++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #226
August 6, 2004
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Subscriber:

Unfinished business --

The Newsletter published a story a couple of weeks ago about an
Alamogordo veterinarian that was arrested by an agent of the
Fish and Game Department for "possessing a deer out of season."
We received emails from readers that thought it was some kind
of joke. It was no joke.

Synopsizing the story for those of you that may have missed it,
the fawn was brought to the vet's office when it was found on a
road near Cloudcroft. The vet notified Fish and Game that he
had the baby deer in his clinic and since it seemed ill, he was
treating it with hydrating fluids (giving it an intravenous
drink, so to speak).

An agent for Fish and Game went to the vet's office and wanted
to know who brought in the fawn. The vet told the officer he 
would turn that information over to him only with a warrant 
issued by a judge requiring the information. At that point, 
according to our sources, the vet was arrested.

The incident evidently embarrassed both Fish and Game and the
Otero County District Attorney's office...both of whom had to
deal officially with the arrest. Both offices apologized to the
vet and the Fish and Game officer that made the arrest was 
signed up for a course in dealing with the public.

Good idea, since he carries a side arm.

I understand and support the edict of Fish and Game to prevent
persons from capturing wild animals and trying to turn them into
pets. I personally know a squirrel that lives in the trees
across the road from where I live. I watch him running through
the trees just about every day. When he sees me he chatters like
squirrels do. He says to me wouldn't you like to run through the
treetops like me? and I tell him I'm having a hamburger and 
fries for supper and all you're having is nuts.

I and that squirrel admire each other from a distance. It would
be extremely rude of me to trap him and put him in a cage for my
own amusement. It seldom works out well for the person or the
pet.

Yet this was obviously not a case of trying to turn a fawn into
a pet. The person that found the fawn had some experience with
animals. She made the judgment call that the fawn's mother was
not nearby and, being near a roadway, the fawn was in danger of
being road-kill.

I suppose she could have just driven on and let fate take its
course. According the the rules established by Fish and Game,
that's what she was supposed to do, but she chose not to. I
guess she broke some kind of law, but what she was guilty of 
was having a heart.

I think I would have done the same thing.

Our sources indicate this was a matter of egos. The vet's
refusal to arbitrarily cooperate with the Fish and Game officer
turned into a contest of wills. The officer over-stepped his
authority. The vet was within his legal rights to require a
warrant for the information the officer wanted. An arrest was
not called for. That's not just my assumption. That's the
attitude of the District Attorney's office as well.

This brings into focus a whole bucketload of questions.

Are Fish and Game officers trained well enough to be placed
among us with a gun on their hip? Are they given enough
training in jurisprudence or do they have the collective
attitude that they'll make arrests now and ask legal questions
later? I don't think law-enforcement officers in any agency
should have to be touchy-feely, but they need to have a basic
knowledge of legal rights.

I think the officer made a mistake. He probably realizes that
by now. I'm not here to rub his nose in it. That's why I
haven't used names in this article. Could be, out of this
experience, this officer will turn into one of the best
officers Fish and Game has.

We can only hope.

-o-

Patsy Cornelius has lived in the Cloudcroft area for a little
over a year. She and her husband Al have gone through many of
the nightmares that come with building your dream home. Patsy
is tenacious and not afraid to tackle any job. She wants her
house to be what she always dreamed of. Many of us can
identify with that.

She fell off a ladder Saturday. She broke some bones. She's
in Gerald Champion. Don't call her...just send her ladders.

Not letters. Ladders. Ladder plants. Ladder flowers. Ladder
poems. Ladder get well cards. Whatever.

I want Patsy to see so many ladders she won't want to get on
another one.

Don Vanlandingham
Cloudcroft.com

----------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
----------------------------------------------------------------
1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. VILLAGE NEWS
3. INSIDE THE SHOP -- CANYON TREE HOUSE
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- MOUNTAIN TIMES NEWSPAPER
5. Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
6. COMING EVENTS
7. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
8. CONTACT INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------------------------
LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
----------------------------------------------------------------
A good rain Friday (0.12"). Otherwise a cloudy but dry week.
Total rain this calendar year 12.36".

