Join us at all our Co-ops for holiday festivities,natural foods samplings, craft fairs, music,friends and fun. And don’t forget to take an orna-ment off our Make a Child Smile Holiday givingtrees, up at all locations and make the seasonbrighter for a needy child.

Nob Hill: December 7 from 5-9pm: Enjoy theAnnual Nob Hill Shop and Stroll. See details on thispage. Activities at the Co-op include: • Loren KahnPuppet Theater: 5:30pm, puppet theater for childrenof all ages • El Groupo Amore Eterno Mararichis:6pm, traditional mariachi music • Terra Trio: 7:30pm,great jazz of a variety of genres. Nob Hill: December8, 10:30am • Bandelier Elementary Choir sings.

L a Montanita Co-op is committed tothe members and customers itserves and to the community weoperate within. The Co-op completed

its 2005-2006 fiscal year as of August 31, 2006with both exceptional operational achievementsand financial results. The Board of Directorsand Management are in the process of engagingour external audit firm to complete a review ofour financial position as of August 31, 2006.

As a La Montanita cooperative member, you arean owner of the cooperative. As a member youhave pooled purchases with other members andcreated earnings at La Montanita in excess ofour expenses for the year. La Montanita is amember-owned co-op and one of the principlesof cooperatives is a commitment to a return onyour member participation. This is done in theform of a patronage dividend. Patronage divi-dends are net earnings that are returned to ourmembers in direct proportion to the amount oftheir Co-op purchases.

During November the Board of Directorsdeclared a patronage dividend based upon com-pletion of the accountants’ review and finalfinancial adjustments. The cash dividend will be2% of member purchases, which equates to anaverage of a week's worth of a member's Co-oppurchases.

When you think about your La Montanita Co-op,think about being an owner of a local businessbecause that is what you are. You reap the benefitsof a natural foods grocery store on a daily basis,and you can look forward to a return on your pur-chases as an investment in the future.

The Co-op has been pleased to serve its owners forthe past 30 years. Thank you for sustaining yourCo-op. We will continue to work to provide thevery best service, products and community support.

by the Board of Directors

Coming Soon — Your La Montanita Co-opPatronage Refund Check

In mid December the Co-op will issue our annu-al patronage refund checks. Checks will be cutfor all members that receive $5 or more in

patronage refunds. If you were a member in goodstanding from September 1, 2005 to August 31,2006 and do not receive a check, please come to anyCoop location information desk. It may mean thatyour refund is less than $5. If that is the case willlook up your membership account and we will issueyou a refund in cash.

from the CO-OPWe sincerely invite you to celebrate the spirit of the season andlet light and love, peace and laughter fill your heart, at one or allof our holiday parties. And we wish you the happiest of holidays,good health, good fortune, peace and fulfillment in the comingyear. Your Co-op Staff

The Nob Hill Business Association is pleasedto announce the annual Shop and StrollHoliday event on Thursday, December 7

from 5-10pm.

Central Avenue will be closed from Girard toWashington to allow for traffic free shopping andneighborhood shops have extended evening hours.As usual you can expect to find the street filled withSanta, carolers, magicians, colorful street entertain-ers and musicians as well as many of your friendsand neighbors.

At the Co-op there will be special musical entertain-ment and natural foods holiday treats to sample. All

the wonderful locally owned shops in the Nob Hillarea are participating with special sales, treats andentertainment.

La Montantia Coop will be sponsoring our annualMake a Child Smile Giving Tree that works to get giftsfor children in need in our community. Pick an orna-ment off our tree, make that child’s holiday wish cometrue and bring it back to the Coop wrapped with theornament that has the child’s name attached. We willmake sure that the child or children you have chosenget your special gift. Once again we will be workingwith New Mexico Department of Children, Youth andFamilies, Peanut Butter and Jelly Day School andother caring organizations.

North Valley: Saturday December 9 from 1-5pm:Los Trinos: 1:30pm, Nortano and New Mexico folk •International Duo: 3-5pm, Mozart to jazz they do it allon violin and guitar.

Santa Fe: December 14 from 5-8pm: MarachiJuvenil de Santa Fe: 5-6pm, youth and young adultmariachi orchestra • Sama: 6-8pm, soothing and spir-ited tabla and oud.

Gallup: December 14 from 5-7pm: Enjoy naturalfood treats, the holiday giving tree and your friendsand neighbors!

North Valley: December 16, Holiday Craft Fair, 12-4pm: Make gift giving fun and meaningful, supportlocal artists and crafts persons • Revaxac Imish: 1pm,Didgeri Dream Shaman on didgerido, drums and guitar.Want to sign up for a space? Call Tammy at 505-242-8800.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

WatchYourMailbox!

Board of Directors Declares Patronage Dividend!

Look for the Annual Holiday Giving Trees

at all CO-OP locations

Return gifts to any CO-OP by Dec. 18th

You’re Invited! Co-op Holiday Festivities

12thannualmake a child

SMILE

12th Annual Nob Hill Shop and Stroll

membersmake it

happen!

HOLIDAYPARTIES

Watch your home mailbox for your Patronage Refund Check inmid December.

see youthere!

ornaments, each bearing the name, age, and holiday wish of a child,will go up at each Co-op location the week of December 4th.

From the bottom of my heart I thank all of you who have participat-ed: volunteer Gail Lyons, who for many years has helped prepare theornaments; the social workers at all the agencies, many of whom havebeen with this project since it’s inception; Co-op staff; and each andevery one of you who throughout the years has taken an ornament offthe tree, found the time during this busy season to share yourresources and find that special gift that will “Make a Child Smile.”Ihope you will find the time and resources to do so again this year. If

this is your first Co-op holiday season, we hope you willhelp us “Make a Child Smile.”

The acts of kindness these gifts represent remind thesechildren that although the world may be harsh there aremany people who care. The wrapped gifts, and the holi-day messages many of you lovingly write to an individualchild in need are a deep and sincere expression of ourshared hopes for a better world and a brighter future.

How the Co-op Giving Tree WorksAgain this year we are honored to work with wonderfulpeople at the following organizations: • The New Mexico Department of Children, Youth andFamilies (the Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Gallup offices)

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Day School • Parent Child Resources • Enlace Communitario. Please read about the good work of these wonderful organizations onthis and the next page.

• Trees will go up at all Co-op locations the week of December 4th.

• The ornaments have wish lists for each child, allowing you tochoose a gift you will enjoy giving and they will enjoy receiving.Although many of you have in the past and you are welcome toagain this year, it is not necessary to get everything on the list.

• Please return the gifts to the Co-op by Monday, December 18th so wecan get them back to the agencies and to the children in time. Please,Please do honor this deadline. Some families and foster families havemore than one child in the program. When one child gets a gift andanother does not (because an ornament is taken but a gift is notreturned to the Co-op in time) it can be devastating for that child.

• Please gift-wrap the gift and tape the colored ornament with thechild’s name and agency on the outside. As many of these childrenare victims of poverty, abuse and neglect placed in the care of theseagencies by order of the courts, some of the names of the childrenhave been altered for their protection. Taping the ornaments thathave the agency name and an ornament code number to the top ofthe gift will help us get your gift to the right child.

Together we can share the true spirit of the season and re-kindle alight of hope in the hearts of some of our community’s most specialchildren, making the world a little brighter, a little better for us all.

For more information contact Robyn at 505-217-2027, toll freeat 877-775-2667 or e-mail her at memb@lamontanitacoop.com

Make a Child Smile Giving Tree:Participating Agencies

Peanut Butter and Jelly Day SchoolFor well over 30 years, PB&J Family Services, Inc. has beenworking to keep children safe and help families survive.PB&J continues to pioneer innovative approaches to theprevention of child abuse and neglect and the preservation ofthe family through interactive parenting and bonding pro-grams in its Peanut Butter & Jelly Therapeutic Preschools.

Over the years PB&J has worked with tens of thousands ofindividuals in thousands of families in a number of diverseprograms. The programs grow out of their work at theirTherapeutic Preschools, located in Albuquerque’s SouthValley and in Bernalillo, from their home-based programsand in their TEENS program at the Cuba, NM, High School— focusing on breaking the often generational cycle of fam-ily dysfunction.

In the program that serves children with an incarcerated par-ent, PB&J works to break the cycle of crime. Often angry

For over a decade the Co-op has worked with aseries of great state agencies and non-profitorganizations that help care for the well beingof children in need. Together, as part of our

Make A Child Smile program we have made the hol-iday wishes of thousands of children come true.More than anything else, this program is a powerfulreminder of the great good heart of people in our Co-op community.

Year after year, despite the economic and societal chal-lenges we have faced, the generous spirit of our Co-opcommunity has come through in the most beautifulway. Each year our Co-op community’s compassiontouches my heart as I watch the pile of beautifully pre-pared gifts grow into a colorful little mountain of hap-piness for some very special children.

When I think about what we have done together itrestores my faith in humanity, reminds me of thepower of cooperation and gives me hope for thefuture.

This year makes the twelfth year that La MontanitaCo-op has had the pleasure of setting up holiday giv-ing trees as part of our “Make a Child Smile” pro-gram. The program has grown and grown as eachyear we have taken on more children and differentagencies. Last year Santa Fe and Gallup participatedfor the first time, and when taken together Co-opcommunity members at all our locations made theholiday wishes of over 600 children in protective cus-tody or foster care a reality. This year trees filled with

co-op’s got the spiritA Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store

La Montanita CooperativeAlbuquerque/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.3500 Central S.E.Albuq., NM 87106 265-4631

Albuquerque/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.2400 Rio Grande Blvd.Albuq., NM 87104 242-8800

Gallup/ 9am-7pm M-S, 11am-6pm Sun.105 E. Coal Gallup, NM 87301 863-5383

Santa Fe/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.913 West Alameda Santa Fe, NM 87501 984-2852

Administrative Staff: 505-217-2001TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP)• General Manager/C.E. Pugh 217-2020ce@lamontanitacoop.com• Controller/John Heckes 217-2026johnh@lamontanitacoop.com• Computers/Info Technology/Mark Bieri 217-2011 computers@lamontanitacoop.com• Human Resources/Sharret Rose 217-2023hr@lamontanitacoop.com• Marketing/Edite Cates 217-2024editec@lamontanitacoop.com• Membership/Robyn Seydel 217-2027robins@lamontanitacoop.com

Store Team Leaders: • Michelle Franklin/Nob Hill 265-4631mf@lamontanitacoop.com• John Mulle/Valley 242-8800jm@lamontanitacoop.com• William Prokopiack/Santa Fe 984-2852willpro@lamontanitacoop.com• Tracy Thomasson/Gallup 863-5383tracyt@lamontanitacoop.com

Co-op Board of Directors:email: bod@lamontanitacoop.comPresident: Martha WhitmanVice President: Marshall KovitzTreasurer: Ken O’BrienSecretary: Roger Eldridge Susan CizekTom HammerTamara SaimonsJonathan SiegelAndrew Stone

Membership Costs:$15 for 1 year/$200 Lifetime Membership

Co-op Connection Staff:Managing Editor: Robyn Seydelrobins@lamontanitacoop.comLayout and Design: foxyrock incCovers and Centerfold: Edite CatesAdvertising: Robyn Seydel Editorial Assistant: Ivy Edmondsonivye@lamontanitacoop.com 217-2016Printing: Vanguard Press

Membership information is available at all four Co-op locations, or call 217-2027 or 877-775-2667email: memb@lamontanitacoop.com

Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Address typed, double-spaced copy to the Managing Editor, robins@lamontanitacoop.comwebsite: www.lamontanitacoop.com

Copyright © 2006La Montanita Co-op SupermarketReprints by prior permission.

