NEW MEXICO

Biologists keep close eye on wandering Mexican wolf

ALBUQUERQUE — Northern New Mexico or bust — that seems to be the case for at least one Mexican gray wolf that is intent on wandering beyond the boundaries set for managing the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America.

Federal and state wildlife managers confirmed on Nov. 2 that the endangered female wolf has traveled north of Interstate 40 and beyond a recovery zone that spans parts of southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. It was documented crossing the interstate west of Albuquerque last week and most recently was tracked to a mountainous area west of Jemez Springs.

This marks the second time the wolf — identified as F2754 — has ventured north. It reached the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Taos, New Mexico, last winter before it was caught and released back into the wild in Arizona.

Both state and federal wildlife managers said they were monitoring the wolf’s movements and have yet to decide whether it will be captured again and relocated.

Environmentalists were excited about the wolf’s journey, saying the animals have a natural inclination to roam and that this illustrates the species can thrive outside what they consider arbitrarily designated boundaries in New Mexico and Arizona.

Ranchers in New Mexico and Arizona who have long complained that wolves are responsible for dozens of livestock deaths every year are concerned about any expansion of the wolves’ range.

The latest survey results released earlier this year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show there were at least 241 Mexican wolves roaming the southwestern U.S., marking the seventh straight year that the numbers have trended upward.

Australian hydrogen company outlines expansion, touts research

SANTA FE — An Australia-based company plans to build a campus in New Mexico to expand its research into hydrogen fuel as a heat source for industry, touting a proprietary chemical process without greenhouse gas emissions.

Hydrogen-technology research and developer Star Scientific Limited signed a letter of intent with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham while she was in Sydney attending a summit on Oct. 26 on hydrogen and the energy sector.

Andrew Horvath, global group chairman at Star Scientific, said the new facilities in Albuquerque would scale up research and development of its hydrogen technology for generating heat.

Horvath said the company is developing a chemical catalyst system for use in combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce heat directly, with water as a byproduct. The system is different from hydrogen fuel cells that provide electricity, he said.

The New Mexico governor’s office said in a statement that the company is looking to acquire enough land to place up to 10 buildings for laboratory research, testing and eventual manufacturing, and possibly qualify for public incentives that underwrite infrastructure investments and job training.

Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, has enthusiastically embraced support for hydrogen-energy ventures to create local jobs. But there’s been concern and criticism from environmentalists who say hydrogen presents its own pollution and climate risks depending on production methods and precautions against leaks.

UTAH

Former county clerk is accused of shredding, mishandling ballots

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Utah prosecutors have charged a former county clerk with three felonies and other counts for allegedly shredding and otherwise mishandling ballots from the 2020 and 2022 elections.

The alleged misdeeds involved ballots cast by about 5,000 voters in Juab County, a desert area of west-central Utah with about 12,000 residents.

Former Juab County Clerk/Auditor Alaina Lofgran is accused of allowing ballots to be shredded soon after the 2022 election in violation of a law requiring their preservation for at least 22 months. The law is for aiding recounts.

Lofgran also improperly stored ballots from the 2020 election, keeping them in a basement storage room accessible by multiple county employees and easily visible, prosecutors allege in charging documents filed in Utah state court on Nov. 2.

State law requires ballots and election returns to be locked in a safe and secure place.

A Republican, Lofgran was Juab County clerk from 2015 to this year. She did not seek reelection in 2022.

The charges followed a 2022 lawsuit against Juab and several other Utah counties seeking 2020 election records. During the lawsuit, a state judge told Lofgran to preserve records from the 2020 election, according to the charging document.

Mormon church sued over how it uses tithing contributions

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A federal lawsuit filed on Oct. 31 alleges The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints investment arm misused hundreds of thousands of dollars donated by three men by investing the money instead of using it for charitable purposes as they claim was promised.

The legal action brings more scrutiny about how the faith known widely as the Mormon church handles its vast financial holdings bolstered by so-called “tithing” from by members who contribute 10% of their income. The church doesn’t publicly disclose details about its finances.

This new lawsuit against the business and investment entities under the church in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City is similar to one filed in federal court in California by James Huntsman, brother of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr., that recently scored a partial success on appeal and remains pending. That lawsuit seeks the return of $5 million he donated before he left the church.

In February, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fined the church and Ensign Peak $5 million for using shell companies to obscure the size of the investment portfolio under church control. The church agreed to pay $1 million and Ensign Peak will pay $4 million.

Church officials didn’t immediately respond for comment on the lawsuit.

The church has previously defended how it handles member contributions, calling Huntsman’s claims baseless while claiming contributions go to a variety of religious purposes including missionary work, education, humanitarian causes and construction of churches, temples and other buildings important to church work.

At issue in both lawsuits is whether the church’s investments in stocks, bonds, real estate and agriculture reflect the wishes of its donors.

The lawsuit is filed by Daniel Chappell, of Virginia, and Masen Christensen and John Oaks, both of Utah. They claim the three of them combined have donated about $350,000 to the church over the past decade. Their lawsuit seeks class-action certification, potentially involving millions of church members, and an independent entity to oversee collection and use of church donations.

ARIZONA

Cattle grazing ruin endangered birds’ habitat, lawsuit says

TUCSON — Two environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the federal Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for allegedly failing to protect the habitat for two endangered species of birds along Arizona’s Gila River.

The Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon Society said damage from cattle grazing is decimating the streams that the southwestern willow flycatcher and western yellow-billed cuckoo rely on.

The lawsuit filed on Oct. 31 in U.S. District Court in Tucson targets seven grazing allotments spanning 15 miles of the river downstream from Coolidge Dam.

The environmental groups said field surveys this year and in 2022 documented open gates, downed fences and extensive damage to the Gila River’s riparian vegetation.

Officials with the Center for Biological Diversity said they filed two notices of intent to sue the agencies following the surveys, but cattle grazing continued along the river that extends into New Mexico.

They said up to 75% of Arizona’s resident wildlife species depend on riparian areas for their survival.

The Gila River is a nearly 650-mile-long tributary of the Colorado River and flows through parts of Arizona and New Mexico.

Calls to the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service seeking comment on the lawsuit weren’t immediately returned.