A Canada Lynx. And this one is a kitten! Photo by Josh More.

If you came across a Canada lynx while taking out the trash one night, you would not mistake it for a stray cat. The Canada lynx is a ferocious-looking, wildly furry creature bigger than a bobcat, standing about two feet tall at the shoulder. It has been known to kill deer, but mostly it preys on the (adorable and unfortunate) snowshoe hare.

Since 1999, when the animal was reintroduced to Colorado, approximately 60 of the cats have wandered into northern New Mexico and at least 14 have been killed. In two weeks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will decide whether or not to extend federal protections for the cat to New Mexico. The USFWS must make the decision by Dec. 15 as part of the settlement of a lawsuit brought against the agency by the Western Environmental Law Center, representing several environmental groups, including Wild Earth Guardians. The center had asked the agency to protect the lynx in New Mexico and decided to sue when the USFWS did not act within the required time period.

Prairie dogs kiss when they meet. Seriously. Not kidding. Photo by Mila Zinkova.

Speaking of lawsuits, it was Wild Earth Guardians who forced Fish and Wildlife to make a move on the black-tailed prairie dog.

The black-tailed prairie dog may warrant federal protection as a threatened or endangered species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced yesterday.

In March 2008, Wild Earth Guardians had filed suit against the USFWS for failing to act on a previous petition for protection. Yesterday’s announcement is a result of a settlement reached earlier this summer.

The USFWS will initiate a review that may — or may not — lead to the rodents being listed as threatened or endangered.

Ranchers say prairie dog burrows ruin grazing land, while biologists say they are a keystone species of the prairie grassland ecosystem, aerating and fertilizing the soil, creating habitat for other small critters and providing tasty snacks for eagles, foxes, owls and ferrets.

“Big agriculture has put tremendous pressure on the Fish and Wildlife Service to not list the black-tailed prairie dog. Now, the agency must put science over politics and follow through with listing,” Lauren McCain, Desert and Grassland Projects director for Wild Earth Guardians, said in a press release. “Endangered Species Act protection is likely the only way to prevent the animal’s extinction.”

The date that it will happen isn’t set. Bill Richardson says he won’t resign until the U.S. Senate confirms his nomination as commerce secretary, which won’t take place until after Barack Obama is sworn in on Jan. 20. That means the transition is likely to occur in the middle of a 60-day state legislative session in which lawmakers and the governor will have to make up for a budget shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Denish says she’s up to the task.

“I really want to ensure a smooth transition so that there’s no disruption,” she said today in a brief interview. “I’m ready for this job. It’s a great opportunity for me, and we’re going to ensure that we do it smoothly.”

Denish said she wanted to congratulate Richardson, who she called “uniquely qualified” for the commerce job and “a great addition” to Obama’s Cabinet.

“I just wanted to make sure that every New Mexican knew about how delighted I was about the governor’s appointment as commerce secretary, …” Denish said. “He’s going to be a great economic diplomat for the country.”

Denish said she spoke with Richardson on Tuesday, and the two plan to meet Thursday morning to begin discussing the transition. She said she didn’t want to comment further on the transition, including talking about who she will appoint to replace her as lieutenant governor, until after she meets with Richardson.

Some guy named John Padoven.

Unlike Steve Pearce and Allen McCulloch, the other two names mentioned most often as potential party chairman for the state Republican Party, Padoven hasn’t lost a U.S. Senate race by 20+ points in the last four years (McCulloch to Jeff Bingaman and Pearce to Tom Udall).

He hasn’t been involved in New Mexico politics since the early ’80s, but did give $1,000 to Republicans this year, according to Open Secrets, including $500 split evenly between Steve Pearce and Darren White.

Though he lives in Santa Fe, in the 3rd Congressional District, he didn’t give any money to Dan East.

The blogger received an e-mail from the chairman hopeful:

During the following weeks before the Chairman’s election on January 10th, you will receive information answering questions on why John Padoven is running for State Chairman. You will also receive very specific information on where he would like the party to evolve in the years ahead.

John knows fully well that he cannot act alone. A partnership with the Republican State Central Committee is essential for our Party’s success. It will be a democratic partnership based on ideas and how ideas should be implemented.

If elected, John will open a telephone hot line for Central Committee members to use in sharing their ideas and concerns. Active and open communications will hopefully diminish internal conflicts that only harm our party casting shadows over our common goal, which is to become the majority party in New Mexico.

John will also meet with every Central Committee member, in the member’s home town where he can visit not only with you, but your families. Doing so will allow John to know who you are and what motivates you personally and politically. It will also give you a chance to know him.

Interestingly, Padoven didn’t mention “getting back to conservative values” in the e-mail — something that Republicans nationwide have been advocating since their crushing defeat (though in New Mexico, their conservative candidate, Pearce, lost badly to the progressive Democratic candidate, Udall, this year).