The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% postconsumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.

CO-OPYOU OWN IT

2 december 2006

12thannualmake a

child smilebeginning

dec.4 in Abqdec.5 in Santa Fe

dec.4 in Gallup

Look for the Annual Holiday Giving Trees

at all CO-OP locations

Return gifts to any CO-OP by Dec. 18th

12th Annual Make a Child Smile

GivingGiving TTrreeeeby Robyn Seydel

co-op’s got the spirit

and feeling abandoned, these children are six toeight times more likely to be imprisoned than otheryoungsters. PB&J’s Impact program works withthem and their incarcerated parent in four NewMexico prisons and with middle school and highschool youngsters in the South Valley through theKidPACT program.

More than 80 percent of the families PB&J workswith make progress toward meeting their goals.Many of the children we work with have low self-esteem. Your gift helps them have a holiday seasonto remember. Mil gracias! For further informationyou may contact Donna Brew at (505) 877-7060.

New Mexico Parent Child ResourcesNew Mexico Parent & Child Resources, Inc. is anon-profit agency that provides treatment foster carefor severely emotionally and behaviorally disturbedchildren from 3-18 years of age. These children aretoo seriously disturbed to be a part of traditionalfoster care programs.

Our treatment foster children have been abused andneglected by their families and many have spent agreat deal of time in psychiatric hospitals and resi-dential treatment centers. These children are nowliving with treatment foster families as an alternativeto being institutionalized.

We are working extremely hard to help these deserv-ing children return to society and have a chance atlife as you and I know it.

We would like to thank the Co-op community forthe support you have shown us and the many holi-day gifts you have provided over the past years forour children. Thank you! Happy holidays from theNMPCR staff and the children!

Enlace CommunitarioEnlace Comunitario (EC)’s primary mission is towork with Latino immigrants to eliminate domestic

december 2006 3

violence and strengthen the community. The organization was incor-porated in 2000, but the core management and professional teamhave been working together since 1995. Our efforts have produceda dynamic continuum of services for both victims of domestic vio-lence and their children including: safety planning; assessment; indi-vidual and group counseling; referrals to services (housing, health,financial, etc.); parenting and life-skills classes; legal advocacy; eco-nomic development, crisis intervention and community education.

But what makes EC innovative is that its approach goes beyond pro-viding services to include advocacy, leadership development andcommunity organizing projects to make long term systemic changesand strengthen the community. Last year, we served over 350Albuquerque women and children and thousands more were reachedthrough educational and organizing campaigns.

Domestic violence affects families from all back-grounds. Unfortunately, women from immigrant com-munities are often at greater risk and are less likely toaccess needed services. They face cultural and languagebarriers to police and social services, increased threatsof becoming separated from their children throughdeportation or international child abduction, lessaccess to public benefits and less awareness of theirplight by churches, schools and the community atlarge. Please contact us at 246-8972 if you have anyquestions or want to support Enlace.

New Mexico Department of Children, Youthand Families

Bernalillo County Child Protective Services (CPS) is a division of theNew Mexico’s Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD).CYFD receives hundreds of reports every month regardingabuse/neglect of children. Social workers investigate the allegationsand when needed intervene with families to ensure the safety of chil-dren. This intervention may consist of crisis counseling, referrals tocommunity resources, or other community supports, or in worst casescenarios the Department requests custody of the children. Childrenin CYFD custody are placed in a licensed foster home.

Foster parents give temporary care to children while they are inCYFD custody, providing a protective and safe home, structure, nur-turing, and assistance in preparing the child to return to his/herhome or to be adopted. In New Mexico everyone is mandated bylaw to report child abuse, neglect, or exploitation. To report childabuse or neglect please call: Metro Area, 841-6100 or Statewide 1-800-797-3260.

Bernalillo County has a group of very dedicated foster families, butthe need is greater than the number of available families. If you feelyou could provide a safe home for children in CYFD custody, pleasecall Foster a Future, at 1-800-432-2075. Working together we canmake a difference in a child's life.

Thank you for your interest and concern for the children of New Mexicothis year, in the past, and in the future.

Co-op ValuesCooperatives are based on the values of self-help,self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity andsolidarity. In the tradition of their founders, coop-erative members believe in the ethical values ofhonesty, openness, social responsibility and car-ing for others.

Co-op Principles 1 Voluntary and Open Membership 2 Democratic Member Control 3 Member Economic Participation 4 Autonomy and Independence 5 Education, Training and Information 6 Cooperation among Cooperatives 7 Concern for Community

The Co-op Connection is published by LaMontanita Co-op Supermarket to provide informa-tion on La Montanita Co-op Supermarket, thecooperative movement, and the links betweenfood, health, environment and community issues.Opinions expressed herein are of the authors andare not necessarily those of the Co-op.

CO-OPYOU OWN IT

Make a Child Smile Participating Agencies

As a community-owned organization we feel it is partof our mission to support the community that sup-

ports the Co-op. To that end the Co-op is continually lookingfor ways in which to help local organizations raise the funds theyneed to continue their work.

CO-OP SCRIP: This year with our Co-op Scrip we are pleased tohave supported a number of schools in the Albuquerque andSanta Fe area. The “Co-op Scrip” program helps organizationsraise money. Participating organizations make one dollar onevery ten, their supporters get to eat local and organic Co-opfood and the Co-op has made a 10% donation to organizationsdoing good things in our community.

Ongoing Community Support: All year long hundreds oforganizations come to the Co-op for help and support in theirfundraising and educational efforts. These are just a few of themany organizations the Co-op has made donations to this year:

Parents Reaching Out, Walatowa High School, First Nations

Health Project, Farm to Table, Independent Living Resource, New

Mexico Wilderness Association, Truth Seeker Foundation,

CO-OP’S got the Giving Spiritall year LONG! SOLAS, Monte Del Sol Charter School, Los Lunas Middle School,

UNM/ACLU, Hawkwatch, Amigos de las Americas, APS Vending

Machine Project, Local Energy, Leukemia/Lymphoma Society, College of

Santa Fe Art Department, American Lung Association, Bandelier

Elementary School, KNME Public TV, KSFR Santa Fe Public Radio, UNM

Fair Trade Initiative, Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, Tesuque

Pueblo Agricultural Resource Center, Delancy Street, KUNM, Tricklock

Theater, Santa Fe Farmer’s Market Institute, Northern New Mexico

Vegetarian Society, National Dance Institute, Barrett House,

Albuquerque Opportunity Center, Alzheimer’s Fund, North Valley

Neighborhood Assoc., Downtown Neighborhood Assoc., Silver Hills

Neighborhood Assoc., Escuela Del Sol School, Site Santa Fe, Rio Grande

Nature Center, Highland High School, Monte Vista Elementary, Bike

ABQ, Animal Protection, Ecoversity, Santa Fe Veterans for Peace, El

Morro Arts Council, Project Share, Children’s Cancer Fund, Health Care

For the Homeless, ABQ Poetry Slam, Veterans for Peace, St Martins,

Kitchen Angels, Food Depot, National Hispanic Cultural Center, N.M.

Children’s Foundation, Southwest Pickers, Sage Council, Forest

Guardians, Tewa Women United, Santa Fe Paws, Native American Law

Students Assoc., Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust, 1,000 Friends of

New Mexico, Seniors in the Work Force, Earth Care International, New

Mexico Jazz Workshop, Zuni Elementary, Cooking with Kids.

Valley

Gallup

Santa Fe

favorite are the fetishes. Fetishes are special animalcarvings imbued with specific meaning and protec-tive power. Kitty, who has known the families thatcarve the fetishes in her store for three generations,promotes them as gifts exactly because of their spe-

cific significance. The double coy-ote fetish, for example, is a greatwedding gift because it symbolizestimeless companionship andunity. Kitty stresses that theNative American crafts you findin her store are the real deal. Farfrom the “touristy stuff” you canfind all over the Southwest, thetreasures in the Pueblo Loft areher love, not just her business. Sheonly buys things she likes to giveas gifts and would like to receiveherself. “If other people like them

and buy them,” she explains, “well, that’s the icingon the cake, and it encourages me to continue doingwhat I love.” With each fetish that she sells, Kittywrites out the significance of the carving, the kindof stone or material it is carved from, and the artist.

Member Profile: Gallery One/Pueblo Loft

december 2006

shop with integrity

4

Her favorite carver, Vernon Lunasce, carves beautifulbears and other animals with strong lines and themost striking expressions. If you’d like to know moreabout fetishes, Kitty recommends Zuni Fetishes andCarvings by Kent McManis as a good guide forbeginners. She carries this and other books on fetish-es in the store as well as masks, ornaments, and beau-tifully crafted silver bookmarks and letter openers forthose hard to gift people on your list.

Shop and Stroll: Bev and Kitty enthusiastically encourage everyone tocome to the Shop and Stroll, which takes place on thefirst Thursday of December every year. This year onDecember 7th Pueblo Loft and Gallery One will joinmany other local stores as well as your Co-op for anoutdoor event with refreshments and entertainmentincluding two mariachi bands, choirs, and a brassensemble from 5-10 pm. The streets are closed for

this annual event featuring fantastic sales on localitems and it promises to be a blast. So come out tosupport locally owned shops and do some trulyinspired holiday shopping in a fun festive neighbor-hood environment. Stephanie M. Clayton

For years the Co-op has worked to build astrong local economy by supporting local farm-ers and producers. Our purchases of local prod-ucts have increased substantially over the years dueto your support of this effort. We hope that you willexpand your support by extending it to includeother local and family owned businesses.