High this week was noon Tuesday (8-3) -- 75 degrees.
Low this week was 5am Friday (7-30) -- 44 degrees.

For instant real-time Cloudcroft weather stats, go to
Cloudcroft.com, scroll down to the weather info link in the
left margin and click on it. It's free.
----------------------------------------------------------------
VILLAGE NEWS
----------------------------------------------------------------
The body found near Cloudcroft in March has been identified as
that of Margaret Pointer, an Alamogordo resident missing since
November of 1987. While the death has been listed as a homicide,
no leads in the case were reported.
----------------------------------------------------------------
INSIDE THE SHOP -- CANYON TREE HOUSE
----------------------------------------------------------------
Canyon Tree Houses I and II are conveniently located for your
summer and winter activities. They are comfortable, beautifully
decorated, fully-equipped homes. Canyon Tree I has 2 bedrooms, 2
baths and sleeps up to 8. Canyon Tree II has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath
and sleeps up to 4. Both have phone, TV, VCR, BBQ grills and
nice decks. Everything you need including linens, toiletries,
firewood, dishes, spices and small appliances are supplied.
Reasonable prices with reduced rates for monthly and weekly
rentals. Call 505-687-4114 or 707-786-9654 or see the link to
our web site on the lodging page of Cloudcroft.com:

http://www.cloudcroft.com/lodging.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------
CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- MOUNTAIN TIMES NEWSPAPER
----------------------------------------------------------------
Based in Timberon.

http://www.mountaintimes.net/

----------------------------------------------------------------
Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
----------------------------------------------------------------
Q - There hasn't been a Cloudcroft Village Council report in
the newsletter lately.

A - At the risk of sounding a little like a politician, we have
re-evaluated our policy of covering village meetings.

Our staff is me. When we began covering village council
meetings we enlisted the help of a reporter/stringer. When that
plan fell through we covered a couple of meetings ourselves, 
but scheduling conflicts have kept us from being consistent.

There is also the issue of coverage of other village meetings
such as school board, chamber of commerce, etc. If we are going
to cover one it only stands to reason that we should cover them
all. We simply do not have the manpower.

We will attempt to bring you news of significance from village
meetings when situations warrant.
----------------------------------------------------------------
COMING EVENTS
----------------------------------------------------------------
August 7 -- Otero County Electric annual meeting. Cloudcroft
High School Gym.

August 5-8 -- Gathering Of Circles. www.GatheringOfCircles.com.

August 12 -- Cloudcroft Art Society. 5:30pm. Old Red School
House.

August 13 -- Cloudcroft Methodist Preschool registration.
9am -12pm. Cloudcroft Methodist Church.

September 3 -- Cloudcroft Labor Day Fiesta

September 4 -- James Canyon Auction & BBQ. Party Barn in
Cloud Country Club (Highway 82 near mile marker 27). Dinner
begins a 5pm, Auction at 7pm, and dance at 9pm.

September 11 -- White Sands Star Party.

September 18 -- Lumberjack day. Cloudcroft.

September 18, 19 -- Run to the Aspens Car Show. Cloudcroft.

September 18, 19 -- White Sands Hot Air Balloon Invitational.
7am both days.

September 19 -- Gary Johnson’s Cloudcroft Run. World’s highest
certified 10k run. For more information call 505-687-2133.

September 25 -- Mountain Garden Club Style Show.

October 2, 3 -- Oktoberfest. Cloudcroft. Aspencade tours.

November 27 -- Beginning of Christmas in Cloudcroft and Santa
Land.

Cloudcroft Art Society meets the second Thursday of each month,
5:30-7pm, in the Old Red Brick School House.

