The New Mexico Xeriscape Conference is gearing up Feb. 21-22. www.xeriscapenm.com Looks like they have a bang-up crowd of speakers coming, including Lester Brown of the WorldWatch Institute, High Country Garden’s David Salman, Natural Capitalism’s Hunter Lovins and hopefully Terry Tempest Williams as keynote speaker.

In the xeriscape mode, check out this website from a St. Louis-based, family-owned business that turns old tires into mulch and playground equipment. Pretty cool website – check it out at http://www.internationalmulch.com/

In legal matters, 7^th Judicial District Judge Matthew Reynolds recently refused to reconsider his dismissal of a case filed by the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District board member Bill Turner. Reynolds said the case belongs in conservancy court in the Second Judicial District in Bernalillo. MRGCD filed the lawsuit, one of two it filed against Turner last summer. Turner is a water broker and a man who loves to ruffle feathers in New Mexico’s water world. He narrowly won election to the MRGCD board last year and has tangled with them ever since.

On July 25, a case involving the  Duke City’s Rio Grande direct diversion project goes to the New Mexico Court of Appeals. Indeed, there are still several groups appealing the project; their case was thrown out by a district court, but they’ve appealed the decision.

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