The joy of giving gifts is a delight that honors boththe one who gives and the one who receives.Shopping at locally owned and operated business-es rather than with the big box corporate multi-nationals supports your friends and neighbors andsustains a strong local economy. A locally madeand purchased gift gives many times over.

Purchasing gifts made by local artists and craftspeople in cooperatives or from fair trade organiza-tions is investing in a set of beliefs that give hopefor the future. Come to our Co-op Craft Fair Dec.16th at the Valley Co-op.

Throughout the Co-op News you can find a vari-ety of products and services brought to you byfine local business people. We urge your supportof these independently owned and operated busi-nesses.

When you do shop — please, shop withintegrity. Shop wisely: Shop Co-op and buylocal. Thanks, Robyn Seydel

Shop with Integrity... Buy Local!

Right next door to the Nob Hill Co-op you can enter a warm, inviting spacethat houses some of the most interesting and unique folk art in NewMexico. After 20 years of business and friendship, the owners of this

split level space are both as devoted to their customers as they are to theartists whose work they feature. Kitty Trask of Pueblo Loft and BevJohnston of Gallery One are membersof the Co-op and say they love havingus as neighbors. Bev is delighted at howconvenient it is to go to the Co-op andtakes comfort in knowing that she’sbuying high quality food that is goodfor her. Kitty adds that as well as beinggreat neighbors, the Co-op membersand staff are great customers!

Twenty years ago, when Kitty waslooking to move her wholesale busi-ness out of her home, she contactedBev at Gallery One. After talking itover, Bev told Kitty she could use theloft space of Gallery one, which at the time was being used to storeboxes, and Pueblo Loft was born. Even though they are distinct stores,the women’s friendship pervades the space, as does their love for thefolk art they carry.

Gallery One: Gallery One has an assortment of folk art from all overthe world including African masks, Mah Jong necklaces, and intricateshell pictures from Meagan Gardiner, a Western Australian artist.Anything from clothing, handcrafted bags, verbena and lavender scent-ed soaps, jewelry, and even Milagros can be found in this intriguingshop. Milagros, Bev explains, are traditionally pinned to saints on analtar in petition or thanksgiving. They are often pinned on the saints’body part that corresponds to the request. For example, a Milagromight be pinned on the saint’s leg to request protection in the healing ofa twisted ankle. “More often than not, they’re just used as lucky charmsthese days, which explain why the heart shaped ones are always the firstones to go,” says Bev. So whether you need to make an appeal to yourpatron saint, show thanks for a request that has been granted, or justwant a little extra luck in your corner, stop by and ask Bev aboutMilagros. But make sure you’ve got some time to spare because in addi-tion to gazing at the retablos from Santa Fe behind the stunning jewel-ry case, you’ll want to climb the stairs to the Pueblo Loft and ask Kittyabout the authentic fetishes and other Native American crafts she fell inlove with after moving to Albuquerque over thirty years ago.

Pueblo Loft: Kitty Trask can be found upstairs in the Pueblo Loftsurrounded by Pueblo masks, pottery, and stone carvings. Among her

aarrtt &ffrriieennddsshhiipp

HOLIDAHOLIDAYYDINNER SPECIALS!SPECIALS!Let our prepared foods chefs create orcomplement a holiday meal just for you.The Co-op deli is offering a special selec-tion of entrees, side dishes and dessertsavailable only by special order throughFriday, December 22nd.

Entrees A pound serves 2-4 peopleShelton’s All-Natural Sliced Turkey Breast •Beeler’s Sliced Glazed Ham • Green Chile ChickenEnchiladas (serves 2-3)

Side Dishes A quart serves 4-6 peopleArtichoke Pate • Caramel Pecan Butternut Squash •Garlic Mashed Potatoes • Green Beans Almondine• Wild Rice w/ Pinon Nuts • Cranberry & Mixed Fruit

Salad • Candied Yams & Apples • Sausage Stuffing• Calabacitas Con Chile Verde • Cranberry OrangeChutney • Turkey Gravy • Cornbread Dressing

Desserts Pies and Dessert Breads serve 6-8 people Maple Pecan Pie • Chocolate Silk Pie • PumpkinPie • Apple Pie • Cherry Pie • Poached BartlettPears (serves 1-2) • Cranberry Walnut Bread Loaf • Banana Nut Bread Loaf • Vegan PumpkinBread Loaf

Order in person or by phone at these Co-op locations:Nob Hill: 3500 Central SE, ABQ 265-4631Valley: 2400 Rio Grande Blvd., ABQ 242-8880Santa Fe: 913 West Alameda, Santa Fe 984-2852

Almost CompleteHoliday Meal A nearly complete meal — everything but theturkey — includes hearty servings of:• Sausage Stuffing • Caramel Butternut Squash •Wild Rice with Pinon Nuts • Green BeansAlmondine • Cranberry Fruit Salad • PoachedBarlett Pears

$12.99/personno substitutions

Pick-up:Before 4pm on Sunday, December 24th

ATYOUR

CO-OP

Even though they are distinct stores, the women’sfriendship pervades the space, as does their lovefor the folk art they carry.

T wo Uncommon Shops Under One Roof

G A LLERY ONE505-268-7449

Contemporary crafts—Folk Art—Jewelry—Cards—Casual Clothing

T HE PU EBLO LO F T505-268-8764

Storytellers—Masks—Miniatures—Zuni Fetishes (Including Horses)

3500 Central Ave. SE Albuquerque, NM 87106in the Historic Nob Hill Shopping Center

december 2006 5

shop local for great gifts

PAPERS!

For a plethora ofpaper, as well asholiday cards & giftsthat will amaze!

Nob Hill Shopping Center114 Amherst SE 254-1434

Mon.-Sat. 10:30-6:30 Sun. 11-5

108 Amherst NE in Hob Hill 505.255.4663

Peaceon

Earth

nneeeedd aa ppeerrffeecctt ggiifftt??

CCOO--OOPPGGIIFFTT cceerrttiiffiiccaatteess

from $10-up, give the gift of great tasting

healthy food!

Shop with IntegritySupport LocalBusinesses...Shop CO-OPCO-OP

El Pinto Albuquerque, NMOriginal Salsa or Green Chile Sauce, 16 oz,Assorted Varieties, Sale 2/$7

Tijeras Organic AlchemyAlbuquerque, NMBody Wash, 12 oz, Sale $9.99Additional Tijeras products also on sale

Beneficial Farms Santa Fe, NMFresh Eggs, 1 dozen, Sale $3.99

Leona’s Chimayo, NM8-Inch Flour Tortillas, 13 oz, Sale $1.99

Cannon’s Albuquerque, NMSweet Hots, 9 oz, Assorted Varieties, Sale $3.69

VALID IN-STORE ONLY from 11/29-1/2, 2007:Not all items available at all stores.

co-op news december 2006 6

LOCAL SALE ITEMSSHOP LOCAL & SAVE

DECEMBER SPECIALSWANT TO SEE YOUR LOCAL PRODUCT ADVERTISED HERE?

Contact Angela at angela@lamontanitacoop.com.

Children’s Water Festival

While we are well aware that the Co-op is blessed with a mar-velous staff, even among this extraordinary group now andagain there are people who really step forward and take

things to the next level. This fall, Dana Lusby, Valley GroceryDepartment Team leader did just that. While all ourstaff worked amazingly hard to get lots of great fooddonated for our 30th Birthday Bash, Dana alsofound time to gather donations for the 8th annualMiddle Rio Grande Children’s Water Festival in midOctober. This was the second year in a row, Danamade sure the children attending the Water Festivalwere treated to healthy snacks. Way to go Dana!

Thanks to her hard work La Montañita Co-op wasable to help provide healthy snacks for 1,100fourth grade students that attended. Below areexcerpts of a letter of thanks we received fromKatie Babuska, Children’s Water Festival organizer.

“With a total value of $476.28, your contribution is both significantand valuable. Also, I am writing to let you know how the financialand in-kind support from our sponsors like you at La MontañitaFood Co-op translates into results.

This year we filled every nook and cranny in the west complex of theAlbuquerque Convention Center so that 100 more students couldattend over the two days. Approximately 1,100 fourth grade public,private and/or home school students and their teachers attended.Each class participated in five of the 23 hands-on water-related activ-ities. These activities were presented primarily by water profession-als, but three were presented by students from the Del Norte

Dana Does it Again!Dana Does it Again!Environment Club and the Albuquerque Aca-demy. Our intentions are that 1) the Festivalserves as an introduction to water education, 2)teachers utilize materials in their TeacherResource Kits to conduct follow-up water educa-tion, and 3) teachers agree to have us return fora follow-up classroom visit/outreach.

This year, we had an astonishing increase in thenumber of teachers applying – from about 85teachers to 150 (representing 3,500 students);however, our venue and funding can handle onlyabout 1,000 students. Clearly, the demand forwater education is growing!”

We instituted several Festivalimprovements this year:• Developed a new website – www.waterfestnm.comwhich includes resources for more water education.

• Developed an on-line teacher application process toget teachers onto the website.

• Developed an Essay Contest with cash prizes forteachers and students from Albuquerque, Rio Ranchoand Santa Fe.

• Continue to increase the visibility of elementarylevel water education and developed elementary levelwater education goals and objectives.

• Coordinated additional teacher training in watereducation (Project WET).

• Continued Classroom Visits/Outreach in the majori-ty of classes attending the Festival.

• Initiated fundraising efforts to establish a RioRancho Children’s Water Festival for 2008.

Plans are well underway for the 2007 Santa FeChildren’s Water Festival. Our venue this year(the Santa Fe Community College) can handleabout 600 students, and we anticipate being ableto serve almost all teachers who apply. On behalfof the Steering Committees from the Middle RioGrande and Santa Fe areas, thank you for yourgenerosity.

Brava Dana — thanks for all you do for the Co-opand the Community!

Valley Staff Spotlight

2006 LA MONTANITA CO-OP ELECTION RESULTS

spotlight on mmeeaatt

Dana workedto providesnacks for 1,100 4thgraders thatattended theChildren’sWater Festival.

