General membership meetings normally are held at 7:00 pm on the first Tuesday of each month from April to October in the conference room at the Sandia Ranger Station in Tijeras. (No meetings are held November through March.) Meetings include brief reports from the FOSM President, Projects Chair, and Treasurer followed by an informative presentation on a subject pertinent to our mission
The FOSM Vice-President is responsible for arranging speakers for these meetings.
Summaries of previous meetings are available via the dropdown menu above or by clicking on a link at the bottom of this page. Due to the COVID pandemic, no meetings were held in 2020, and all meetings in 2021 and 2022 were held by Zoom. In-person meetings resumed in 2023.
Oue meetings in 2024 will be held in the Sandia Ranger Station conference room, and the roster of speakers is presented below. Results from the weighted-choice poll conducted of members of the board of directors in January 2022 continue to be used in choosing speakers, several of whom are fellow FOSM members this year.
- April 2, 2024 – Sandia Ranger District update and priorities, Crystal Powell and Amanda Rael
- May 7, 2024 – Talking Talons, John Ross
- June 4, 2024 – Albatross Counting on Midway Island, Pauline Ho
- July 2, 2024 – Climate and Weather, Kerry Jones
- August 6, 2024 – NM Forestry Division, Lawrence Crane
- September 3, 2024 – NM Cross Country Ski Club, Sam Beard
- October 1, 2024 – FOSM year-end update and election results, Mike Madden; Sandia Ranger District History, Jeff Young
Hybrid membership meetings were a challenging and perhaps worthy experiment; however, they required a lot of work, were fraught with technical problems, and created a distraction for in-person participants—all for a small on-line audience. Our 2024 meetings will be in-person only.
April 2, 2024 Meeting
Deputy District Ranger Amanda Ginithan (formerly Rael), Recreation Staff Officer Julie Padilla, and Wilderness and Trails Program Manager Canyon Young presented an update on Sandia Ranger District priorities, programs, and projects in 2024.
Amanda Ginithan is the Deputy District Ranger on the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands, Sandia Ranger District in Tijeras, NM. As a graduate from New Mexico State University, she received her degree in Wildlife Science. Amanda began her Forest Service career in 2007 as a STEP Wildlife and Fisheries technician on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and then a converted SCEP Wildlife Biologist on the Cibola. Additionally, she has served as the Education Coordinator for the Respect the Rio Program on the Santa Fe National Forest. Amanda aids the fire community by functioning as a Public Information Officer and assists various IMTs during the fire season. Amanda was born and raised in Clint, TX and has two wonderful sons. In her free time, Amanda enjoys volleyball, home improvement projects, music concerts, food, and exploring new places.
Julie Padilla is a life-time resident of Albuquerque and began her career with the Forest Service in the Southwestern Regional Office in 2017 working in the Office of Communications and Engagement. She moved to the Cibola Supervisors office to support Public Affairs and Recreation Management prior to coming to the Sandia Ranger District as the Recreation Manager. Julie earned a degree in Conservation Biology from the University of New Mexico and is passionate about connecting people to the land, developing partnerships and encouraging a new generation of land stewards. Outside of work Julie enjoys spending time with her kids, traveling and spending time in nature.
Links to presentations (PDF files):
May 7, 2024 Meeting
We heard from interim Executive Director John Ross about Talking Talons Youth Leadership with emphasis on their new focus on developing the next generation of climate change leaders.
Many of us have had the pleasure of working with bright young people in the TTYL program on various projects during past summers. This was our change to learn more about the organization and its programs.
Program abstract – John will be making a presentation about Talking Talons’ current program focus on finding and supporting youth Climate Change leaders. Specifically, John will discuss the Junior Youth Conservation Corps pilot program to be implemented in Fall 2024.
Speaker Bio – John has served in the nonprofit sector since 1976. He has seen the industry from many angles: he has worked with United Way, served in a wide range of agency leadership positions and chaired and/or participated in numerous community collaborations. However, being a part of Talking Talons Youth Leadership with its focus on supporting and mentoring young people who will be our Climate Change Leaders is the highlight of John’s career. John and his wife Janie love to travel, hug on their five grandchildren, hike and hang out in their garden.
Links to presentations (PDF files):
June 4, 2024 Meeting
FOSM member Pauline Ho educated and entertained us with a colorful summary of the weeks she and Rick spent counting albatrosses on Midway Island.
Program abstract – Midway Island has an interesting combination of military artifacts and wildlife. We spent Dec 2022 and part of Jan 2023 on Midway Island as volunteers for the annual Albatross Census. Midway is a very important nesting site for albatrosses; the annual counts provide long-term population data for these birds. A team of 12 people walks transects on the island(s) to count all the Laysan and Black-footed albatross nests. Each nest with an egg represents two adult birds, plus there are juvenile birds hanging around practicing their mating dances. This adds up to well over a million birds on a 2.4 square mile island.
Speaker – Pauline Ho is a physical chemist by training who retired from Sandia National Labs in November 2011. She now spends her time traveling, hiking and camping with her husband, Rick Buss, who retired from Sandia 4 years before she did.
Link to presentation (pdf file): General presentation
Pauline’s Photos
Pauline’s Video Clips
July 2, 2024 Membership Meeting
FOSM member Kerry Jones educated and entertained us with his comprehensive presentation about weather and climate focusing on our unique local conditions created by the Sandia Mountains.