Would you like to help deliver meals to the homebound around
Cloudcroft? Monday through Friday deliveries. Call the
Cloudcroft Senior Center at (505)-682-3022. For information on
other Senior Center services, see their web site, listed on the
Cloudcroft.com Links button.

http://www.cloudcroft.com/links.htm

Mountain Garden Club meets every third Monday of each month.
Call (505) 682-2910 for more information.

Senior Van from Timberon to Alamogordo leaves the Timberon
Lodge promptly at 8:30 every Tuesday morning.

Free Vitals Clinic. Cloudcroft Senior Citizens Center, every
Wednesday. High Rolls Senior Citizens Center, first Thursday
of each month.

----------------------------------------------------------------
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Newsletter:

One way to keep bees from hummingbird feeders is to apply PLAIN
Crisco to the yellow budlet that they drink through. It has to
be cleaned up about once a week and put more Crisco back on. 
The bees do not like to have sticky feet.
 
Ray W. Genuske
Cloudcroft, NM

----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Newsletter:

The question about bees at hummingbird feeders is easy to 
solve. 

It is recommended that you do not put out Hummingbird feeders. 
The birds get accustomed to feeding at your house, then when 
you go away, and the feeders are empty the birds don't know 
where to go and can die. Please for the sake of the birds don't
put out feeders with artificial contents. Do the birds a favor. 
You will then solve the bees problem.

Sincerely,
Andy Hospodar

----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Newsletter:

I just love your animal stories.....they make me smile, laugh, 
and cry.

I recently saved a sweet little golden retriever "Dakota Blue"
from a terrible fate. Of course, my older golden "Savannah 
Nicole" was not too keen to the idea; she has been the princess
of our home for the last six years. However, she has grown to
love her new little brother and I am so very thankful for these
two sweet babies in my life.

Keep the stories acomin'!

Love from Texas!
Penny Evans
Ft. Worth 

----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Newsletter:

I remember the years when we used to go to the DUMP in 
Cloudcroft with a spotlight on my daddy's car to watch the 
bear gather at dusk. 

That was just 40 years ago. It was our favorite pastime.

DM
Lubbock, TX (transplanted Alamo kid)

----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Newsletter:

I have been reading the current issue with delight. I'm a 
retired American who has now lived in the United Kingdom for 
22 years now. Circumstances (mostly the terrible value of the 
dollar on the foreign exchange market) are finally forcing me 
home--home being Colorado. That is, Gunnison and Colorado 
Springs. 

I am currently planing on an end-September arrival in 
Cloudcroft. I expect to undergo a fair degree of "reverse" 
culture shock. I am, however, like many in your area and avid 
amateur astronomer, and look forward to the dark skies of your 
locale. Indeed, if any of your readers are aware of guaranteed 
dark sky properties on the market, I'd be delighted to hear 
from them.

I read the bear stories with some trepidation, but laughed my
head off at the description of the dogs chasing the bear 
followed by the owner chasing the dogs. Wonderful! Cute as a 
little black bear can be, I am nonetheless fully aware of the 
mess they can cause.

I am equally delighted to read of the number of senior services
there. I'm not ancient, but youth was nonetheless long ago. 
Fortunately, my brother-in-law's son owns a ranch in the 
general area and a discussion with him today satisfied many of 
my questions. Also, several of the "world class" amateur 
astronomers there are at least email "friends, so it wont be 
like going to a place where I know no-one. I'm also delighted 
with the number of events that seem to go on there on a weekly 
basis. Lynn and Mike Rice--especially Lynn have been of great 
help to me. Thanks, folks!

And you know one thing I really look forward to for the first 
time in 22 years? A real Texas BBQ--and a great omelet. I 
look forward to meeting many of you. Now all I need is a place
to live!

Bob Genung
Norfolk, UK

----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Newsletter:

We have had lots of bear sightings in Cloud Country Estates. 

