Discussion HRTM 4240V

What to read/watch before posting A) Local context (read 23) City of Las Cruces Sustainability & Urban Heat (short explainer page). Good primer on UHI and local framing. The City of Las Cruces Links to an external site. Source New Mexico Cooling Las Cruces Homes (Jun 12, 2025). How the city pursued heat-pump cooling for the hottest homes; funding challenges show governance trade-offs. Source New Mexico Links to an external site. Construction Reporter Innovative Cooling Systems in Las Cruces (Jun 30, 2025). On-the-ground implementation this summer. Construction Reporter Links to an external site. Colorado Sun Proposed Rio Grande Settlement (Aug 29, 2025). Plain-language overview of the latest pact to rein in pumping and protect deliveries. The Colorado Sun Links to an external site. AP News Irrigation Season & Record Heat in Las Cruces (Aug 12, 2023). Useful seasonal baseline and climate signal. AP News Links to an external site. B) Agricultural water in Doa Ana/Mesilla Valley (read 12) High Country News The Rio Grandes Pecan Problem (Sep 8, 2025). Narrative look at pecans, allocations, and fallowing; includes 2025 EBID cutbacks. High Country News Links to an external site. NMSU Extension Water Management in Pecan Orchards (practical brief; figures on evapotranspiration & scheduling). NMSU Publications Links to an external site. C) Peer-reviewed/technical (choose 1) Preciado et al., 2025 (MDPI Water) Water management & yield response in pecans (pecans are high-water-use; ET ranges for NM orchards). MDPI Links to an external site. Tawalbeh et al., 2024 (MDPI Remote Sensing) OpenET validation in Mesilla Valley (pecans dominate irrigation demand). MDPI Links to an external site. Samimi et al., 2023 (Sustain. Prod. & Cons.) Adapting irrigated ag in a warm-dry future (trade-offs intensify). ScienceDirect Links to an external site. (Optional background) USGS basin modeling updates for Mesilla/Conejos-Mdanos. U.S. Geological Survey Links to an external site. D) Visual/Art prompt (choose 1 to reference in your post) Editorial cartoons about the Rio Grande/Mexico water disputes (scan a few and pick one that resonatesnote what the artist emphasizes). CartoonStock+1 Links to an external site. Creative Commons photo: Rio Grande, Las Cruces, New Mexico (Wikimedia Commons). Use this image to ground your post in place. Wikimedia Commons Links to an external site. Your task (post = ~300450 words total) Write one cohesive post that does all of the following: Frame one local issue at the Rio GrandeLas Cruces nexus (pick a focus such as: pecans vs. municipal needs; seasonal river drying; neighborhood heat & energy burden; groundwatersurface water trade-offs; binational delivery obligations). Tie it to at least two specific UN SDGs and explain why they apply (e.g., SDG 6 + SDG 2 for irrigation/food systems; SDG 11 + SDG 13 for heat resilience). Main Stream New Mexico+2MDPI+2 Links to an external site. Use evidence from at least one local article and one academic/technical source above to support your claims (quote or paraphrase briefly, with a citation). reference section is mandatory. Interpret one visual (cartoon or photo): What message or bias does it convey? Whats missing? Propose one pragmatic action you, NMSU, or the City could take this semester (e.g., shade/tree pilot at a bus stop, irrigation timing demo in a campus orchard, community teach-in on the settlement). Link the action back to the SDGs you selected