Program abstract – You have probably seen or heard the old aphorism: “The climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.” This presentation will focus mainly on unique atmospheric phenomena that we get in and near the Sandias like “upslope” snow storms, damaging “downslope” wind events, and more. At the same time, global climate change, notably in the form of rising temperatures, has been well documented and successfully modeled. But how are observed climate changes related to shifts in weather patterns and weather extremes? Changes and extremes in our weather including seasonal temperatures, heat waves, and heavy precipitation events using both scientific studies and recent observations will be reviewed. Finally, with La Niña conditions expected to develop in the coming months and persist through the upcoming winter, how might changes in tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures impact the seasonal outlook for the Sandias into early 2025?
Speaker bio – Following a nearly 30-year career with NOAA’s National Weather Service, Kerry’s passion for weather and the outdoors led him to a new role at USFS in 2022 where he serves as a Air and Water Quality Specialist for NM’s five national forests and liaison to our state’s Environment Department. As a certified Air Resource Advisor, Kerry is occasionally assigned to wildfire incidents to provide the public with smoke outlooks as part of the Interagency Wildfire Air Quality Response Program. Previously, Kerry was the Meteorologist in Charge of the NWS Albuquerque office where he also served as Warning Coordination Meteorologist and a lead forecaster. Kerry enjoyed short stints at NWS offices in Spokane, WA and Norman, OK. Kerry received a B.S. in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s degree in Water Resources from the University of New Mexico. Kerry and his wife, Julie, relocated to the East Mountains in 2010 and have called the Albuquerque area home for nearly 30 years. They are proud parents of three amazing young adult children who still enjoy slow walks uphill with their mom and dad.
Links to presentations (PDF files):
August 6, 2024 Membership Meeting
Bernalillo District Forester Lawrence Crane educated us about the Forestry Division and its Bernalillo District of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.
Program abstract – The Bernalillo District serves eight of the state’s counties: Cibola, McKinley, Valencia, Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, Los Alamos and Santa Fe. Located in west-central New Mexico, the Bernalillo District totals 6.6 million acres. This consists of 160,000 acres of commercial forest, 1.54 million acres of piñon-juniper and bosque woodland, and 4.9 million acres of non-forest watershed. The district office is located off Highway 550 on Santa Fe Hills Blvd., approximately two miles north of the intersection at State Road 528 that goes through Rio Rancho.
Each year district staff assist hundreds of landowners and fire departments by providing field visits, written management plans, and partnership of forest conservation practices. These practices include thinning and tree planting projects, workshops on forest and watershed health, and fire training. Staff also review commercial harvesting on private lands to assure compliance with state harvesting regulations. More than 200 wildland fires occur annually on state and private lands within the district.
Speaker bio – Lawrence Crane is the District Forester for the Bernalillo District. Lawrence has been with the Forestry Division since 2003, including working as the district’s Special Projects Forester for many years. In the District Forester role, he oversees multiple programs including fire, timber, stewardship, wildland-urban interface, and special projects. Lawrence also conducts environmental outreach efforts and leads mapping projects. and acts as the primary Line Officer and agency administrator for large fire incidents on all non-municipal non-federal lands within the Bernalillo District boundaries. Lawrence has worked for the Forest Service on the Bridger Teton National Forest, Duke City Lumber Company, and Rio Grande Forest Products. He is a 1984 graduate of Northern Arizona University with a degree in Forestry. Lawrence loves to build with Lego, woodworking, and anything he can do with his family.
September 3, 2024 Membership Meeting
FOSM co-founder Sam Beard educated us about another organization he helped start, the New Mexico Cross Country Ski Club.
Program abstract – Sam will present information about the N. M. Cross Country Ski Club: history, activities, trail development, comparison of NMCCSC with the Sandia Nordic Ski Club, and photographs of skiing in several areas in N. M. and southern Colorado.
Speaker bio – Sam joined the USAF after high school, trained as a Russian linguist in Texas and Monterey, CA, and was stationed near London for three years. He earned degrees in physics from Mars Hill Junior College and N. C. State University. Sam and wife Edwina moved to Albuquerque in 1965, and Sam retired from Sandia National Laboratories in 2003 after 37 years in the Aerothermodynamics Group. Sam began developing cross-country ski trails on the Sandia Ranger District as a volunteer in 1970, published a trail guide in 1979, and published a second edition in 1988. He is a founding member of the N. M. Cross Country Ski Club, N. M. Volunteers for the Outdoors, and Friends of the Sandia Mountains.
We look forward to seeing you on the 3rd.
October 1 Membership Meeting
Our last membership meeting of 2024 began with recognition of Tim Brown for his 15 years of service as treasurer followed by election of officers and board members for FY2025. (See below.) New treasurer Jeff Young then educated and entertained us with his presentation of the history of “…people, places, and things of the Sandia Ranger District, how the Sandia Ranger District came to be, history of recreation in the Sandias, hunting and wildlife, and other historical events.” The well-attended meeting was made especially enjoyable by the goodies including a delicious apple dessert provided by Silke Bletzer.
Program abstract – The presentation provided a brief summary on people, places and things of the Sandia Ranger District, how the Sandia Ranger District came to be, history of recreation in the Sandias, hunting and wildlife, and other historical events.
Speaker bio – Jeff has lived in New Mexico for most of his life and is a life member of FOSM. He started the Sandia Snowshoe Race and has been a resident of Sandia Park since 1992. He is an avid hiker, mountain biker, skier, hunter, and fisherman. After graduating from Lovington High School, he went on to an accounting degree from Abilene Christian University and then an MBA from New Mexico State University. He retired from Sandia National Laboratories in 2021.
Prior-year meetings: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016