Celebrating the Legacies of New Mexico’s Eco Heroes

“It is crucial you take care of the earth.”
—Message from Stewart Udall in his final days, directed to the conservation community, as related by Karin Schaufele, who cared for Stuart during his last 18 months.

“Stewart Udall is the greatest American conservationist since Teddy Roosevelt.”
—Bruce Babbitt, 7/20/2010.

New Mexico lost three of its most respected conservationists this year. Most recently, Stewart Udall helped us to save the Valles Caldera. His son Tom Udall, I am sure, will help us gain the full protection it needs as a National Park. It was evident from the many speakers and large audience this Father’s day at a Celebration of the Life and Legacy of the senior Udall that he touched folks in many ways, from recognition of the damage to the health of Navajo uranium miners to the hiring of the first black ranger in the park service. His sibling Burr Udall did point out he had a weakness – he was poorly focused on farming, with his horse team frequently returning to the barn on its own soon after he started to plow the fields.

Marilyn Cooper was New Mexico’s first licensed female building contractor. I met her at a training seminar in Albuquerque, whose focus was about the planet needing a goal of a sustainable human population. She shared my belief that we needed to do as much as we could to educate about family planning – focusing especially on women around the world. Her own beautiful business headquarters was the place where we met. I recall her commenting to me that, after she let young folks from around the country occupy her office while they were in Albuquerque to knock on doors in support of conservation-minded Democratic candidates, she needed to spend over $10,000 to rehabilitate the premises.

Gail Ryba was an alternative energy and biking advocate. She was the only person I have ever met who could clearly explain a complex energy regulatory issue in 5 or 10 minutes. It is fitting to have the new bike bridge across the Rio Grande in Albuquerque named in her memory. Gail’s path to a new energy economy will be one we will be following for many years. We can all take inspiration from the qualities and focus of these environmental heroes. —John Buchser, Chair, Rio Grande Chapter