Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast

This week’s episode features an interview with Cynthia Barnett, author of books like Rain: A Natural and Cultural History and The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans. Andy and Laura also talk about the upcoming special session of the New Mexico Legislature — and about Heath Haussamen’s coverage of Project Jupiter. We’ll have Haussamen on a future episode, but in the meantime check out some of his recent work, linked below.Meanwhile, Laura was happy to spend some time on Saturday with Cynthia Barnett, who was in Albuquerque to deliver the annual Leopold Lecture, as part of The Leopold Writing Program. During her talk at Los Poblanos on Sunday, Barnett spoke about Luna Leopold, son of Aldo and Estella Leopold, who was born in Albuquerque in 1915 — and about his “water ethic.”In our conversation, we talk about rain, rivers, reverence, and more. (And if you listen closely, you’ll hear some busy birds, including a spotted towhee….)Links to learn more: Cynthia BarnettThe Leopold Writing ProgramSociety of Environmental JournalistsCounty releases Project Jupiter NDAs as pressure mounts, Heath HaussamenProject Jupiter’s lesson: We must build local community, Heath HaussamenChicagoans Avoided Their ‘Filthy’ River for Years. On Sunday, They Swam in It. (New York Times)Want to Swim in the Seine This Summer? Paris Says There’s Still Time. (New York Times)Music credits: Intro/theme song: Get Through It (Instrumental) by Neu Song. Alaska (Instrumental) by Tyler CainThanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast!You can find us on Substack, Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com.And p.s. here’s one of the frogs Laura saw in Connecticut…. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

We’re back with author and professor Ryan Swanson!What more did we have to talk about? In a nutshell: Soccer, systems, community, and justice.More specifically, we talk about:* Shame in college soccer, around different rules and ethics and what Swanson notes is an interesting tension in soccer to win and play it the “right way.”* Who helped the players navigate their possible futures while Coach Jeremy Fishbein tried to save the team? (Hint: assistant coaches Mike Graczyk and Kelly Altman)* Title IX and why the University of New Mexico is still out of compliance (even though that was one of the reasons given for cutting the men’s soccer team).* Why he wrote the book, and how UNM has reacted to it.* UNM’s struggle within the larger context of college sports, and what radical reform might look like (and did look like at places like the University of Chicago and Vanderbilt University).* Correlations between New Mexico United and the UNM men’s soccer team. Plus, more on New Mexico United and that team’s future — and the role it could play in the state.* The bummer of youth soccer … Did you know New Mexico is 50th in terms of youth sports activities?* The segregation of youth soccer in New Mexico and across the United States — and the growth of the club sport system, which Swanson calls a “net negative for society as a whole.”Music credits: Get Through it (Instrumental), Neu Song Thanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast!You can find us on Substack, Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

This week, we feature a conversation with University of New Mexico Professor Ryan Swanson about his new book, “A Beautiful Shame: One Team's Fight for Survival in a New Era of College Sports.”Swanson embedded with the UNM men’s soccer team during its final season — and he dives into the story of how and why UNM cut the program in 2018. It’s a sports story, but also a story of New Mexico politics. (Like, for real. Take a listen. Even if you don’t care about sports.)And watch out for the second part of the interview, when we nerd out even more about things like the NCAA, Title IX, the Mountain West Conference, New Mexico politics, and so much more. Music credits: Get Through it (Instrumental), Neu Song and Push (Instrumental), Matthew L. FisherThanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast!You can find us on Substack, Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

This week, we talk about the U.S. - Mexico border and the militarization of the borderlands with photojournalist Justin Hamel. We also talk about the upcoming special session of the New Mexico Legislature, which will start on Oct. 1.Hamel currently works for The Waco Bridge, but prior to that, he’d been reporting from the borderlands since 2018. That means he reported through the first Trump administration, the Biden administration, and the beginning of the second Trump presidency. He talks about what he’s seen along the way, and humanizes some of the abstractions for people who think about policy instead of people. (And reminds us that concertina wire isn’t just some kind of decoration…)Also mentioned in the podcast:Deaths in the New Mexico desert surge after Texas’ border crackdown reaches El Paso (Uriel J. García, Texas Tribune, Patrick Lohmann, Yuriko Schumacher, Texas Tribune and Photos by Justin Hamel) NM Gov announces Oct. 1 special session on federal cuts to healthcare, nutrition, public media (Patrick Lohmann, Source NM)A few weeks ago, we shared an interview with Charlie Barrett of Oilfield Witness. That nonprofit was featured in a really good recent story from Inside Climate News and ProPublica, Trump Says America’s Oil Industry Is Cleaner Than Other Countries’. New Data Shows Massive Emissions From Texas Wells.Music credits: Get Through it (Instrumental) by Neu Song and Mirror Mirrow (Instrumental) by Juniper ValeThanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast! You can find us on Substack, Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

