Let’s Talk New Mexico, 8/17/25, 8am: Recent floods in Southern New Mexico washed away portions of Ruidoso just days before a horse race there was expected to bring millions of dollars and thousands of tourists to town. The wind-driven Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire in 2022 burned almost 350,000 acres in the mountains of San Miguel, Mora and Taos counties just as summer tourist season was starting. Some Hatch Valley farmers are transitioning their iconic chile fields to lower water consuming crops like cotton as the water table sinks around them.
Our state's mountains, deserts, caverns and culture draw tourists from around the world, but a changing climate and more severe weather are threatening those places and that important part of our economy. How can we protect our natural and cultural treasures from fires and floods? Should we still visit places after a disaster hits? How can rural communities that have depended on visitors endure or transition their economies in the face of climate change? Share your ideas at letstalk@kunm.org, leave a voice message by clicking the link below, or call in live at (505) 277-5866 Thursday morning at 8.
