The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has the responsibility of overseeing the management of the state’s wildlife species and their habitats. A diverse coalition of groups across the state are pushing for proposed legislation that would increase funding for the department, rename the department and clarify its mission, and fix the state Game Commission that some feel has been politicized. 

Jesse Deubel and Judy Calman join “Conversations Different” to discuss the issues they feel are negatively impacting the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and share how a reform package that will be considered during the upcoming legislative session can help address these problems. 

Deubel, the executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, talks about the department’s lack of funding and the need to reform the state Game Commission. The department relies on funding from hunting and fishing license fees, which haven’t been raised in 20 years. Deubel said raising fees is the quickest way to address what he calls a funding crisis. Calman, New Mexico policy director for Audubon Southwest, talks about the effort to change the department’s name to the New Mexico Department of Wildlife Conservation, and the need to clearly define the agency’s mission. She said the department’s limited resources are largely focused on game species. The legislation would give the agency authority to do what it needs to do based on science.

Learn more about the reform package at https://www.wildlifefornm.org/.

This episode is sponsored by Homewise.

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This week on “Conversations Different” we share a recent episode from “Voices of Taos,” a podcast produced by our sister paper The Taos News. Podcast producer Laura Martin Baseman sits down for a chat with longtime Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Robert Nott, who became communications director for the New Mexico Department of Health in June. Before leaving journalism, one of Nott’s last big projects was to contribute stories related to The New Mexican’s 175th anniversary. Nott talks about what stood out in his research as he flipped through nearly two centuries of the newspaper’s pages, including the murder of a fortune teller and the lack of stories related to Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project. Nott also shares his memories of former newspaper owner Robert McKinney, reflects on the industry changes he noticed in his time as a journalist and talks about the importance of local newspapers to their communities.

Visit santafenewmexican.com/175 to see The New Mexican’s 175th anniversary webpage filled with front pages from the past, historical photo galleries, commemorative magazines and articles on how the paper covered some of the biggest stories in New Mexico's history.

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Every year around Christmas time, cultural traditions rise to the forefront as a force in Northern New Mexico’s holiday celebrations. It’s a time where families and communities come together. It's also a time to make and share traditional foods, including tamales, empanaditas and biscochitos. For former Santa Fe Mayor Larry Delgado and his family, this feeling is no different.

Delgado, who grew up and raised his children in Santa Fe, remembers the impact that Christmas traditions have had on his upbringing and later relationships with his family. He joins "Conversations Different" with his daughter Cynthia to discuss the many things they cherish about Northern New Mexico’s festiveness this season and from season’s past. 

This episode is sponsored by Homewise.

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Ed Archie NoiseCat, a well-known Indigenous artist and former Santa Fe resident, was born and nearly died at the Indian residential school at St. Joseph’s Mission near Williams Lake, British Columbia. His son, Julian Brave NoiseCat, is co-director of “Sugarcane,” an award-winning documentary that investigates the abuses, deaths and missing children of the Canadian residential school system. The film made its world debut at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

Julian Brave NoiseCat, who directed the film with investigative journalist Emily Kassie, joins “Conversations Different” to discuss the emotional experience of making the film and the fortuitous beginnings of the project. NoiseCat, a member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq'escen and descendant of the Lil'Wat Nation of Mount Currie, talks about how the death toll of the Indian residential schools is not just something of the past, but is still being experienced today. He also shares how working on the film impacted his relationship with his father, and talks about his family's ties to Santa Fe. He also touches on his role in the push to nominate Deb Halaand as Interior secretary, which led to her becoming the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history.

Learn more about "Sugarcane" at films.nationalgeographic.com/sugarcane.

This episode is sponsored by Homewise.

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The 2024 general election had many voters on edge, especially for those worried about the direction of immigration in this country. What may be next for the controversial issue under a second Trump presidency has drawn vocal opposition from local advocates like Marcela Díaz, who is the executive director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a statewide immigrant rights group.  

Díaz joins “Conversations Different” to discuss what her organization is doing to prepare for potential immigration policies that President-elect Donald Trump has openly embraced, such as mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Díaz also discusses the impact that immigrants have on New Mexico’s economy while emphasizing the need to build community coalitions again and educate people of their rights.  

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The rhetoric involving the LGBTQ+ community leading up to the 2024 election and the results of the election raised concerns for those in the community and their allies. Kevin Bowen, executive director of the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance, joins "Conversations Different" for a discussion on the possible impacts the results of the election could have for trans rights and for others in the LGBTQ+ community. Bowen addresses the unease felt by members of the LGBTQ+ community, discusses the state of LGBTQ+ rights in New Mexico, shares precautions LGBTQ+ community members can take to protect themselves and talks about what allies can do to support their cause.

To learn more about the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance, visit hrasantafe.org. 

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Picuris Pueblo is among the most rural and smallest tribes in Northern New Mexico. Nestled in the high mountains between Taos and Española, the pueblo of about 300 residents has struggled to find long-term economic development and opportunities to sustain its community. Picuris Pueblo Governor Craig Quanchello and author Daniel Gibson join "Conversations Different" to discuss the large-scale venture the pueblo has successfully undertaken to address that economic struggle –– ownership of the Hotel Santa Fe. Quanchello reflects on the process that led to the Native and non-Native partnership that allowed the project to happen, while Gibson talks about his new book that documents it along with a focus on the Picuris people.

The book will be available to the public at a special event at the hotel from 4-6 p.m. on Dec. 7. The event will include pueblo dancers, remarks, a short presentation and a book signing. For more details, call 505-982-1200. 

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Chef Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D, is a Native food historian, cookbook author and educator based in Santa Fe who runs Red Mesa Cuisine with Chef Walter Whitewater. Her cookbook Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations won a James Beard Award in 2003. Frank and Whitewater’s latest cookbook, Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky, was released earlier this year and features plant-based recipes using Native American ingredients. Frank joins “Conversations Different” to discuss the Native American food movement and the inspiration behind her new cookbook, which is broken into eight chapters based on “The Magic Eight” ingredients. She highlights the mission she shares with Whitewater to bring Native American cuisine into every kitchen and educate people to eat healthy. Frank also brings up the contributions that Native people made to the food we eat every day, and the impact Native ingredients have had in some of the world’s most popular cuisines.

Find Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky on the Red Mesa Cuisine website.

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Ashley M. Biggers is the magazines editor at The Santa Fe New Mexican who leads the creation of multiple magazines year-round such as Legacy, Spanish Market and Bienvenidos. The New Mexican’s magazines provide a deeper dive into the culture, stories and traditions of Northern New Mexico otherwise not found on the daily news pages or in Pasatiempo. Special editions are also part of the magazine department’s work. This year's offerings include a commemorative magazine recognizing The New Mexican's 175 anniversary. Biggers joins this week’s episode of "Conversations Different" to discuss with host Inez Russell Gomez the upcoming Winter Life, Feliz Navidad and 175th edition publications that will be available to readers this November.

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A year after considering closing its doors, the small and aging congregation of Christ Lutheran Church in Santa Fe was energized by applying for and becoming the city of Santa Fe’s first-ever safe outdoor space for homeless people. The city bought Pallet shelters and paid for their construction, the church is the host site for the shelters, and day-to-day services and staffing is provided by The Life Link. Christ Lutheran Pastor Joene Herr and Pallet shelter resident Povi join “Conversations Different” to discuss how the pilot shelter program has been going since residents began moving in in April. Herr talks about the positive experience of hosting the Pallet shelter community and the need for more action to help the city address its homelessness issues, while Povi shares how finding stability and safety in the small Pallet shelter community has helped restore a piece of her life that was missing. 

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