This week, we feature an interview with Charlie Barrett. He’s an ecologist and has worked as a wildland firefighter, and he’s a thermographer with Oilfield Witness. Laura interviewed him earlier this summer about what he sees down in the Permian Basin — and what New Mexico is, and isn’t, doing when it comes to addressing climate change.According to Oilfield Witness, they’re a group of “methane hunters” and organizers who use optical gas imaging technology to track and expose the unseen emissions from the oil and gas industry. They’ve done work in the San Juan and Permian basins here in New Mexico — and also exposed that xAI in Memphis is emitting plumes of nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, and fine particulate matter.Also mentioned in this podcast:New Mexico News PortLast dance for the lesser prairie chicken? Endangered species listing is vacated (Santa Fe New Mexican)Homeland Sec. Noem visits NM, says Trump wants border wall painted black (Danielle Prokop, Source NM)Wildlife and the Border Wall (2019, NMPBS)NM Republicans — and one Democrat — tour Otero ICE Detention Center (Patrick Lohmann, Source NM)Advocates raise alarm after feds kill a Mexican gray wolf blamed for ranch conflicts (John Leos, The Arizona Republic)Thanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast! You can find us on Substack, Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com.Music credits: Get Through it (Instrumental) by Neu Song and Mirror Mirrow (Instrumental) by Juniper Vale This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

hey everyone!We’re back, after spending some quality summertime hours with our kids instead of working on a podcast on top of our regular jobs!Over the next few weeks, we’ve got some great interviews lined up on topics including oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, reporting on the border, and a new book out about sports…Meanwhile, this week, Andy set out to learn about what it means — in practice — that New Mexico has legalized the medical use of psilocybin. He spoke with the University of New Mexico’s Dr. Lawrence Leeman. Andy and Laura also catch up with each other — and on the news. (And heap praise on friends over at KUNM, who work super hard to bring New Mexicans the news.) For more information:Why our state bird loves it here (Mia Casas, KUNM)New Mexico’s rivers need their waters (Source NM)Rio Grande dry for 10-mile stretch in Albuquerque (Mark Haslett, KUNM)Amid strong opposition, New Mexico water board lets plan for more oil and gas wastewater use proceed (Danielle Prokop, Source NM)Federal agency finding clears path for construction to begin on divisive LANL power transmission line (Alaina Mencinger, Santa Fe New Mexican)The UNM Duck Pond returns: Beloved landmark to reopen in August (UNM press release)Watering recommendations from 505 Outside from the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility AuthorityInformation on providing water for wildlife: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-provide-water-wildlifeAnd of course, the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast thinks it stinks that a federal judge has agreed with the Trump administration and stripped Endangered Species Act protections from the lesser prairie chicken. Thanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast!You can find us on Substack, Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com.Music credits: Get Through it (instrumental), Neu Song; Glitch Fidelity (instrumental), Marscott This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

This week, you’ll hear an interview with New Mexico legend and poet, V.B. Price and a conversation with photojournalist Diana Cervantes. Barrett and Laura talk about a lot of things, including his actor father being “graylisted” during the McCarthy era and what participating in a war economy does to your sense of right and wrong. And Diana talks with Andy and Laura about storytelling through a lens, the challenges of photojournalism — and the need for joy and whimsey. For further reading:North American Monsoon Drought Status Update: https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/north-american-monsoon-drought-status-update-2025-06-30V.B. Price’s Mercury Messenger: https://mercmessenger.com/Books by V.B. Price: https://www.vbprice.com/booksDiana Cervantes: https://dianalcervantes.com/Mark Holm remembrance: https://dreamranch.blog/2017/06/11/friend-and-teacher-to-us-all/“Placitas Wild: Amid, Rancor, Advocates Scramble to Find Homes for Wild Horses”: https://dianalcervantes.com/placitas-wild-amid-rancor-advocates-scramble-to-find-homes-for-wild-horses“A Lighthouse Keeper Hangs Up Her Bonnet”: https://dianalcervantes.com/a-lighthouse-keeper-hangs-up-her-bonnet“The Lady of the Pigeons”: https://dianalcervantes.com/the-lady-of-the-pigeonsThanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast!You can find us on Substack, Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com.Music credits: Get Through it (instrumental), Neu Song; Glitch Fidelity (instrumental), Marscott This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