Gallup Groove: Special DeliveryFresh Bread, Cheese, Produce and Meat Every Friday

Our Gallup store is small but mighty andvaguely reminiscent of the original LaMontanita Co-op that used to be in the

Girard Street Community Center. It’ s amazingthe diversity of products that our dedicatedGallup staff has shoe-horned into this space.

In response to member requests specialdeliveries of fresh baked bread, specialcuts of fresh meat, domestic andimported cheese specialties and pro-duce are being delivered in special runsfrom our Valley location to the Galluplocation every week.

The products will be available everyFriday morning just in time for week-end shopping and enjoyment. Gallupcustomers can also pre-order any-thing that they can get at the AlbuquerqueValley location. Please contact Tracy byTuesday if you have a pre-order request forthe coming Friday.

New Hours, New Staff: The Gallup locationis now open on Sunday from 11am to 6pm foryour shopping convenience. This is made possi-ble by the addition of two wonderful new staff

members. The Co-op is pleased welcome JoannBenenati and Brian Pierce to our staff.

Holiday Festivities: Please join the Gallupstaff at our holiday gathering on Dec. 14thfrom 4-6pm. Enjoy light refreshments and

the company of Co-opfriends and neighbors.Once again this yearthe Co-op’s Make aChild Smile HolidayGiving Program comesto Gallup. Last yearthe Gallup communityreally stepped forwardto help make the sea-son a little brighter forchildren in need in theGallup area. This year

we will again be working with Jolene of theGallup office of N.M. Department of ChildrenYouth and Families on this project.

Come to the Gallup Holiday Party on Thursday Dec.14th, 4-6pm and enjoy light refreshments, friendsand neighbors, and pick a child from our festive walldecoration. Thanks to all who participated last yearand welcome to all who join us this year.

Your Coop has a variety of specialty meats available for yourWinter Holiday celebrations.

Turkeys and large turkey breasts, duck, quail, roasts, bonelesshams, rack of lamb, organic prime rib, seafood, fish, elk andbison.

For special cuts or special orders call Gino at Nob Hill: 265-4631, Nick at the Valley: 242-8800 or Grace in Santa Fe:984-2852. fresh, fair, local... for your

holidaytable

SHOP CO-OP AND SAVE BUY LOCAL SHOP CO-OP AND SAVE

Correction:Last month we ran this pictureof our 30th Birthday BashBarbeque stalwarts. Their correct names are Jeremy (notJerome) and Paul of the ValleyCo-op Deli. Our apologies.

B-b-quekings

Lonn Calanca 822 • Lanny Goodman 466 • Marshall Kovitz 803John Kwait 201 • Joseph Martinez 378 • Ken O’Brien 674Martha Whitman 1,070

By-laws Yes No TotalNumber 1 1,129 29 1,158Number 2 1,143 21 1,164Number 3 1,061 96 1,157Number 4 1,142 18 1,160Number 5 1,137 23 1,160

Ballots cast 1294Valid Ballots 1200Invalid Ballots 94 (Un-signed or expired memberships)Late Ballots 12 (Postmarked after Nov. 14 deadline)

co-op news december 2006 7

Calendarof Events

12/4 Holiday Giving Trees go up at all Co-op locations12/7 Shop and Stroll in Nob Hill, see page 1 for details12/8 Bandelier Choir, Nob Hill store 10:30am12/9 Valley Co-op Holiday party, 1-5pm12/14 Santa Fe and Gallup Co-op’s, Holiday parties12/16 Valley Co-op Craft Fair, 12-4pm12/18 Make a Child Smile gifts due back at the Co-op12/19 Board of Directors Meeting, Immanuel Church 5:30pm12/20 Member Linkage, Immanuel Church 5:30pm12/24 Co-op’s close at 6pm12/25 CO-OP’S ARE CLOSED12/31 Co-op’s have regular hours1/1 Co-op’s have reduced hours, 9am-5pm

The flower business is a highly competitiveglobal industry. Daily we struggle to find the-quality products we need at the most competi-

tive prices. In the “business as usual” model consid-ering the cost and the impactson the community in which aproduct is produced is a rarity.Not so at La Montanita. Inmany cases non-traditionalagricultural imports—as flow-ers are known in the trade,take a tremendous toll on theSouth and Central Americancommunities in which they areproduced. With our Co-op’spurchases we hope to changethat model.

Responsibly managed flower farms are providingdeveloping communities with much needed advan-tages not generally available in third world countries.A number of different programs have emerged to pro-mote ecologically sustainable and socially responsibleproduction of cut flowers. These include the “FlowerLabel Program” from Germany and “Florverde” fromSouth America. To achieve full accreditation, farmsmust significantly reduce or eliminate the use ofchemicals, recycle their plastics, compost their plantresidues and only use a limited selection of approvedchemicals in production. Workers on these farms ben-

Meeting of October 17, 2006Financial Report. The Co-op enjoyed strongfinancial performance this year, at this point itappears that a 2 percent patronage dividend islikely.Member Linkage Committee. The MemberLinkage Committee is planning a World CaféForum in February. Participants will rotatethrough several small roundtable conversations,and will serve as “ambassadors of meaning” fordiscussion points about the Co-op.Board Training. The Board Training Committeehas developed a plan for Board development inthe form of a one-year contract with CBLD(Cooperative Board Leadership Development).This training may include workshops for Board

BoardBrieBrieff::

members, consultations with the Board president, andnetworking with other co-op boards.Board Officer Elections. The Board unanimously votedto elect the following slate of officers: Martha Whitman,president; Marshall Kovitz, vice president; Ken O’Brien,treasurer; and Roger Eldridge, secretary. All four officersare continuing in their positions; many thanks for all theirgreat work and for their willingness to serve again!Board Policy Manual. In order to clarify the roles andexpectations of advisory Board members, new languagewas added to item B9 in the Board policy manual. Anyoneinterested in becoming an advisory Board member is wel-come to refer to the policy manual.Annual General Membership Meeting. There wasgood food, good cheer, and good music at the annualgeneral membership meeting. Nominees for the Boardalso introduced themselves, and anyone who wasn’t theremissed C. E.’s interesting and inspiring talk.Board Meeting. Members are invited to attend monthlyboard meetings. The next meeting will be held on thethird Tues., Dec. 19, 2006, at 5:30 pm at the ImmanuelPresbyterian Church at Carlisle and Silver avenues inAlbuquerque. Shirley Coe, Administrative Assistant

General Manager’s Column the inside scoop, by CE Pugh

Ireceived an inquiry from a member recently regardingour pricing as it compares to the Sunflower Marketlocated in Albuquerque on the corner of Alameda and

Coors. We checked the items referenced in this inquiryand Sunflower’s pricing on these items is indeed lowerthan ours. We regularly do price comparisons withWhole Foods and Wild Oats and our retail pricingstrategies have been developed over the years to makesure that we are competitive with these two competi-tors. As a result of this feedback and similar feedbackfrom other members we are now regularly checkingSunflower, Vitamin Cottage and Trader Joe’s.

What we see is that our pricing remains very compet-itive with Whole Foods and Wild Oats and less sowith these newer competitors. In some cases,Sunflower, Vitamin Cottage and Trader Joe’s haveretail prices that are below our cost. I think some ofthis difference is due to the different product “mix”within these stores. Sunflower’s alcoholic beveragebusiness is a large part of their total sales and themajority of Vitamin Cottage’s sales are derived fromhigher margin supplements and body care products.This larger “mix” of higher profit margin items per-mits them a lower margin on basic food items. I knowthat some of their pricing advantage also results fromtheir internal warehousing. They are able to buy someitems directly from the manufacturers and bypass the

distributor. Whole Foods and Wild Oats are using thesame distributor in Denver that we use.

We are opening a small La Montanita Co-op ware-house in January and we will begin to buy some itemsdirectly from the manufacturer. This will help us lowerprices on these items early next year. We will also beginreceiving a better discount from our Denver distribu-tor in January. This is the result of our membership inthe National Cooperative Grocers’ Association wherewe have joined 107 other food cooperatives in a“National Purchasing Agreement” with UnitedNatural Foods. This reduced cost will also help lowerour retail pricing early next year.

One final observation is that Sunflower, VitaminCottage, and Trader Joe’s are more of a “self service”experience with significantly lower payroll costs. LaMontanita pays a calculated living wage to all staffmembers and both full time and part time staff mem-bers receive our full staff benefit package. I know thatmany of our members do shop these other markets forprice, but continue to patronize La Montanita for ourquality and service. That being said, we will continueto be as competitive on price as possible.

I hope you all have a safe and relaxing holiday season,C.E. Pugh,General Manager

efit from fair and secure employment practices, healthcare services, safe environmental practices, food coop-eratives, child day-care, educational opportunities andothers. Annual inspections ensure that the farms main-

tain these levels of standards. Buying flow-ers from these certified growers ensuresthat you’re contributing to responsibledevelopment in these countries.

La Montanita Co-op, as a socially responsi-ble business is committed to purchasingflowers from these sustainable producers.In recent months, the Nob Hill and RioGrande stores have started buying theirflowers directly from Ecuadorian andColumbian farms that are participating inthese fair trade and sustainability pro-grams. With the assistance of a flower

savvy international purchaser Janet Halpern ofSouthwest Floral, Co-op flowers are fresh, vibrant andsocially responsible.

This holiday season and throughout the year, whenyou purchase flowers from the glorious array at theCo-op flower stand, you can be sure that once againCo-op members and all New Mexicans are getting aproduct that is the freshest and most fairly tradedproduct we can find.

LeeRoy Allen IIIProduce Assistant, Department Team Leader

Available: The Herb Store,Nob Hill and

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2 sizes: $17.98 & $11.98

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UPCOMING CLASSES:ABQ Channeling Event with Divine Mother and Sanatkumara

December 17, Unitarian Church, 2–4 pm, FREE

Body Messages—Discover What Your Body is Saying Workshop January 14, 2007, Unitarian Church, 2-6 pm, $75

Sacred Egypt—A Spiritual Journey Beyond Everyday ConsciousnessMarch 17–31, 2007. Deposits due now.

www.PaulaMuran.com ● 217-3747

Product Spotlight: Flowers Both Beautiful and Fairly Traded

Member of International Society of Arboricultureand Society of Commercial Arboriculture

ISA Certified, Licensed & Insured

232-2358EricsTreeCare.com ericstreecare@earthlink.net

Dormant SeasonPruning is Upon Us

Call us about pruningpines, conifers and fruit trees

November-February

Services• Fruit and Shade Tree Pruning

• Technical Removal• Planting • Cabling & Bracing

• Pest Management• Fertilization &

• Root Rehabilitation Services

PPaauull BBaarrlloowwM A S S A G E T H E R A P I S T

224422--11779955

RPP LMT #2663 in the Old Town Area

Somato -Emotional ReleaseC r a n i o - S a c r a l

S w e d i s h

P o l a r i t y

valid in-store 11/29/06-1/2/07

ORGANIC VALLEY

OrganicEggnog

32 oz.

