Spring is upon us, and with the change in seasons comes a heightened risk of wildfires igniting due to high wind and drought in our state.

Last month, Santa Fe Fire Department Chief Brian Moya joined “Conversations Different” to discuss what homeowners in the Santa Fe area can do to prevent wildfires from destroying their personal property.

This week, we welcome Dr. Adam Atchley, a hydrologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory who researches wildland fire, hydrology and ecosystem response to climate change, to discuss the science behind wildfires. Dr. Atchley offers insight into his team’s research methods like using Artificial Intelligence data mapping to better understand forests’ structures and how the team can use those models to prevent wildfire catastrophe.

This episode is sponsored by Homewise.

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The month of April is National Community College Month, and it aims to showcase the various opportunities and resources that individuals can explore at smaller institutions of higher learning. Whether it’s obtaining a two-year degree or learning a new trade, these institutions can provide a gateway for future success in a person's desired career field. In Northern New Mexico, Santa Fe Community College is providing that service to many.

Richard “Charlie” Shultz, academic director of the controlled environment agriculture program at Santa Fe Community College, joins “Conversations Different” to discuss how his program is helping students become sustainable food producers. He shares how the hands-on initiative, which utilizes hydroponic and aquaponic systems, is providing the tools to grow healthy food year-round — like tomatoes, kale and other greens. He also elaborates on how the program is giving back to the Santa Fe community through food donations.

The controlled environment agriculture program will be holding an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, offering greenhouse tours, plant sales, food samples and more. To learn more about SFCC's National Community College Month schedule, visit www.sfcc.edu/ccmonth.

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Whether in the middle of the night or the light of day, search and rescue teams heed the call whenever an individual or group has gone missing, is lost or is injured. Search and rescue teams can play an essential role in locating people and getting them the proper resources in those types of scenarios, especially when time is of the essence.  

Al Webster, Lee Kolosna and Yvonne Gillespie, search and rescue volunteers in the Santa Fe area, join “Conversations Different” to discuss their experiences with search missions and share tips for staying safe in New Mexico’s great outdoors. They also provide information on the various search and rescue outfits in the region and share the stories of how they become volunteers.

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The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts has almost 10,000 pieces of work from 1962 to present day from Indigenous people from across the world. Museum Director Patsy Phillips and Chief Curator Manuela Well-Off-Man join "Conversations Different" to discuss contemporary Native art and what goes into putting the museum's exhibits together. 

The pair talk about current exhibits including "The Stories We Carry," which features contemporary jewelry made by more than 100 Indigenous artists. They also discuss the upcoming exhibit "Dreaming with AI" from Dr. Suzanne Kite (Oglala Lakota) which features installation, performance, and video works that combine machine learning, artificial intelligence and Indigenous knowledge. "Kite’s projects push boundaries formally and thematically and involve concepts that shape the future of contemporary Indigenous art," the museum's website says.

Phillips also discusses how recent grants have strengthened the museum by helping to pay for a full-time staff, offering the ability to create an endowment, and giving the museum the opportunity to offer free admission to visitors on Fridays. 

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A former chef at the Blue Heron Restaurant and Palace Prime, Rocky Durham is a well-known name in Santa Fe’s dining scene. Nearly three years ago, just after Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, he and his wife, Emmy, felt the call to help. 

Rocky and Emmy, who are both fluent in Russian, sold their belongings and moved to Ukraine without a real plan but soon found their place. They founded a nonprofit, Durham Humanitarian, which has become part of an international network offering relief to refugees and helping deliver essentials to civilians and soldiers amid disrupted and damaged supply chains. 

During a brief visit to Santa Fe in late February, Rocky sat down with “Conversations Different” host Inez Russell Gomez to share his experience in the war-ravaged nation, provide his thoughts on America’s position on the war under President Donald Trump, and offers his insights on where things stand from his perspective.

To donate or learn more about the Durham Humanitarian, visit durhamhumanitarian.org.