“Al resto de la comunidad Latina, gracias por su apoyo y su confianza. Gracias por sus votos a nuestro candidato y ahora presidente-electo. Como él nos dijo, si se puede. Y nuestro voto ha sido nuestra voz. Esta elección ha demostrado nuestra fuerza y nuestra unidad. Tenemos que seguir luchando por nuestros derechos al mismo tiempo que perseguimos el sueño Americano para todos. A los millones de habitantes de América Latina y el Caribe, hay que fortalecer nuestros nexos y recordar la importancia de una — (inaudible) — unido.”

Here is the English translation (all corrections are welcome!):

To the rest of the Latino community, thank you for your support and trust. Thank you for your votes in favor of our candidate and now president-elect. As he said, yes, we can. And our vote has been our voice. This election has demonstrated our strength and our unity. We have to continue fighting for our rights and at the same time continue striving for the American dream for all. To the millions of people of Latin America and the Caribbean, we have to strengthen our connections and remember the importance of unity.

Domestically, the Commerce Dept. has something of a second-string feeling to it. Obama didn’t include the position in last week’s well-publicized rollout of his economic team. But overseas, the department has a robust profile. The U.S. Commercial Service is the Commerce Dept.’s equivalent of the State Dept.’s foreign service. More than 80 U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, mostly in developed nations, have a Commerce Service official deployed to promote U.S. business interests abroad.

“Obviously, a lot of countries [provide] huge export” markets, said John Naland, president of the American Foreign Service Assn., the professional association and trade union of the U.S. Foreign Service. “The Dept. of Commerce is out there trying to get them to buy Boeing and not Airbus. They help U.S. businesses find markets for U.S. exports.”

Last month, for example, Commerce spurred the Iraqi government to hold a bilateral dialogue on U.S.-Iraqi business ties. The department’s deputy secretary, John Sullivan, told the Iraqis that “U.S. investment in business here in Iraq is not nearly as robust as it should be, because more needs to be done to improve the environment, the climate, for business and investment.” He spoke on behalf of private-sector companies like the BAE Systems, the defense and aerospace giant, automotive heavyweight Daimler-Mercedes and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

At his announcement ceremony in Chicago Wednesday, Richardson spoke more about the domestic aspects of his new position than its international component. He defined the job as “job creation, economic growth, sustainable development and improving living standards — the same goals of [Obama's] economic plan.”

But if confirmed, Richardson would have one of the largest global profiles of any secretary in the department’s history, second perhaps only to W. Averell Harriman, the legendary diplomat who was Harry Truman’s commerce secretary. Richardson was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Bill Clinton and a globetrotting congressman before that, earning a reputation for mediating in crises with the Burmese, the Iraqis, the North Koreans and other U.S. adversaries.

That experience figures in Richardson’s new appointment. A fifth round of talks with global economic power China, under the aegis of the bilateral Strategic Economic Dialogue, are slated to begin Thursday in Beijing. Given the turbulent international economic climate and the fact that China imported an estimated $70 billion of U.S. goods last year — versus an export of $233 billion to the U.S. — Richardson is likely to confront trade with China early in his prospective position, to say nothing of trade with India, Latin America and the European Union.

As Marjorie Childress reported for The New Mexico Independent, Richardson has a reputation as a free-trader, though he has struck a more skeptical tone in recent months, pointing to the drawbacks of lifting workers’ protections. “We should have a relationship and recognition that China is a strategic competitor,” he said last year in a Democratic debate. “Our relationship with China today is clearly one-sided. I’d be tougher when it comes to trade; I’d be tougher with China when it comes to human rights.”

Having the well-travelled Richardson at Commerce could be a “great help” to U.S. businesses looking for foreign markets, Naland said. Trade delegations led by a cabinet secretary naturally convey greater prestige. “Some secretaries have [traveled heavily], while others haven’t,” Naland added. “Amb. Richardson seems likely to put a lot of emphasis in that area.”

In the days after Obama’s victory last month, Richardson’s name emerged as a candidate for secretary of state, the position that eventually went to Hillary Clinton. Many speculated that Richardson’s extensive resume — congressman, U.N. ambassador, secretary of energy, southwestern-state governor — precluded him from taking a job that could be seen as a demotion.

But the Commerce Dept.’s large foreign footprint might be a natural perch for advancing to the State Dept. Naland said that the Commercial Service attachments in U.S. embassies place Richardson’s new troops as “member of the ambassador’s team.” It might not be such a far leap to Foggy Bottom, especially given that secretaries of state rarely serve out a full four-year term.

Richardson is perfectly bilingual in English and in Spanish, which likely will come in handy in his dealings as commerce secretary with the many countries of Latin America.

His remarks in Spanish Wednesday augmented what he said in English. In some ways, it was almost as if he were speaking to a different audience, at one point directing his comments to the populations of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Here is a translation of what Richardson said in Spanish:

“To our Latino community, thank you for your support and your confidence. Thank you for your votes to our candidate and now president-elect. Like he told us, yes we can. And our vote has been our voice. This election has demonstrated our strength and our unity. We must continue to fight for our rights while at the same time striving for the American dream for all. To the millions of inhabitants of Latin America and the Caribbean, we must strengthen our connections and remember the importance of a united hemisphere.”

