and training to residents who live in unincorporated areas of Santa Fe County. County residents can apply now to receive compost systems in spring 2027.

Roughly one-third of household waste is organic matter (like food and yard trimmings), and the Backyard Composting Program diverts this material from the landfill by transforming it into a beneficial soil amendment. Composting reduces greenhouse gas emissions, saves time and money by minimizing trips to transfer stations, and creates a soil amendment that helps plants flourish.

Participants can choose between a black plastic composting system and a strawbale composting system, and Santa Fe County has partnered with Reunity Resources since 2018 to install the compost systems and provide personalized guidance and technical support.  “We love working with Santa Fe County to help make composting accessible to our community,” says Reunity Resources Program Director Juliana Ciano. “Composting is a tangible, daily act of hope and positive transformation, and this program can help you do it right in your backyard!” 

The New Mexico Recycling Coalition awarded the Santa Fe Backyard Composting Program “Diversion Project of the Year” in 2025, and you can learn more about the program's positive impact in this press release.

On September 8th, Santa Fe County Public Works announced its plan to roll out a revitalized Domestic Well Use Metering Program to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC). The program will require all new developments utilizing domestic groundwater wells to participate in annual reporting of their flow meter readings. This effort is accompanied by broader conversations about water resource management and concerns about groundwater availability across New Mexico. These anxieties aren’t new, but part of a changing climate that local communities have been grappling with for decades. These hotter, drier realities will require a better understanding of our water usage, which groundwater metering can provide.  

After closing on Bobcat Crossing Ranch Open Space in late 2025, the open space program inventory of windmills doubled. The new property has two windmills on site. These water sources dotted across our dry landscape provide oases for wildlife who roam sometimes vast distances between mountain ranges in Santa Fe County.

Drawn almost by instinct, retired engineer and Eldorado resident Joe A. reached out to county staff. “After retiring from the oilfield, I thought I was done working on wells. Then I noticed windmills in Santa Fe County that were in dilapidated condition and needed attention,” he said. With the help of a few interested and enthusiastic problem solvers, Joe and volunteers work to maintain windmills on open space properties. Volunteer Jack H. finds motivation in enhancing habitat: “My passion for rehabbing these old agricultural windmills is based in my love of wildlife. Providing drinkers in this desert landscape helps to promote a more viable natural environment for all types of wildlife, from big game to upland birds and predatory species, each of which contributes to a healthy ecosystem.”

These volunteers are helping us in our goal of maintaining a healthy ecosystem, which contributes to a healthy community.  Volunteer Drew G. shares this sentiment, “The main reason is to give wildlife sanctuary to live since their habitat is dwindling everywhere else and I just enjoy working with everyone.” Thank you, windmill volunteers!  

The leaves are turning, the temperatures are dipping, and Halloween is right around the corner. Pumpkin carving and the golden glow of jack-o'-lanterns on crisp autumn evenings are a delightful part of the season for young and old. But here's the scary truth - roughly 1.3 billion pumpkins end up in U.S. landfills every year! Would you like your Halloween pumpkins to avoid this grim fate? Here are some ideas to consider:

Eat Them: No, not the actual jack-o'-lantern pumpkin. While there are many delicious pumpkins available for cooking, a carving pumpkin will probably be bland, stringy, and watery. Additionally, a carved pumpkin left on your front porch for weeks will not be safe to eat because of bacterial contamination and spoilage. However, when you carve your jack-o'-lantern, the seeds you scoop out can be cleaned, roasted, and enjoyed as a delicious snack. Another approach to pumpkin decor is to specifically select edible pumpkins, display them uncarved, and then enjoy them later in the season in pies, breads, soups, and more. You can also simply cut and roast them as a simple and delicious side dish.