Decision makers have had the facts on climate change for a long, long time. And yet…? On this week’s show, climate activists Jonathan Juarez-Alonzo & Feleecia Guillen sit down with Laura Paskus to talk about their work at YUCCA and why New Mexico isn’t leading the way on climate action. Plus, Rep. Angelica Rubio (D-Doña Ana) explains why she came back to social media after the protests in Los Angeles. She also discusses the beauty and joy of the U.S.-Mexico border — and how bikes bring people together. And, Andy and Laura highlight (and link to!) some of the important stories on immigration in New Mexico right now. You can find us on Substack, Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com.Music credits: Get Through it (Instrumental), Neu Song; Rippling Dessert (Instrumental), Another Brick; New Kids (Instrumental), More Like Georgia.For further reading:ICE arrested an Albuquerque man. He ended up in the hospital. Now no one knows where he is. (Patrick Lohmann, Source NM)Deaths in the New Mexico desert surge after Texas’ border crackdown reaches El Paso (Uriel J. García, Texas Tribune, Patrick Lohmann, Yuriko Schumacher, Texas Tribune and photos by Justin Hamel)Albuquerque-based company a big-time player in ICE deportation flights (Cathy Cook and Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal)Meet the ICE Contractor Running Deportation Flights (Project on Government Oversight)YUCCA (Youth United for Climate Crisis Action) In Democratic New Mexico, Oil and Gas Legislation Doesn’t Pass (Jerry Redfern, Capital & Main)In New Mexico, Democrats Strike an Oil and Gas Gusher: ‘Money Buys Access’ (Jerry Redfern, Capital & Main)New Mexico State Rep. Angelica Rubio (D-Doña Ana) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

In their full conversation, Andy Lyman and Hakim Bellamy talk about poetry, activism, community, and more. Music: Own Way (Instrumental), BAP and Glitch Fidelity (Instrumental), MarscottThanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast!You can also find us on Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

On this week’s show, Andy Lyman talks with Hakim Bellamy, who will be familiar to lots of listeners. He was the inaugural Poet Laureate of Albuquerque and is an actor, facilitator, author, and all-around amazing person. AND, he just graduated from the University of New Mexico’s School of Law. Bellamy talks about activism, “bullet-proofing” legislation, love for New Mexico — and, he shares a new poem.Later in the show, Laura Paskus talks with the founder of the Albuquerque Backyard Refuge Program about how to make your yard more wildlife-friendly (it’s easy! it’s cheap!) and why being a part of a community project like this one feels so good. Since we taped this episode on Monday morning, the Trump administration has sent U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. For more reporting on that, we suggest the links below.For more information on (almost) everything mentioned in the show:LAPD pushes to quell unrest downtown as legal battles heat up over Marine activation (LA Times)Live Updates: Marines Arrive in L.A. After Night of Muted Protests (New York Times)Fake Images and Conspiracy Theories Swirl Around L.A. Protests (New York Times)Attacks on the Press, and the Specter of 2020, in LA (Columbia Journalism Review)These Could Be the Unkindest Cuts of All in the West (V.B Price, Mercury Messenger)‘The time for action is now’: Pressure mounts for negotiations over the Colorado River’s future (Colorado Sun)“Everywhere is a Gila”, 2015 poem from Hakim Bellamy (Because, just a reminder, the Gila River is a tributary to the Colorado River)Albuquerque Backyard Refuge Program: http://friendsofvalledeoro.org/abq-backyard-refuge/Thanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast!You can also find us onSpotify orApple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com.Music: Get Through it (Instrumental), Neu Song; Own Way (Instrumental), BAP; Glitch Fidelity (Instrumental), Marscott This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