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Solace Sexual Assault Services has been providing support and healing for survivors of sexual assault and child abuse for more than 50 years. The nonprofit organization offers forensic interviewing, therapy, advocacy services and education and prevention services in the Santa Fe area.

Executive Director María José Rodríguez Cádiz has been with Solace for more than 23 years, helping the organization offer its services to survivors at no cost. She joins the latest episode of “Conversations Different” to discuss the prevalence of sexual assault in New Mexico and the role of Solace in the community to provide survivors with support. With the threat of funding cuts under the Trump administration, Rodríguez Cádiz talks about how Solace plans to work proactively to bridge the gap in the event of a decline in federal funding.

To support Solace’s sustainability campaign, visit www.findsolace.org.

Solace has a 24/7 crisis advocacy hotline that can be reached by calling 1-800-721-7273.

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U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández has been busy since President Donald Trump took office last month, working with the other members of New Mexico's Congressional delegation to push back against Trump's agenda. The two-term congresswoman from Las Vegas, N.M., who serves as chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus has been making the media rounds to speak out against the Trump administration’s policies and orders regarding immigration, cuts to the federal workforce, federal spending cuts and more.

Leger Fernández joins "Conversations Different" to discuss the impacts the Trump administration's executive orders and policies are having on New Mexicans, including in the 3rd Congressional District that she represents. She also talks about what she and her fellow Democrats in Congress can do as the minority party in both chambers as a potential government shutdown looms in March.

Speaking on the Democrats' strategy to regain support among voters, Leger Fernández said the party needs to turn to telling the stories of how the policies of Trump and the Republicans are adversely impacting people across the country.

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As CEO of Ultra Health, which operates more than two dozen licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in New Mexico, Duke Rodriguez is a major voice in the state’s cannabis industry. Nearly three years after legal retail sales began in New Mexico, Rodriguez says the industry has been turned upside down. 

Prior to legalization, Rodriguez said the state had 35 licensees. Now, it’s over 3,000. Rodriguez says there is no more growth in the industry due to the oversaturation. “The green rush is officially dead,” he said on the latest episode of “Conversations Different.” 

Rodriguez talks about the need to slow down licensing, to crack down on the illicit market and require inspection prior to licensure. He says a rise in crime in the state has impacted his businesses, with frequent break-ins but no perpetrators being prosecuted.

The former Cabinet secretary for the state Human Services Department also talks about his time under former Gov. Gary Johnson, who first called for the legalization of marijuana in 1999. Rodriguez then talks about the race for governor, bringing up possible candidates and addressing his potential involvement. 

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Cultural historian and author Carmella Padilla joins "Conversations Different" to discuss the Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts Museum’s new exhibit — 100 Years of Collecting • 100 Years of Connecting. The exhibit focuses on the Spanish Colonial art forms that have long represented the cultures and people of Northern New Mexico, as well as their connections to the Spanish Colonial world.

Padilla shares the importance of the exhibit and what visitors could expect, presents the history of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, founded to preserve the art forms of Spanish Colonial New Mexico, and discusses key figures and stories that have had an important role in the history of both the society and the museum. The museum originally opened as the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art in 2002 but changed its name in 2024 to the Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts Museum.

Visit their website for more information about the new exhibit and their preservation work at nmheritagearts.org.

This episode was sponsored by Homewise.

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New Mexico ranks among the top four states in the nation for suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the numbers aren’t any better for youth and teens. The impact that suicide leaves on families, friends and communities for years to come can be insurmountable. It’s why the nonprofit organization The Sky Center, home to licensed health professionals, is helping to intervene and prevent such a tragedy from taking place.

The Sky Center Director Apryl Miller joins "Conversations Different" to discuss the efforts of her organization to combat teen and youth suicide in New Mexico. From free family counseling to group sessions and training, the center provides a variety of support services in both English and Spanish. Miller also talks about a few factors that have led to higher risk in recent years while providing tips to combat the surge.

For more information about The Sky Center and to donate, visit their website skycenter.nmsip.org or call (505) 473-6191

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.

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