Tom Udall on Climate Change, International Folk Art Market, Human Trafficking in NM

This week on New Mexico in Focus, environmental correspondent Laura Paskus speaks with outgoing Senator Tom Udall about the struggle for action on climate change during his final 18 months in the U.S. Senate. Paskus also takes viewers along for this month’s installment of Our Land, as she examines the effort to build a network of backyard wildlife sanctuaries across New Mexico’s urban landscape. The spaces can create a surprisingly serene refuge for animals and people.

 

NMiF travels to Santa Fe to look at the work being done by hordes of volunteers at this weekend’s International Folk Art Market.  Many of those who work at the event are participating in “voluntourism,” where people make their vacation plans based on a volunteer opportunity. The market counts nearly 1,800 people as volunteers.

 

Gene Grant and the Line opinion panelists delve into wealthy financier and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico connections and the broader issue of human trafficking in our state. The group also looks at how to balance the economic benefits of nuclear waste storage and fossil fuel extraction with protecting New Mexico’s land and citizens. The Line’s final topic is the lawsuit brought by some former employees of Meow Wolf, accusing the creative arts collective of gender discrimination.

 

Host:    Gene Grant   

Correspondent:
Laura Paskus

Studio Guest:
Sen. Tom Udall, (D) New Mexico

Field Guests:
Laurel Ladwig, graduate student, UNM Geography and Environmental Studies
Judith Phillips, garden designer
Stuart Ashman, CEO, International Folk Art Market
Sandy Wylie, Associate Director, International Folk Art Market

Line Panelists:
Merritt Allen, Vox Optima LLC
Stephanie Maez, ProgressNow New Mexico
Kristelle Siarza, Siarza Social Digital
Harry Van Buren, UNM Anderson School of Management