A couple of good pieces in this morning’s Journal on the intertwined issues of growth and nature in New Mexico.

Laura Banish (sub. req.) talks about a new ordinance passed by the Santa Fe city council last month requiring developers to obtain water rights before they can build large housing projects. They go out and get the water rights, conveying them to the city, so there is sure to be enough water to serve the development. Developers are freaking out. The assistant city attorney thinks water rights ought to be no different than two-by-fours – something that’s essential for the housing. “The city doesn’t go out and buy two-by-fours for new developments. It doesn’t buy asphalt. So why should it buy water?”

Downpage on the same page, Tania Soussan (sub. req.) introduces us to Cliff Crawford, the University of New Mexico biologist whose work has provided the underpinning for restoration of the bosque.