All Neighbors in Valencia County, NM
Top Neighbors: The magic behind the mirrors
You will never have to pay to be listed as a top neighbor. Period. That important detail clarified, let's discuss how we arrive at two "top neighbors" for a given region:
Localism is a bustling collection of hyper-local communities, and the top neighbors should reflect those members who are most active. When ranking users in a given region, several factors are considered. To get your foot in the proverbial door, you need to have posted at least one "Localism" article or photo for the region.
The very best way to quickly rise to #1 is to post high-quality local content. Keeping a steady strem of incoming posts and photos will massively tilt the scales in your favor.
What doesn't count toward the top neighbor ranking? ActiveRain points and community sponsorships. The top neighbor spots will always go to the most active members in a region. We want to create a level playing field that encourages the growth of communities — talent and dedication are required to win the day.
1. wonderful, "Land of Enchantment" sunsets and rainbows to look at right outside my front door
2. plenty of water to grow a huge, food-factory-size garden, despite living in a "desert" state
3. cranes, ducks, geese, and other waterfowl hanging out in my pastures and flying overhead along the Rio Grande
4. lush pastures for my little herd of horses (a necessity for a 
5. and a cozy, old-fashioned brick house whose dutiful little woodstove and aged hardwood floors warm the cockles of my heart
appeal in district court regarding the 3/2 decision made by the County Council in January to re-zone 40 acres near the corner of John and Edmundo Roads from Agricultural Preservation (5 acre minimum) to allow a proposed subdivision of lands owned by John Whisenant and Elias Barela. This decision of the Valencia County Council was made despite nearly unanimous opposition from local residents, and also despite the county's Planning and Zoning Commission having voted 4-0 to recommend denial of the zone change request. Prior to the public hearing on the zoning request, Georgia Otero-Kirkham, who voted in favor of the zone change, refused a request that she recuse herself from the vote, since Elias Barela is her first cousin. (The commission had previously refused a similar zone change request by Whisenant alone a couple of years ago.) Local residents are concerned that the zone change would result in a loss of the community's rural character, cause potential contamination of the water table due to the large increase in septic tank density, and create a loss of aquifer recharge area in the greenbelt. Marcel Reynolds and Dr. Teresa Smith de Cherif, members of the board of the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District spoke forcefull against the zone change. Now, local residents and the Los Chavez Community Association have hired an attorney, filed a lawsuit, and are looking at months of legal wrangling in hopes of blocking this decision that they feel should never have been made.
Based on a hint from my sister, whose 3-year-old son had gotten rid of their gophers problem by stuffing a red balloon down the gopher hole, I tried the same trick on the pocket gopher(s) that had been destroying my front lawn for a year. It seemed to do the trick, but sounded too weird to be possible.
On January 21st, the 
