Nick Seibel, publisher and editor of the Silver City Daily Press, covers top stories each week on the Silver City Report. This week we hear about the Mexican gray wolf count, the City of Bayard considering what to do with new land and WNMU basketball heading to a tournament.
Susan Morée:
So, Nick, there's been a new number count for the Mexican gray wolf. Tell us about it.
Nick Seibel:
Yeah, of course. There's an annual population count that's done jointly by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The count this year was 319 wolves across the two states, which was an increase of 33 from last year's count, and also brings the population close to the threshold where the government could look at delisting it from the Endangered Species Act, which, of course, would be a major milestone. Wolf advocates are concerned, though, about the population genetic diversity in the wolf population and we talked to folks, both the conservationists and ranchers, and they both said that there really needs to be better management of the wolf reintroduction program although, as you might imagine, there were differing opinions on what exactly that management ought to look like. But, definitely, an interesting story that appeared in our Tuesday edition this week.
Susan Morée:
And Bayard purchased 675 acres. What's the town going to do with it?
Nick Seibel:
That's the million dollarquestion, isn't it? You know, Bayard has, for basically its entire history, been landlocked with Chino Mines, Freeport-McMoRan owning the land to the east and south of the community. And then all the land of the north and east of Bayard has been owned by the Foy family, who were the original founders of the city of Bayard. Last year, the family offered to sell 675 acres, basically almost all of the remainder of their ranch, to the city, and the city signed off on that purchase. Now they've contracted with a planning firm to look at exactly how they ought to use that property, and there's a survey underway now. The survey will close on March the 16th, which is coming up, and there will be a visiting workshop held March 17th at 5 p.m. at the Bayard Community Center. If you are interested in the future of that Bayard property, you can find the link to that survey on our website.
Susan Morée:
And the Mustangs are going to a basketball tournament. Tell us about it.
Nick Seibel:
Yeah, it's a big, big deal. Of course, under Coach Drangmeister back in the 1980s, Western basketball had huge success going to the NAIA tournament three times. But in the current era, NCAA Division II, this is the first time, that Mustang basketball has been to the NCAA tournament. They’re one of 64 teams that received invitations to play. It’s a huge deal for the university and that basketball program, which has had just an amazing season, 25 and 7 overall this season. Their first game in the tournament will be coming up at the Burg Center in Dallas, Texas. They'll be playing on Saturday evening against number five St. Edwards. And so an awful lot of folks from Silver City and Grant County and Western alums everywhere are going to be tuned in for that.
Susan Morée:
And where can readers find these stories, Nick?
Nick Seibel:
You can find us online 24/7 at scdailypress.com.
Susan Morée:
All right, thanks so much.
Nick Seibel:
Have a great one.
