Drilling Mora County's Two Year Anniversary

January 2008-December 2009
• January 2008 --Organized concerned citizen group, Drilling Mora County
• February 2008—DMC began working as citizen group with Mora County Commission
--Work with Commission to organize a special meeting to help educate everyone on oil and gas development in Mora County.
• March 2008—Retained New Mexico Environmental Law Center for legal representation
• April 2008—Received our first grant
• May 2008-- A special meeting May 6th on oil and gas development for the people to learn about what will happen if it should come into Mora County—250 attended The panel: Johnny Micou, Common Ground United and Drilling Santa Fe; Oscar Simpson, NM Wildlife Federation; Paula Garcia, Mora Land Grant and NM Acequia Association; Don Schreiber, Rancher, Rio Arriba County; Bill Sauble, NM Cattle Growers Association; Bruce Frederick, NM Environmental Law Center; and Nick Ashcraft, NMSU, Daniel Sanchez, OCD
--Launched a letter-writing campaign on the State Trust Land going for bid in Mora County to Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons
• June 2008--Attended state land office meeting June 17th to present to the commissioner petitions to halt auction of 40,000 acres of state trust lands in Mora and Colfax Co.
-- Ran OPTIC ad regarding “Safe-keeping” of White Peak from State Trust Land auction
• September 2008—Launched a letter writing campaign regarding the State trust land leased Mora County, 13,000 acres
• February 2009—Received 2nd grant
• April 2009—Both Senator Tom Udall’s field representative and, Representative Ben Ray Lujan’s field representative began attending periodic educational, P&Z and commission meetings
• May 2009—Began bimonthly educational meetings alternating between Ocate and Mora with guest speakers at the meetings
--Began running monthly ¼ page ads in OPTIC through to the end of August 2009
• June 2009—Designed and printed bumper stickers
• July 2009--Special Commission meeting on oil and gas development for the citizens to present their views to the commission and planning and zoning –arranged by the County Manager as a result of our ad campaign
--Launched a letter-writing campaign to the Mora County Commission, Governor and our state representatives
• August 2009—Began writing a survey to send out to citizens of Mora County re: land use
• September 2009—Found and released information about Santa Fe Opera leases in San Miguel and Mora County to the media
• November 2009—Developed Alianza Tierra de Mora and the “Core Values” paper
• December 2009—NMELC began writing an oil and gas ordinance for DMC to present to the commission
ADDITIONALLY
• January 2008- December 2009 • Wrote dozens of letters to the editor,
• Wrote op ed in Santa Fe New Mexican/Albuq. Journal North,
• Wrote article in Horsefly
• Wrote multiple articles in Sierran
• Produced a bi lingual educational handout on oil/bas handout sheet—English and Spanish
• DMC core members appeared on numerous shows on KUMN,. KNMX, and Taos radio,
• Put the issue of oil and gas in front of the citizens of Mora County and San Miguel Counties
• Been an active concerned citizen group for two years