$349R. W. KNUDSEN

Spritzers

6 pack, select varieties

CELESTIAL SEASONINGS

HolidayTea

20 ct, select varieties

EQUAL EXCHANGE

Organic BakingCocoa

8 oz., Fair Trade certified

$499SANTINI

EvaporatedMilk

12 oz.

99¢WESTSOY

Organic UnsweetenedSoymilk

32 oz., select varieties

2/$3

ORGANIC VALLEY

OrganicButter

16 oz., Salted or Unsalted

SUNSPIRE

OrganicDark ChocolateChips

9 oz., Fair Trade certified

MARY’S GONE CRACKERS

OrganicGluten Free Crackers

6.5 oz., select varieties

$299

LUNDBERG FAMILY FARM

OrganicRisotto

5.5-5.9 oz., select varieties

$199TERRA

VegetableChips

7.5-8 oz., select varieties

$399IMAGINE FOODS

OrganicBroth

32 oz., select varieties

$199

R. W. KNUDSEN

SparklingJuice

750 ml., select varieties

$229NEW CHAPTER ORGANIC

SupercriticalHoly Basil

60 softgels

CASCADIAN FARM

OrganicVegetables

16 oz., select varieties

$1999$199

$199$399

$499 $349

CO-OPSpecialsfreshFAIRlocal

Your

Delicious Holiday Dishes…

Try some twists on the traditional holidaydinner this year along with some simpletime-honored favorites. From quick andsimple ideas to the more gourmet fare,we hope you will find some inspirationhere for an innovative vegetarian feast orinteresting new ideas for side dishes.Happy holidays!

(Key: t = teaspoon/ T = tablespoon/ C =cup/ oz = ounce/ # = pound)

Simple Broccoli Soup

1 1/2 C chopped broccoli1/4 C diced celery1/4 C chopped onion1 C low-sodium chicken broth2 C low fat organic milk2 T cornstarch or arrowroot powder1/4 t saltDash pepperDash ground thyme1/4 C grated Swiss cheese

Place vegetables and broth in saucepan.Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, andcook until vegetables are tender (about 8minutes). Mix milk, cornstarch (orarrowroot), salt, pepper, and thyme; addto cooked vegetables. Cook, stirring con-stantly, until soup is lightly thickened andmixture just begins to boil. Remove fromheat. Add cheese and stir until melted.(serves 4)

Ragout of Chanterelles,Chestnuts and Cipollini Onions

1 # chestnuts (at least 3 per person)1 # cipollini or pearl onions (about 2-3

delicious dishes december 2006 10

per person)2 to 3 C stock or broth (enough to coverthe chestnuts)2 # chanterelle mushrooms4 T olive oil2 T chopped thymeSalt and pepper

Cut a cross on the flat side of each chest-nut. Place them in a saucepan, cover withwater and bring to a boil. Simmer about10 minutes. While the chestnuts are hot,remove the outer skin and thin innerbrown peel (a painstaking and sometimespainful task, but the chestnuts must behot for the inner brown skin to come off).If the chestnuts are not cooked through,simmer them in stock for 8-10 minutes.(You can tell if they are cooked by break-ing one open and checking to see if theinside is the same color as the outside.)Set the cooked chestnuts aside.

Trim the roots of the onions carefullywithout cutting across the ends. Cut across on the bottom of each onion. Coverthe onions with water in a mediumsaucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heatto low and simmer until tender-firm.Drain and remove peels. Set aside. Wipethe mushrooms clean with a damp papertowel and cut into thick slices. Warm halfthe oil in a large saute pan and quicklysaute the mushrooms in two batches.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combinechestnuts, onions and mushrooms in alarge casserole, and toss with thyme,adding broth if the mixture seems dry.Season dish with salt and pepper. Bake 15minutes until hot all the way through.Serve hot. (serves 8)

Quick Super StuffingIf you are not yet tired of stuffing, try thisrecipe. It’s great when you’re short ontime, as is often the case during the holi-days.

2 1/4 C chicken or vegetable stock1/4 C wild rice4 T butter2 C fresh sliced mushrooms2 C diced celery1 C chopped onion4 C corn bread stuffing mix1 T poultry seasoning(or other all-purpose seasoning blend)

Preheat oven to 325 or 350 F. In a medi-um sized saucepan combine stock andwild rice. Bring to a boil then reduce heatand let simmer until rice is tender. In alarge skillet melt the butter. Add themushrooms, celery and onion. Cook untilthe vegetables are soft. In a large bowlmix the cornbread stuffing and poultryseasoning. Add the rice and the vegetablesand mix well. Bake for about 25 minutes.More chicken stock can be added if stuff-ing is dry. (Done in half an hour, serves 7)

Roasted Root VeggiesSlow roasting brings out the natural sug-ars in foods and is a simple, tasty way tocook all kinds of root vegetables. Beetsadd color, depth of flavor, and goodnutrition to the meal. Mix and matchveggies, vary the shapes, and come upwith your own dish.

1 large beet, cut into rounds1 large sweet potato cut into rounds1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into1-inch pieces1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges(optional)1 T olive oil3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs (such asmarjoram, thyme, rosemary, andoregano)Salt and pepper to tasteFresh chopped parsley for garnish

In a 13x9x2-inch, oiled baking pan,arrange beets, sweet potatoes, parsnip,

Holiday and, if desired, onion. In a small bowlcombine oil, garlic, mixed herbs, salt,and pepper. Drizzle oil mixture over veg-etables; toss to coat. Bake in a 350-375degree F oven for 30 minutes. Removepan and stir or turn veggies with a spatu-la. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes moreor until vegetables are tender (bakingtime depends on thickness of vegetablesand altitude). Add garnish and serve.(serves 6)

Simplify: If you are in a hurry, try bakinga couple of beets (red and/or gold) withjust the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Followthe same baking method and be sure touse the parsley garnish for a festiveappearance. You will be amazed by howgreat this simple version tastes.

Pesto PotatoesA twist on the traditional mashed potato!You can prepare the pesto and store cov-ered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days,store frozen for a month or more.

2 # medium yellow fleshed potatoessuch as Yukon gold1 C firmly packed fresh basil leaves1/2 C torn fresh spinach leaves1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese1/4 C pine nuts or walnuts2 cloves garlic, quartered1/4 t salt (optional)2 T olive oil or cooking oil2 T water1/2 of an 8-ounce package low-fatcream cheeseSalt/pepper2 to 3 T organic low-fat milk

Peel and quarter potatoes. Cook them,covered, in a small amount of saltedwater at a light boil for 15 to 20 minutes.Check to add more water as needed and,when tender, drain. Meanwhile, forpesto, in a food processor bowl combinebasil, spinach, Parmesan cheese, pine

Recipes!

www.nmefcu.org • 889-7755

™

Member NCUA • Equal Opportunity Lender

Classical HomeopathyVisceral Manipulation

Craniosacral Therapy

MARY ALICE COOPER, MD

St. Raphael Medical Center204 Carlisle NE Albuquerque, NM 87106

505-266-6522

nuts or almonds, garlic, and, if desired, 1/4 tea-spoon salt. Cover and process with several on-offturns until a paste forms, stopping the machineseveral times and scraping down the sides. Withmachine running, gradually add oil and water.Process to the consistency of soft butter. Mashwarm potatoes with a potato masher or an elec-tric mixer on low speed. Add cream cheese.Season to taste with salt and pepper. Graduallybeat in enough milk to make potatoes light andfluffy. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon of thepesto. Cover and chill or freeze remaining pestofor another use. (serves 8)

Two Quick Sides

Savory Mediterranean Green Beans:Two pounds of green beans will serve about 8.Trim and wash beans. Start with 1 tablespoonolive oil in a medium-hot pan. Add 1 to 2 table-spoons fresh garlic, a pinch of crushed red pep-per, 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, and 1sliced red onion. Saute onion and add greenbeans and 2 cups diced tomatoes. Stir and coveruntil tender. Season the beans with salt andpepper to taste. Just before serving, squeeze thejuice of 1 fresh lemon over the top.

Glazed Carrots: Steam 2 pounds of juliennecarrots until tender (10 min). Drain and stir insalt to taste and 2/3 cup orange marmalade orapricot preserves and cook over low heat for 1to 2 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.Combine 2 tablespoons each of brown sugar,butter, and rum in a small saucepan. Cook overmedium heat until butter and brown sugar melt.Remove from heat, and stir in 1/2 cup roastedand chopped pecans. Pour over carrot mixturein bowl and gently toss. (serves 6)

Apple Cranberry Squash

1 # butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1inch cubes2 Jonathan or Macintosh apples, peeled, coredand chopped2 T organic sugar1 C cranberries, thawed if frozen2 t unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash in asteamer basket over boiling water. Coversaucepan and steam 15 minutes or until tender.Remove from steamer basket and set aside.Combine apples and half the sugar in a heavysaucepan over medium heat. Cook 12 minutesstirring frequently until juice has evaporated.Add apples to squash. Combine cranberries andremaining sugar in same saucepan. Cook 4 min-utes or until liquid has evaporated. Add cran-berries to apples and squash. Stir in melted but-ter and salt to taste and toss. Transfer mixtureto a buttered shallow baking dish. Bake 10 min-utes or until hot. (serves 4)

Oatmeal Cake with Maple SyrupMeringue

For the cake:1 C boiling water3/4 C rolled oats1-1/2 C unbleached flour

3/4 C firmly packed light brown sugar3/4 C granulated sugar1 t baking soda1/4 t salt3/4 t cinnamon1/4 t nutmeg1/4 C applesauce2 egg whites1 t vanilla extractWaxed paper and 9-inch cardboard rounds to aidwith cake assembly (optional)

For the meringue:1 C maple syrup3 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch roundcake pans with vegetable spray and lightly dustwith flour. Pour boiling water over the oats, coverand let stand 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine theflour, sugars, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nut-meg in a large mixing bowl. Combine the apple-sauce, 2 egg whites and vanilla in a small bowl andblend well. Add the applesauce mixture and oat-meal to the dry ingredients and mix well with afork until blended. Spoon the batter into the cakepans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until caketester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean.Cover the top of the cakes with waxed paper,invert and cool on cake racks.