Hoping to tap in to an inaugural bonanza, the D.C. Council Tuesday night voted 12-1 to push back last call to 5 a.m. and allow bars and restaurants to serve food around the clock during inauguration week.

Millions of visitors are expected to descend on the city to celebrate Barack Obama’s presidential swearing-in on Jan. 20. The council hopes to accommodate the throng by allowing licensed restaurants and taverns to serve drinks later and to keep their doors open 24 hours a day for the whole week.

They sure didn’t do that when Bush was elected. Nope, not for Poppy or Clinton or Reagan.

City officials said that such an extension is unprecedented for an inauguration, but that it does not seriously affect plans the city has in place.

Cynthia Simms, spokeswoman for the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration, said the city has not extended last call for previous inaugurations, but that the District allows licensed establishments to serve drinks until 5 a.m. on New Year’s Day.

Blue champagne! Photo by Drunken Monkey.

The largest liberal blog on the Internet, Daily Kos, mostly just posted the prepared remarks of Barack Obama, while the discussion went on in the comments. Commenter The Crank wrote:

The position has been prominent at times, not at others. I’d never quite thought of this as being on the A-list, but I find the idea of an “economic diplomat” an intriguing one. I just hope Richardson has enough warm fuzzies with the business community to really bridge some of the gaps here.

Of course, the fine folks at Fox News wrote that Richardson was rewarded for his allegiance to Barack Obama.

Locally, Democracy for New Mexico noted that Richardson accepted the nomination in English and Spanish.

Mario Burgos asked if Richardson would ” immediately do the right thing and tender his resignation.” Richardson has since said he would stay on until at least January 20; Richardson has not yet been confirmed by the Senate and like Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton, Richardson will hold off on resigning until he is officially confirmed.

Wonkette, the Washington, D.C.-based satirical politics blog, did a liveblog of the press conference. It included this gem:

11:43 AM — Ay carumba, Richardson is speaking Mexican! This is a secret message activating the terrorists!

Speaking of satire, the Kings of Satire, The Onion, sent out on their Twitter feed, “BREAKING: Bill Richardson To Wife: ‘Hey, I Got Commerce!’”

Oh, and the New Mexico Independent is on Twitter at twitter.com/nmindependent.

And in non-Richardson blogging, Duke City Fix shows a new design for the Albuquerque recycling bins now in some neighborhoods. Hint: the “Q” just isn’t enough for “Soy de Burque.”

Does Richardson’s nomination as commerce secretary amount to a “consolation prize” for the nation’s Latinos and Hispanics, a reporter asked.

“It seems many were expecting, hoping that Bill Richardson was going to be secretary of state,” the unidentified reporter continued.

It was a striking tableau — the nation’s first African-American president being quizzed about the diversity of his Cabinet.

It is no secret that some Hispanic groups had lobbied for Richardson to win the secretary of state post. But President-elect Obama responded with a lengthy answer in which he stressed the importance of the nation’s commerce secretary and how Richardson as commerce secretary would fit centrally into the president-elect’s mission.

The president-elect also said that once he has appointed his Cabinet and his White House staff, many would be impressed by how diverse it was.

Here is President-elect Obama’s answer to the reporter’s question:

“Commerce secretary is a pretty good job. It’s a member of my key economic team that is going to be dealing with the most significant issue that America faces right now, and that is how do we put people back to work and rejuvenate the economy.”

“Bill Richardson has been selected because he is the best person for this job and is going to be outstanding in helping me strategize on how do we rebuild America, how do we get businesses moving, how do we export effectively, how do we open up new markets for American products and services.

“His mixture of diplomatic experience, hands-on experience as a governor, experience in the Cabinet, experience in Congress means that he is going to be a key strategist on all the issues we work on.

“I think the notion that somehow the commerce secretary is not going to be central to everything we do is fundamentally mistaken. With respect to Latino Cabinet members, I’ve appointed about half of my Cabinet so far. And I think that when people look back and see the entire slate what they will say not only in terms of my Cabinet, but in terms of my White House staff, I think people are going to say this is one of the most diverse Cabinets and White House staffs of all time. But more importantly, they will say these are all people of outstanding qualifications and excellence. So one of the strong beliefs that I’ve always held and has been proven to be correct throughout my career is that there’s no contradiction between diversity and excellence. I’m looking for the best people first and foremost to serve the American people. It just so happens that Bill Richardson is one of those people.”

As a side note, a Latino with New Mexico connections already has been named to Obama’s White House staff: Louis Caldera. Caldera once served as president of University of New Mexico and is still on staff as a law professor.

President-elect Barack Obama, not Richardson, decided to field the question.

“I think it was a mistake for him to get rid of it,” the president-elect said with an obviously tickled Richardson looking on. “I thought that whole Western, uh, rugged look was really working for him. For some reason, maybe because it was scratchy when he kissed his wife, he was forced to get rid of it. but we’re deeply disappointed at the loss of the beard.”

The president-elect looked over at Richardson, who looked as if he were about to lose his fight to keep down a big belly laugh. Then the president-elect laughed a little bit.