We were up at our cabin July 21-25 and saw 7 of the 8 bears 
that seem to have taken up residence there. They are tearing 
up bird feeders-love the sunflower seeds and hummingbird 
feeders-gotta have dessert! We usually leave corn out for the
deer but the bears love it too. 

One ate for an hour and then laid down for his nap! The mother
bear and twin cubs came by for supper and loved the corn-one of
the cubs was more adventurous and climbed a tree up to our 
upper deck and was eating the sunflower seeds.

I came around the corner to take a picture of the bears below
and came face to face with the little cute(but dangerous) 
rascal--I yelled-he kept eating and finally we shooed him back
down since Momma was "calling" him. There's also one everyone 
calls 3 Paw--he's fast even with his crippled paw. 

Then Sunday morning another one was just out for his morning 
stroll up our street. Our kids and grandkids are out there now
and have had sightings everyday. They're cute but everyone 
please quit feeding them and be careful.

I love bears so please don't think I'm being cruel--I love my
grandkids more and don't want anyone hurt. We named our cabin 
Running Bear Lodge so we also respect them. They are wild 
animals--don't domesticate by feeding them!

PS-love your newsletter-it keeps me sane on Fridays when I have
to venture out in this metroplex traffic to get home to
Weatherford--sometimes I just want to keep traveling west. But,
alas I must work to have the cabin in the beautiful Sacremento 
Mountains.

Sherry
Weatherford, TX/
Mayhill, NM

----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Newsletter:

It seems that Cloudcroft, and other towns like it, have a
problem with bears looking for food. Reminds me of the "Yogi
Bear" cartoon. Yogi was always trying to outsmart the Forest
Ranger who was trying to stop him from stealing picnic baskets. 

It saddens me greatly to think the bears have to be killed 
(regardless of their age) because they are hungry and looking 
for food in all the wrong places. How sad indeed. I feel 
certain that Game & Fish and all other law enforcement people
with guns have been given a mandate to "shoot on site" any 
bear they see. 

I say this because it is so much easier and less costly to 
shoot them and not worry about their being a nuisance rather 
than to relocate them. Even if they were to trap them to
relocate them, where could they put them where they would be 
safe? There are people everywhere. They would eventually become
a nuisance again and have to be shot.

I wish there was an easy, simple, safe solution to this 
problem. I don't know of any, other than to have a bear zoo and
feed them until they die. But this isn't really living, is it? 
It's imprisonment.

All I can say is, please don't encourage bears to come around 
people by leaving food out for your pets. Also, as much as I 
like hummingbirds and enjoy feeding them, the bears like that 
sweet nectar in the bird feeders,too. Once they discover it, 
they will come back again and again.

I would also like to say that the pictures of bears in your 
newsletter are great, but they also inform people with guns as 
to where the bears are, and they probably won't waste any time 
going out there to shoot them.

How sad indeed!

J. W.
Cloudcroft

================================================================
CONTACT INFORMATION
================================================================
TO UNSUBSCRIBE
To unsubscribe, email: unsubscribe@cloudcroft.com
You MUST put Unsubscribe in the Subject line.
----------------------------------------------------------------
TO SUBSCRIBE
To subscribe, go to
http://www.cloudcroft.com/subscribe.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------
BOUNCED EMAILS
If email to an address bounces (returns to us), that email
address is automatically deleted from our mailing list. If you
cease getting this newsletter suddenly, probably your provider
bounced your newsletter. This can happen when a provider is too
busy or is shutdown for some reason. If this happens to you, 
just revisit our site and re-add your email address to our list.
----------------------------------------------------------------
SUGGESTIONS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
If you have comments or suggestions for this newsletter, please 
direct them to: newsletter@cloudcroft.com
You MUST put CC-Editor in the Subject line.
----------------------------------------------------------------
PAST ISSUES
http://www.cloudcroft.com/newsletters.htm
================================================================
Please feel free to pass this newsletter along to your friends.
However, we ask that you keep it intact and forward it in
its entirety.