To make meringue: Boil the maple syrup to “firm-ball” stage (248 degrees on your candy thermome-ter). Beat 3 egg whites until they form stiff peaksbut are not dry. Gradually add the hot maple syrupto beaten egg whites and beat until fluffy.

Assemble: Set the first cake layer on a 9-inch card-board round or cake plate. Place 3-inch strips ofwaxed paper under edges of cake (this will preventany frosting from getting on the plate). Spread athick layer of meringue on the first layer. Place thesecond layer on top and frost the top and sides ofthe cake with the remaining meringue. Remove anddiscard waxed paper strips.

The recipes above have been adapted andreprinted from the following sources:www.fitnessandfreebies.comwww.onhealth.webmd.comwww.recipes.bhg.com/recipeswww.foodfit.com/recipeswww.allrecipes.comIvy’s personal collection and the Co-op Deli

delicious dishes december 2006 11

theBestSQUASH

from yourCO-OP!

Body-CenteredCounseling

Integrated Counseling,Therapeutic Bodywork

and Movement

Penny HollandM.A., L.P.C.C, L.M.T.

505-265-2256LPCC Lic. 0494, LMT Lic. 1074

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

he received a candleholder and wanted tomake a candle to fit it.

Thirty years later, he’s still making candles outof a studio in his home in the rural communi-ty of Lone Butte, north of Cerrillos, New

Mexico. He began selling thecandles in Santa Fe in 1979and was able to start sellingthem at the Albuquerque Co-op in the mid 80’s. “I reallyappreciate the Co-op” Brucesaid, “without it, I’d be shutdown and have to find some-thing else to do to survive.”

Pick up some of Bruce’s SweetLight tapers at your Co-op and

keep it local for the holidays. Sweet LightCandles can be found at both Albuquerquelocations and the Santa Fe location. They canbe pre-ordered at the Gallup location.

december 200612

Fair Trade: Fair MadeSHOP with INTEGRITY

by Ivy Edmondson

Look for some new fair trade and locally made giftideas at the Co-op this holiday season. The Co-ops in Santa Fe (SF) and in Albuquerque’s Rio

Grande Valley (RG) have created special fair tradeand local gift sections in each store to make givinggreat gifts easy.

One of the top quality sources for fair trade productsworldwide is Aid to Artisans (ATA), a nonprofitorganization assisting and training artisans in devel-oping countries. ATA creates jobs and boosts localeconomy with its effective “Maker to Market”approach, connecting artisans with buyers regionallyand internationally and assisting in the developmentof enduring business connec-tions. Look for exquisite,hand-made ornaments, such

as paper mache and hand-woven birds and fishes ina rainbow of colors, delicate, orange peel stars, andalso “tea light” candle-holders from ATA artisans.

Another exciting new fair made vendor available atRio Grande and in Santa Fe is Mariachi Imports.The Co-op will be carrying their MadMats andSweep Dreams brooms. All mats and brooms arehand-woven from strands of brightly colored, recy-cled plastic. Amy Kimmich, one of the founders ofMariachi, says “We are passionate about the envi-ronment and fairness in the workplace. It is essentialto us to be part of the solution.” The company haswoven these principles into the structure of all oper-ations with excellent working conditions and byusing recycled materials in their weaves and house-hold products. The mats are intricately woven in thesame fashion as flat weave rugs, in rich, deep colors,and the brooms are made with the same meticulousattention to detail and color.

Some other fair trade gift items available exclusive-ly at the Santa Fe and Valley stores are gourd orna-ments from Lucuma Designs and Poco a Poco. Allornaments are intricately hand-painted and/orhand-carved and make a unique addition to anyornament collection. The Valley will also carrycards, incense, and gifts from the Tibet Collection,and The Santa Fe Co-op is featuring Zulu grassbeads from the Leakey Collection of Kenya, all fairtrade and fair made.

The Rio Grande Co-op has an exclusive on potteryby Lindy Hirst. Lindy is a Co-op member and owner

of The Studio, a working studio and pottery class-room in Albuquerque’s north valley. Lindy’s function-al and festive, terra-cotta pottery is microwave, dish-washer, and food safe. The pieces are hand-made andglazed with three layers of decorative glaze in a vari-ety of bold colors. Look for candleholders, mugs, anddishes by Lindy Hirst at the Valley store.

Each of the other Co-op locations has its own uniqueselection of local, fair trade, and fair made gifts. TheCo-op in Santa Fe will be carrying eco-friendly giftwrap by Natural Elements, made from bark withoutdestroying trees in the process and colored with chlo-rine-free, acid-free dyes. The Nob Hill Co-op is carry-ing African batik shirts in a bouquet of colors by localartisan and Co-op employee Ife Fidudusola. InGallup, look for Kuumba scented oils made from nat-ural botanical sources and Sunbeam beeswax candles,

made in a solar-powered facility.

Most Co-op locations will be car-rying locally made candles bySandia Soy Candles, and candlesfrom long time local candle makerBruce MacCallum (see article onthis page), fair-trade African mar-ket baskets, locally distributed byOverseas Connection, and fair-made pottery by Le Souk. Thepottery is hand-made in Tunisiaand hand-painted in the style ofItalian majolica using lead-free,non-toxic materials. Majolica isan age old tradition of coating

terra cotta bisque with opaque white glaze that is thendelicately painted with another layer of various pig-ments to create the design. The pottery is durable, dish-washer, microwave, and food safe. The pay and work-ing conditions at Le Souk far exceed peer standards inthe local area. The work space is properly lit and venti-lated, and raw materials are used under safe conditions,providing good jobs for the local economy.

Look for the earthy and floral colors of Native Leafhand-woven bags and Andesgifts (AG) hand-woven,alpaca scarves, mittens, caps, and gloves at the Co-opas well. Both organizations are certified fair trade. TheNative Leaf bags are richly colored with non-toxicand environmentally low-impact dyes and made withdried Romblon leaves, native to the Western Pacificislands and sustainably harvested so that the plantcontinues to grow and produce more foliage. Thealpaca, whose wool is used in the AG weaves, areraised in open grasslands in the Andes and thriveunder humane conditions. The people who produceAG clothing and Native Leaf bags are paid a fairwage, 3 to 5 times the national average in the case ofAndes workers, and provided training, equipment,and financial assistance as needed. Above all, the arti-sans are genuinely grateful for the gift of work (andhope), according to the folks at Andesgifts: “Graciaspor darnos trabajo y esperanza!”

Most items mentioned in this article can be specialordered from any Co-op location. For more informationon these and other fair trade gifts, go to:www.aidtoartisans.org, www.mariachiimports.com, www.lucuma.com, www.pocoapoco.com, www.tibetcollection.com, www.andesgifts.com, www.nativeleaf.com.

Global and Local Gifts atYour CO-OP

Candles are often used in celebration.During the holiday season they are omni-pres-ent. Their gentle glow adds a special touch toany occasion and makes a glorious addition toholiday tablescapes. Bruce MacCallum hasbeen making candles for 30 years and says heowes being able to continue his passion forcandle-making to co-ops like La Montanitathat put local products first. His high-gradeparaffin tapers are reasonably priced, come ina wide variety of colors and burn for up to 10 hours. “I couldmake them from local all natural bees wax but I’m really proudthat I can offer an affordable candle product that is madelocally,” says Bruce. He got his start as a candle maker when

Local Product Spotlight:

Sweet LightCCaannddlleess

CO-OPgiftcertificatesfrom $10 and up you can givethe gift of greattastingHEALTHYFOOD!!!

thegift of

ffoooodd

get to have Aunt Millie's frosted Christmas ginger-bread once a year, have as much as you'd like. Asfor the rest, plan on taking it easy on the remainderof the holiday spread, at least until the next day.

Exercise, plain and simple. Habitual exercising isthe foundation of weight management. And duringthe holidays the focus should be on weight mainte-nance, not weight loss. Either due to very hectic

by Stephanie Clayton

A ll of us look forward to the delicious bounty ofgoodies during the holidays. Unfortunately,most of us also regret our over-indulgence

the very second we ring in the New Year.Naturally when friends and family gather to cele-brate, food is usually the main event. It is extreme-ly easy to over-eat due to a variety of factors,which can include pressure from family andfriends to try (and have seconds of) their home-made specialties, anxiety about the upcomingyear, and the general "but everything just looks sogood" mentality. To make sure you don't over doit, keep in mind a few healthy holiday eating tips.

Don't give yourself an ultimatum. Many of usdecide to counteract holiday pounds by promis-ing ourselves we will start a new diet on January1st. This restrictive mind-set only encourages usto eat more while we can. It also overlooks thefact that holiday leftovers will find a way intoyour fridge. Limit yourself to one or two treats aday, instead of six or seven. After all, if you only

Ho-Ho-Holiday EatingEating holiday scheduling or quite the opposite, a much needed vacationfrom the daily grind, exercise plans vanish this time of year. Sinceoccasions to eat will occur more often than you can plan for, thebest thing to do is make a point of doing some form of physicalactivity everyday. This doesn't mean you have to hit the gym;anything from taking a long walk to shooting hoops and catch-ing up with your cousins from out of town will help relieve theeffect of those extra calories. As a bonus, exercise will also pro-duce endorphins which alleviate stress and help combat depres-sion, an extremely common cause for over-eating, which runsespecially high during the holiday season.

Plan accordingly. There are always unexpected events that youhave to make an appearance at, so plan for them. Set aside a fewextra calories for last minute get togethers where you'll be expect-

ed to eat. Also don't forget to account for beverages.Alcoholic or not, the more you eat, the more youdrink. Anything from the seemingly innocent non-alcoholic punch to the very notorious cup of egg nogneed to be factored into your plans. Try to limit alco-holic drinks and sodas for that matter to two a dayand have a glass of water to match every glass thatcontains sugar or alcohol.

Most importantly, enjoy it! Balance is not only ahealthy goal to strive for; it will allow you to trulyenjoy everything the holidays have to offer: an air ofmagic, celebration, and giving thanks, spending timewith friends and family, and most certainly the vari-

ety of textures and flavors we all associate with the holiday sea-son. Also keep things in perspective. Overeating one day will notjeopardize all of your efforts. If you do indulge a little too much,relax and remember "'tis the season."

