Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA)
Signpost article, November 2021 Edition
Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA) Report
By Jean Roberts, ESCA Board of Directors
ESCA, Las Placitas Association, and the Pueblo of Santa Ana recently joined forces to request a meeting with Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland to discuss the possibility of administrative action in support of the Buffalo Tract Protection Act, proposed legislation that would withdraw the Buffalo Tract from eligibility for gravel mining. Administrative action could place the Buffalo Tract off-limits to gravel mining while the bill is pending in Congress. This week the community organizations were informed that a meeting with (DOI) officials is expected to be scheduled in the near future.
Meanwhile, ESCA is pleased to welcome a new member to our board, Tony Hull. Tony has a long history with Placitas and is well versed in the needs of the community. He has owned property in Placitas since 2005, and he has lived here full time for the past 12 years. Tony was a founding member of ESCA and served several years on the board, helping to address issues such as water use, gravel mining, pipeline risks, and other quality of life concerns for residents of Placitas.
Tony is an Adjunct Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico, and he consults extensively on space telescopes in the US and Europe. Not surprisingly, he has expressed an interest in maintaining New Mexico’s dark skies so that we can all enjoy the stars at night. He has also immersed himself in projects related to the history of Placitas, animal rescue, and archeology.
Tony says that he believes that ESCA’s mission is “absolutely essential to our community.” We’re excited that he will join us on the board.
At the same time, the board reluctantly bids farewell to Jim Wiesner as he prepares to move out of state. We wish him well in his next adventures.