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This week on Voices of Taos, editor Geoffrey Plant sits down with Audra Rodgers, band leader, vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the band Big Violet.

Rodgers talks about her musical influences — everything from classic rock to Mozart — and the love of music she’s had since childhood. Audra has been a part of many bands over the years, and played a wide variety of genres. Geoffrey and Audra also discuss the art of songwriting, the magic of being on stage, and what life is like on tour.

Big Violet recently recorded their eponymous first album in New Orleans, and will play an album release party on March 7 at Mary’s Place at Taos Lifestyle at 7 p.m. Attendees will receive a private streaming link for a copy of the full album, and have an opportunity to purchase the band’s first merch.

Get tickets for the show ($15) at holdmyticket.com and visit bigvioletmusic.com for band news, to check out singles, band bios and for booking information.

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This week on "Voices of Taos," please enjoy this repeat presentation of a conversation between Laura Martin Baseman and J.R. Logan, Taos County Forest and Watershed Health Program Manager. Logan shares how his experience at the Taos News and the LOR Foundation laid the groundwork for his current role managing natural resources through contracts with Taos Soil and Water Conservation District and Taos County.

One of the projects Logan helps coordinate is the Forest Mayordomo Program, which employs locals adjacent to Carson National Forest to thin areas at risk of severe fire. Even with good management, Logan candidly warns that Taos County will likely see a catastrophic fire in the near future. He hopes this honesty won't paralyze people with fear, but encourages them to prepare. There are a lot of things people can do to protect their homes and land, including visiting the New Mexico State Forestry website on defensible space.

On Saturday, March 7, the Del Fuego Project invites the community to an interactive evening of film, dialogue and reflection on the role of wildfires in shaping Northern New Mexico. The event will be held at the TCA from 7 to 8:30 p.m.. You can reserve your seat at tcataos.org/calendar.

Learn more about the Del Fuego Project

How to protect your home from wildfire

Climate Grief Resources

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This week on “Voices of Taos,” editor Geoffrey Plant talks with Contessa Trujillo, project manager of the Cultural Treasures Project, and Jessica Stern, director of the Taos County Economic Development Department and director of the Cultural Treasures Project.

The Cultural Treasures Project is a community-led initiative that works to catalogue the places, practices, and people that define the region’s identity. Through surveys, interviews, and focus groups, community members can help to identify and preserve what makes Taos so special.

Through community engagement, the Cultural Treasures Project team is working to identify and map cultural assets, such as acequias, cultural venues, stories, lost places, language, cultural practices, art forms, and anything else that residents may find valuable to the local community. This data will then eventually be used to help create policies and educational tools to guide responsible sustainable tourism and growth, safeguarding Taos County’s unique cultural and natural heritage.

Fill out the Cultural Treasures Project Survey

Read more about the Cultural Treasures Project

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This week on “Voices of Taos,” editor Geoffrey Plant talks to Anne-Marie Emanuelli, mindfulness and mediation teacher and founder of Mindful Frontiers, a BCorp dedicated to promoting community wellness through mindfulness. Anne-Marie also writes a monthly column for the Taos News, “Families Meditating Together,” and offers guided meditation recordings through the Insight Timer app.

Geoffrey and Anne-Marie discuss how she became interested in meditation, why she first decided to bring mindfulness into the classroom, and why using meditation and mindfulness to help us “get out of our own minds” can be so helpful in today’s world. 

Anne-Marie also talks about mindfulness practitioners who have influenced her — Ram Dass and Thích Nhất Hạnh — as well as methods to help give the mind something to focus on, such as labyrinths and breathwork. Through Mindful Frontiers, Emanuelli offers both groups and individuals a variety of ways to bring mindfulness and meditation into their lives.

Read Anne-Marie's most recent column

Learn more about Mindful Frontiers

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This week on Voice of Taos, editor Geoffrey Plant and assistant editor Ellen Miller-Goins sit down to recap some of the most notable stories from 2025.