Super Celebrations

BALANCE isnot only ahealthy goal tostrive for; itwill allow youto truly enjoyeverything theholidays haveto offer.

december 2006 13

L a Alameda Press began on a kitchen table withthe production of Kate Horsley’s novel CrazyWoman in 1992 and they are still at it. They are

one of the southwest's finest small presses, makingbeautiful books of artistic and cultural merit. Amongtheir books you can find NewMexican authors plus kindred spirits from around the country,including well known Beat andpost-Beat writers such as JoanneKyger, David Meltzer, JamesKoller, Michael Rothenberg, andAnne Waldman.

La Alameda Press operates in aworld of big business similar inmany ways to artisan farmers.Many, but not all, of their titles arepoetry "because we believe poetryis an essential artform with all ofits beautiful sincerity, various passions, brave exper-imentalism, and necessary wisdom." They also pub-lish books which reflect their bio-regional bent aswell as fine volumes of essays with a diversity ofthought.

When you connect all the dots you find at LaAlameda a quirky aesthetic that is part of a long tra-dition in which art is integral to life. For them poet-ry stengthens the imagination and is an antidote tocorporate thought.

Cranes: The Nobelest Flyers, In Natural History andCultural Lore by Alice Lindsay Price is as informa-tive as it is beautiful. Price, a nature writer, photog-

rapher, poet, artist and bird scholar, brings it alltogether as gracefully as the birds themselves in flight.The personal becomes the political as Price, with apoet’s tongue, entwines her trips to view the craneswith conservation efforts to save nearly half of all

crane species from endangered status.Whether you are inspired by the sightof a single crane standing in theAlbuquerque bosque or have made thetrip to Bosque del Apache and beenmoved by the sound of hundreds ofcrane wings coming in for landing atsunset, this book evokes the power ofa crane experience. It is packed withstories and lore, both scientific andcultural that will enchant readers ofall ages.

Cranes: the Noblest Flyers makes agreat gift, providing hours of enjoy-

ment during our winter crane season; or try any of LaAlameda’s other books. The best way to supportsmall press literature is to buy a book!

We recommend patronizing your favorite independ-ent bookstore (Bookworks in Dietz Farm Plaza, orPage One in Albuquerque or Collected Works inSanta Fe). La Alameda Press books are distributed viathe University of New Mexico Press and Small PressDistribution. You can also find their books atAmazon.com, or by sending a check to La AlamedaPress, 9636 Guadalupe Tail NW, Albuquerque, NewMexico, 87114. Visit their website, www.laalamedapress.com to see all of their books.

IN the SPIRIT

by Lotti Abraham, Nob Hill Cheese ClerkStemming from the French verb fondre, meaning tomelt, fondue originated as a classic peasant dish fromthe region (or canton) of Neufchatel in Switzerland. Atfirst, used to avoid wasting thehardened cheeses, fonduerecipes can also include hot oilsand chocolate, for dippingmeats, vegetables, and fruits.

Making its debut in the UnitedStates in 1952 in New YorkCity, the heavy earthenwarepot (or caquelon) with its lowflame placed underneath keepsoils, chocolate and cheeses sim-mering. Long, two-prongedforks hold bite size pieces ofcrusty bread (Italian or French varieties will do) ready fordipping into the warm, thick, gooey substance.

Depending on the region in Switzerland, basic fonduerecipes differ. The most familiar recipe uses Gruyere and

Swiss Emmentaler, both available in our cheesecases. Aged over 100 days and made from part-skim milk, they create a balance between sharpand sweet.

Other suggestions for fondue includesavory seafood and cheddar cheesefondue or a brie cheese fondue withbasil. Also recommended are goatcheese, garlic and tarrgon fondue. Fora Mexican fondue, try chili peppers andMontery Jack cheese. Mushroom,cheddar and beef fondues are heartyfor the fall and winter seasons, andpizza fondue are easily made withmozzarella and tomato sauce.

HERE’S A GREAT GIFT IDEA: Con-venient, ready to use 14 oz. packages can be foundin our cheese cases equipped with all the necessaryingredients and directions. Fondue kits completewith pot, lid, burner stand, and six forks and recipes(for chocolate, too!) are available for $35.99.

CHEESE DEPARTMENT SPOTLIGHT

La Alameda Press: Great Books

DELECTABLE CHEESE FONDUES

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M .Ed. Cross-Cultural Teaching ESL (TESO L) EndorsedK-Adult, All Math LevelsPhone Mary (505) 417-7321

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COMMUNITY forum december 2006 14

From the Factory Farm to YOUYOU Mart turns to its old trading partner, China. Besidesundercutting stateside production — further hurtingUS farmers — China’s organic industry has one bigproblem. It’s a mess.

Any organic product imported into the US must meetthe USDA/National Organic Program’s standards.NOP accredits and audits all organic certifiers in theStates to ensure integrity. But they moved much tooquickly in approving Chinese certifiers who are nowthe target of numerous complaints. NOP officials aregoing to China this fall to investigate (as well theyshould have before approval was issued). The allega-tions are numerous: poor conditions and low pay forfarm workers, questionable quality of the food itself,factory farm practices and poor compliance withorganic standards coupled with corruption andbribery. Coincidentally, these are some of the sameallegations that the global third-world manufacturingsector faces. The end product may be low cost goodsfor the American consumer, but in the long run, it’s notmuch of a bargain after all. by Brett Bakker

Want to know more? Check http://cornucopia.org/index.php/wal-mart-white-paper/

While there’s no solid conclusion yet from the spinach/E.coliinvestigation, pre-packed salads took a direct hit in sales. Butsmall farms nationwide with loose, unbagged greens saw lit-

tle loss and many even reported sales increases as new customersshowed up at farmers markets, wanting substitutes for the baggedgreens they no longer trust.

Manure contamination remains the suspect. Onceagain, here’s the true cost of mass-produced foodfor a nationwide market rather than supportinglocal, sustainable systems. Feedlot manure lacedwith E. coli and traces of antibiotics continues topile up, creating health hazards rather than beingthe beneficial by-product it used to be. Actually,by-product is not a correct term. The old-timefarmer knew that manure was as valuable anddesired as meat, eggs, hide, wool or feathers.Once valued for nutrients, organic matter andstimulating microbial life, manure is now viewedas an odorous and filthy contagion in need of dis-posal. And sadly, it has become just that, accumu-lating in feedlots rather than dropping naturally in pastures — all in thename of “efficiency” that fattens cows quicker by bringing the feed tothem. In the old days, the feed stood still and the cows moved around.

Over-consumption of meat creates imbalance as our pastoral land basecontinues to dwindle. Land is over-grazed including that which wasnever suitable for grazing in the first place. Finally, we take the tiredland out of food production and into “development.” Housing is onething; as environmentally unsound as our homebuilding standards are,people must live someplace (that’s a rant for another time). But devel-opment these days means business of the sort that mainly givesAmericans more “choices” as to which brand of useless junk we’llspend our money on today and tire of by tomorrow. Which in my usualroundabout fashion brings us back to mass-produced food.

Not only has Wal-Mart jumped into the organic market, but Target isright behind. And all at low prices. It’s hard to argue against organicfood within range of all wallets. But costs are brought down bydecreased prices paid to the farm and increased industrial practices likefeedlots, pre-bagged salad and lower quality factory food. Rather thansustaining the farm community in terms of nutrition, health, environ-ment and local dollars spent locally, food remains merely another inter-national commodity.

Wal-Mart itself said to the New York Times,“Organic agriculture is just another method ofagriculture — not better, not worse... This is likeany other merchandising scheme we have.” In otherwords, more market share: selling for less by driv-ing down their costs. But organic farmers can go nocheaper and survive, and even if they could, the

supply cannot yet meet thiscorporate demand. So Wal-

Food & Environment

This summer, researchers discovered that an exper-imental bentgrass, genetically engineered to resistRoundup herbicide, had escaped its test plot and

was growing several miles away. The incident was astark reminder that genetically engineered plants —especially perennial plants — will spread in the envi-ronment and contaminate conventional varieties.

Another Roundup-Ready perennial — alfalfa, has beenapproved for commercial release, with serious potentialconsequences for conventional and organic alfalfa pro-ducers. This issue could be especially troublesome fororganic meat and dairy producers who feed alfalfa totheir livestock — and for consumers who want organicand GM-free meat and dairy products.

The Western Organization of Resource Councils(WORC) has just released “A Guide to GeneticallyModified Alfalfa” for alfalfa producers and con-sumers concerned about the potential for contamina-tion and other unanswered questions about RoundupReady alfalfa. The guide covers environmental,

Genetically Modified Alfalfa PutsOrganic Dairy, Meat Supplies at Risk

agricultural, and economic issues of concern to U.S.farmers, ranchers and consumers, including:

• The importance and value of alfalfa in our food system,• The spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds,• Genetic contamination of organic and conventionalcrops, • Action steps for farmers and consumers concernedabout Roundup Ready alfalfa, • Strategies for farmers to minimize risks of contamina-tion, and • Information about Monsanto's Technology UseAgreement for Roundup Ready alfalfa and other genetical-ly modified seeds.

The guide is available at:http://www.worc.org/issues/art_issues/alfalfa_guide/alfalfa_guide.html. Or for more information on genetically engineeredagricultural products go to their web site at:http://www.worc.org/issues/art_issues/gm-crops.html.

Questions or comments, please contact John Smillie,Campaign Director, at 406-252-9672 or jsmillie@worc.org.

TT he Cornucopia Institute, a non-profit organicfarming watchdog, has filed a formal legalcomplaint with the USDA, asking them to

investigate allegations of illegal “organic” food distri-bution by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Cornucopia has doc-umented cases of nonorganic food products beingsold as organic in Wal-Mart’s grocery departments.

“We first noticed that Wal-Mart wasusing in-store signage to mis-identifyconventional, nonorganic food asorganic in their upscale-market teststore in Plano, Texas,” said MarkKastel of The Cornucopia Institute.Subsequently, Cornucopia staff visiteda number of other Wal-Mart stores inthe Midwest and documented similarimproprieties in both produce anddairy sections.

Cornucopia notified Wal-Mart’s CEO,Lee Scott, in a letter on September 13, 2006, alertingthe company to the problem and asking that itaddress and correct the situation on an immediatebasis. But the same product misrepresentations wereagain observed weeks later, throughout October, atseparate Wal-Mart stores in multiple states.