This week, Andy Lyman interviews Cory Murchy, assistant director of operations at Rancho de Las Golondrinas — and bassist for Minus the Bear. We also visit with reporter Hannah Grover about some of her reporting in the Estancia Basin. And we talk about some of the important news around New Mexico (measles! hydrogen! the Torrance County Detention Facility…) And a trigger warning: Murchy briefly talks about a friend who died by suicide. For more information on the topics in this week’s show:Measles spreads to sixth New Mexico county (Source NM) https://sourcenm.com/briefs/measles-spreads-to-sixth-new-mexico-county/New Mexico Department of Health Measles Guidance: https://www.nmhealth.org/about/erd/ideb/mog/Many on Navajo Nation Blindsided by Hydrogen Pipeline Change (Jerry Redfern, Capital & Main) https://capitalandmain.com/many-on-navajo-nation-blindsided-by-hydrogen-pipeline-changeAddicted to ICE: Like a growing number of US communities, Torrance County, New Mexico, is convinced its financial survival depends on locking up immigrants. (Rachel Adams-Heard, Polly Mosendz, and Fola Akinnibi, Bloomberg) https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-addicted-to-ice-immigrant-detention-centers/Sewage flooding cells inside Torrance County ICE prison again, advocates say (Austin Fisher, Source NM) https://sourcenm.com/2025/05/02/sewage-flooding-cells-inside-torrance-county-ice-prison-again-advocates-say/Estancia residents asked to conserve water amid well issues (Hannah Grover, Abq City Desk) https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2025/05/01/estancia-residents-asked-to-conserve-water-amid-well-issues/Thanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast!You can also find us on Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

In their full conversation, Andy Lyman and Cory Murchy talk all about music, including the band Minus the Bear. They also chat about Murchy’s work at El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, PFAS and personal responsibility, and mental health.Trigger warning: Murchy briefly talks about a friend who died by suicide. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

In Episode 2 of the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast, you heard Tom Swetnam, Professor Emeritus of Dedrochronology at the University of Arizona, talk about wildfire and his hope for the future. In the full conversation, he talks about the history of fire in the Jemez Mountains and his new book, The Jemez Mountains: A Cultural and Natural History. And, he reveals the amazingness that is Soda Dam. If you live in New Mexico, there’s a good chance you’ve driven past Soda Dam on Highway 4 north of Jemez Springs. And if you’re like me, you had no idea how it formed — or that in the 1960s, the Department of Transportation cut it in two to improve the highway.For more information:The Jemez Mountains: A Cultural and Natural History, by Thomas W. SwetnamEpisode 2 of the Lesser Known New Mexico PodcastThanks for listening to the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast! You can also find us on Spotify or Apple and follow us on Instagram. And if you really want to, you can drop us a note at lesserknownnmpodcast@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

On this week’s Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast, we feature Tom Swetnam, Professor Emeritus of Dendrochronology at the University of Arizona, who talks about his hopes for the future when it comes to managing healthy fire in southwestern forests. We also sit down with High Country News correspondent Shaun Griswold (Pueblo of Laguna with Jemez and Zuni ancestry), to discuss his recent essay, “The Cybertruck is all tricks and no truck, a musky Tesla fail.”For more information:The Jemez Mountains: A Cultural and Natural History, by Thomas W. SwetnamFull interview with Swetnam: TKTrump Officials Ask Court to End Protections for a Strutting, Showy Bird (Catrin Einhorn, The New York Times)The Cybertruck is all tricks and no truck, a musky Tesla fail (Shaun Griswold, High Country News)An intimate look at New Mexico’s lowrider culture (Gabriela Campos and Don. J. Usner, High Country News) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

On our first episode of the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast, Andy Lyman (and Sully) interview New Mexico United midfielder Sergio Rivas. We also talk to New Mexico Source reporter Patrick Lohmann about the federal government’s push to bring uranium mining back to New Mexico. And, we wrap up with our friend Carlos Contreras at The Artist Factory.For more information:The Hometown Kid is Back! New Mexico United Announces Return of Sergio Rivas (NM United)Long-stalled NM uranium mines now ‘priority projects’ at Cibola Forest, leader tells employees (Patrick Lohmann, Source NM)Uranium transport through Navajo Nation sparks concerns in New Mexico (Patrick Lohmann, Source NM)Navajo advocates say prez’s approval of uranium transport, Trump coal order feels like a betrayal (Patrick Lohmann, Source NM)Find The Artist Factory on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartistfactoryabq/Hosts: Andy Lyman and Laura Paskus This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com

Reporters Andy Lyman and Laura Paskus worked together during the first Trump administration — and they know how easy it is for people to lose track of New Mexico news when everyone is overwhelmed by the national scene. They also know it’s easy for people to tune out when everything in the news is crazy or upsetting or scary.On the Lesser Known New Mexico Podcast, you’ll hear interviews from around New Mexico. Plus, there will be news, media analysis, and regular check-ins with journalists around the region. You can also follow us on Instagram.Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication and show archives. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lesserknownnmpod.substack.com