First Geoffrey and Ellen discuss a number of significant area residents who passed away in 2025. Notable ski community members Elisabeth Brownell and Walter Ruegg, major conservation figure Tony Benson, and WWII veteran Valdemar DeHerrera are just a few of the remarkable citizens lost last year.

Last year was also full of major headlines. From courtroom battles and cultural turning points to heartbreaking losses and moments of collective resilience, 2025 reminded Taos County what it means to be a community shaped by history — and still very much in motion. From Renaming Red Willow Park and the reopening of Stray Hearts Animal Shelter to the effect of federal policies on local jobs and major accountability stories involving local government and public institutions, Geoffrey and Ellen talk about a wide variety of stories that made an impact in 2025.

Read the Year in Review for 2025

Notable Passing of 2025

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This week on Voices of Taos, copy editor Emily Sender talks with Fritz Hahn, former Taos town councilor, Cornelio Basin volunteer and Taos acequia expert.

Fritz and Emily discuss the restoration efforts in the Cornelio Basin — a 25-acre piece of land in the heart of Taos — as well as possible future plans for the property.

Once a seasonal gathering place for Puebloan peoples and later a productive farming area sustained by acequia irrigation, the basin later fell into disuse and eventually came under town ownership.

Fritz talks about recent rezoning efforts that protect the basin from development, as well as a federally funded restoration project focused on water flow, invasive weed removal, and reintroducing native plants. Hahn envisions a future for the basin as a wild space in the heart of town. He also talks about the importance of wild spaces as a legacy for future generations.

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This week on "Voices of Taos," sports editor Blynn Beltran talks with Adonais "Nité" Márquez, Peñasco resident, food content creator and educator. 

Márquez and Beltran talk about Peñasco High School's culinary program and their aspirations to make another run at state.

After learning to cook from his mother, who herself was a chef in the 70s, Chef Márquez started his career as a professional chef at Doc Martin's Restaurant and now makes recipe videos of traditional Northern New Mexico cooking.

Chef Márquez is also set to release a new cookbook, "Taste of Taos," featuring traditional Northern New Mexico cuisine this summer.

Read more about Chef Márquez

Follow Chef Nité on Instagram

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This week on "Voices of Taos," editor Geoffrey Plant talks with Dr. Richard Rubin, a retired physician, author and volunteer steward at the historic Aldo Leopold House. 

Dr. Rubin recently submitted a My Turn opinion piece entitled 'Compassion for chupacabras,' in which he discusses how we can use the folklore of the chupacabra —and its real-life explanation, a coyote suffering from mange —to better understand how mythology and ecology can coexist.

Geoffrey and Richard also discuss the legacy of Aldo Leopold and the home he built for he and his wife, Estella, in Tres Piedras. The house is now an ecology education center and is also available for camping rental.

Read "Compassion for chupacabras"

Learn more about the Aldo Leopold House

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This week on Voices of Taos, copy editor Emily Sender talks with Darien Fernandez, executive director of Taos Land Trust and Town of Taos Council Member.

Sender and Fernandez discuss the recent purchase by the Taos Land Trust of a 144-acre property in El Salto. The property has been on the market for many years, and neighbors have had concerns about the fate of the ecologically sensitive area, especially the possibility of it being used for housing developments.

Emily and Darien also talk about short-term plans for the land, such as wildfire treatment plans, as well as long-term goals. They also talk about ways community members can get involved, including helping identify wildlife and plant species and potentially important cultural sites.

To learn more about what Taos Land Trust is working on, or to get involved, visit taoslandtrust.org, call 575-751-3138, or visit their office at Rio Fernando Park.

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As 2025 comes to a close, please enjoy this repeat presentation of our most popular episode from Season 2.

Voices of Taos will return with new episodes in 2026.

On this episode of Voices of Taos, Sports Editor Blynn Beltran talks to School of Baseball's Abe Balsamo and Hargis James.

School of Baseball is a non-profit organization that teaches local kids and teens the basics of America's favorite pastime. They also discuss their upbringing in Taos, how the organization caters to hundreds of kids a week, and their involvement with the alumni game against the Tigers baseball team.

Original air date: April 26, 2025

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