Cornucopia’s complaint asks the USDA to fully inves-tigate the allegations of organic food misrepresenta-tion. The farm policy organization has indicated thatthey will share their evidence, including photographsand notes, with the agency’s investigators. Fines of upto $10,000 per violation for proven incidents of

Wal-Mart Charged with SellingNON-ORGANIC Food as ORGANIC

organic food misrepresentation are providedfor in federal organic regulations.

This past September, The Cornucopia Institutealso accused Wal-Mart of cheapening the valueof the organic label by sourcing products fromindustrial-scale factory-farms and Third Worldcountries, such as China.

The Institute released awhite paper, Wal-MartRolls Out Organic Products— Market Expansion orMarket Delusion?, whichmade the argument thatWal-Mart is poised to drivedown the price of organicfood in the marketplace byinventing a "new" organic— food from corporateagribusiness, factory-farms,

and cheap imports of questionable quality(available at www.cornucopia.org).

The Cornucopia Institute is dedicated to thefight for economic justice for the family-scalefarming community. Through research, advo-cacy and economic development our goal is toempower farmers both politically and throughmarketplace initiatives. The Organic IntegrityProject acts as a corporate watchdog, assuringthat no compromises to the credibility oforganic farming methods and the food it pro-duces are made in the pursuit of profit.

The end productmay be low costgoods for theAmerican consumer but in the long run,it’s not much of bargain after all.

itchy green thumb

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The Quivira Coalition’s 6th Annual ConferenceJan. 18-20, 2007, Marriott Pyramid, Albuquerque, NM “Fresh Eyes on theLand: Innovation and the Next Generation” Opening Conference Benefit, Thurs.Jan. 18, 7pm: A Conversation with Wendell Berry. For the conference agendaand to register: www.quiviracoalition.org.

COMMUNITY forum december 2006 15

Statewide

by Joni Arends, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety

The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announcedtheir plans for the next generation of nuclearweapons in a program called Complex 2030, also

called the Bombplex. They are proposing to consoli-date and renovate nuclear weapons facilities locatedaround our country. The plan will lessen the numberof nukes currently on hand. However, it will give theU.S. the power to build new nuclear weapons at anastonishing rate. The proposal will impact NewMexico and threaten U.S. compliance with theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Four DOE sites within New Mexico will be signifi-cantly impacted by the plans. New Mexico is hometo Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), SandiaNational Laboratories, White Sands Missile Rangeand the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the only reposi-tory for nuclear bomb waste in the country. At theend of the day, Complex 2030 will concentrate theburden of the nuclear weapons complex onto areasalready heavily impacted by such activities. Placeslike LANL and Sandia are likely targets for such con-solidation. Furthermore, if nuclear weapons produc-tion is expanded anywhere in the U.S., then the bombwaste will come to New Mexico.

Nuclear weapons manufacturing is a serious threatto our communities, our nation and our world.Locally, weapons research and production at LANLhas lead to water contamination that threatens ourhealth and well-being. There is overwhelming evi-dence of LANL contamination in our water. LANL’sown documents state that in the early years of oper-ations, untreated radioactive waste was dumped intocanyons that flow to the Rio Grande. This area is amain source of recharge for the Buckman Wellfield, adrinking water source for Santa Fe.

New Mexicans know that water is one of the mostprecious resources in our fragile desert ecosystem. In addition to contamination of water resources,

the expansion of nuclearweapons production woulduse vast amounts of water. When LANL recentlyreported its plans for continued operations, itannounced that water use could increase by more than25 percent. That means that LANL would use a stag-gering 522 million gallons of water per year, morethan a third of all the water pumped from the region-al aquifer in Los Alamos County. Additionally, LANLcurrently discharges 163 million gallons into the sur-rounding watersheds. It is important to note that theseare current LANL estimates; if the Complex 2030 con-solidation occurs at LANL, it would vastly increasethose numbers. More weapons means more contami-nation. When this fact is compounded with increasedwater use, LANL’s threat to our natural resources isgrave. Not only will Northern New Mexicans haveless water for drinking and irrigation, but the water wedo have will be contaminated by weapons production.

The Complex 2030 proposal also threatens our secu-rity by undermining the Nuclear Non-ProliferationTreaty (NPT). This treaty is an international agree-

THE BOMBPLEX:New Mexico’s Burden

Holiday SHOP AND STROLL5-10pmIn historic Nob Hill between Girard andWashington ! TRAFFICFREE SHOPPING!

Locally owned shopshave special sales andextended hours!

Special entertainment andtreats at your co-op!

SUPPORT YOURLOCAL BUSINESSES Buy local!

DEC.7TH

ment between the nuclear and non-nuclear states in which the nuclearstates promise to work towards total abolition and the non-nuclearstates promise not to develop weapons. By ratifying this treaty, the U.S.promised to work towards completely abolishing our nuclear weapons.How can the U.S. simultaneously support the NPT and outline a visionfor the year 2030 that hinges on new nukes? As many countries havesaid, the U.S. foreign policy is one of “do as we say, not as we do.”

DOE claims they “will analyze the environmental impacts from thecontinued transformation of the United States' nuclear weapons com-plex by implementing [our] vision of the complex as it would exist in

2030, as well as alternatives." Just what all the alter-natives are has not been determined. You have achance to tell the DOE your vision for the year 2030.This month DOE will be holding public meetings tohear your opinions about the scope for their analysis.Let your voice be heard: transform the Bombplex.

Meetings will take place:December 4: Socorro, Macey Center (at New Mexico Tech), 801Leroy Place, 6-10pm • December 5: Albuquerque, AlbuquerqueConvention Center, 401 2nd St. NW, 11am-3pm, 6-10pm • December 6: Los Alamos, Mesa Public Library, 2400 CentralAvenue, 10:30am-2:30pm • December 6: Santa Fe, ChavezCommunity Center, 3221 Rodeo Rd., 6-10pmFor more information and to fill out your vision statement for2030, please visit our website at www.nuclearactive.org.

Cleveland, New Mexico is a small farming commu-nity in the Mora Valley where people are still tied tothe land and are proud of their New Mexican her-

itage. Many residents have lived in the area for generations,developing deep cultural values that connect food, waterand shelter to the very essence of life. Cleveland is a historiccommunity with houses on both the State and NationalHistoric registers.

At the turn of the century the MoraValley was the breadbasket of NewMexico, and sheep herding shaped aweaving culture. The rivers spawnedan abundance of fish, and vegetablesgrew bountifully in the valley low-lands. Today Mora Valley residentsare on the cusp of modeling a sus-tainable bioregion. The Tapetes deLana weaving center trains andemploys weavers, spinners and fibercrafts folk, re-energizing traditionalsheep farming. A weekly ClevelandFarmers Market networks organicgrowers with traditional food production. And Sangre deCristo Valley Livestock Growers share information aboutanimal husbandry. There’s also a proposal to locate a bio-diesel Co-op and wind energy farms in Mora to facilitatepublic transportation between Las Vegas and Mora, and ini-tiate community grown energy solutions.

But, all this could change if Sangre de Cristo GravelProducts LLC gains approval through the New MexicoEnvironment Department [NMED] to build a gravel pit onover 50 acres of land — within a 1/2 mile of 200 people,and within 100 feet of neighborhood houses, many ofwhich are on the Historic register.

The gravel pit also cuts across two important functioningacequia systems that are hundreds of years old. Namedafter families who first settled the region, Acequia de los

Martinez and the Acequia de los Luceros, these acequiasnot only represent living links to a land based farming way of life and traditional New Mexican culture, but alsohope for a sustainable foodshed and healthy economicdevelopment.

Operating at 250 tons per hour, one truck will leave theplant every 5 minutes, threatening the foundations of his-torically registered homes and old adobes on route and

bombarding residents with a noise levelequal to living next to a jet engine airport.

Ground and surface water are also at risk.All of the Mora Valley is situated at the footof a critical watershed, where the Sangre deCristo and Pecos waters transect and feedinto the Canadian Basin. This watershedserves people’s drinking water needs all theway to the eastern edge of Oklahoma.

The solution, say some in the community,is simple. Sangre de Christo Gravel shouldset up shop in the zoned area for industri-al activity on HWY 434, on the outskirts of

Mora, where other gravel pits operate. Mora Valley resi-dents are fighting the encroachment of industrializationand development, and the cultural and environmentalstakes are high.

To help protect the Mora Valley Water/foodshed, pleasecontact the following officials:Governor Bill Richardson, Office of the Governor490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Room 400, Santa Fe, NM, 87501www.governor.state.m.us/email

New Mexico Environment Dept., Ron Curry1190 St. Francis Dr. Suite N4050, Santa Fe, NM, 87505800-219-6157

Congressman Tom Udall, 118 Bridge Street, Suite 3P.O. Box 1977, Las Vegas, NM 87701 505-454-8824

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

FOOD • BEVERAGES • HOME-BAKED GOODIESNON-CORPORATE & LOCALLY MADE GIFTS$8-10 suggested donation for adults/$3.00 children

Benefits the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice

Donations of warm men’s clothing, jeans, hats, coats, gloves,backpacks, sleeping bags and blankets gratefully accepted

at the gala for St. Martin’s Hospitality Center.

10th Annual CommunityHoliday GalaHARWOOD ARTS CENTER 7TH AND MOUNTAINFOR INFO CALL 268-9557

Dance to the Fabulous Musicof WAGOGO & CONRAZON SAT. DEC 9, 7PM

Celebration of Solidarity

for Peace and Justice

Protecting a Pristine Water/Foodshed

Mora Val ley: Industr ial ization or Sustainable Future

The proposalwill impact New Mexicoand threatenU.S. compliancewith the Nuclear Non-ProliferationTreaty.

DRINKINGTHE RIVER???ALBUQUERQUE WATER COALITION

The City of Albuquerque is planning to add treated Rio Grande waterto our city drinking water in 2008. See the Sept. Co-op Connectionarticle "What's in the Water, A Chemist's' View", discussing contami-nants of concern at www.lamontanitacoop.com. (Click on Newsletter,then on archives to get to the September 2006 article. Then scrolldown to page 4). If you are interested in educational or outreachgatherings on water quality issues, please call 266-2663.

The Rudolf Steiner Library has found a home in Albuquerque. It has severalhundred books, many by Rudolf Steiner, about the various anthroposophicalintitiatives. It can be visited by appointment, please call 823-4721.