Have you noticed all of the Bees and Bumblebees in our Village lately? They are working hard to pollinate our Village! Bumblebees are excellent pollinators—much more efficient pollinators than honeybees, in fact. They mainly forage for pollen rather than nectar and transfer more pollen to the pistils of the flowers with each visit. Many crops are well suited to natural pollination by bumblebees, including cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, seed crops, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, melons, and squash. They are especially attracted to tube-shaped flowers and some flowers have evolved to be almost exclusively pollinated by these “beefy” bees. To attract bumblebees and other native bee species, consider planting native plants around your home, such as asters, coneflowers, lupines, bee balm, and spring ephemerals. However, bumblebees are not fussy; anything that produces nectar and pollen works for them! If you plant even a small area or a few containers with flowering plants, the bees will definitely find them!
Bumblebees rarely sting, though they are able. They are generally very docile. They do not form swarms like other communal bees and they only sting when truly provoked. Only female bumblebees have stingers. But they are so good natured that getting a female to sting you is a major undertaking. According to www.bumblebee.org , a bumblebee will even warn you before it stings. It will stick up a middle leg if it's annoyed by your presence, which means "back off!".
Unlike honeybees, the bumblebee colony dies in late fall. The queen (who rules the colony) is the only member of a bumblebee colony to survive the winter! She hibernates during the winter months underground and starts a new colony in the Spring. All pollinators are essential to our Village, please leave them alone and let them do their jobs.
What 3 Words? What does that make you think about? What3words is a geocode system designed to identify any location on the surface of the earth with a resolution of about 10 feet. The system used by our emergency responders encodes geographic coordinates into three permanently fixed words. It facilitates finding a site when there is inadequate address information. This could work well in Corrales, especially along the Bosque and ditch bank areas and since about 400 residences have incorrect addresses. The three words correspond to GPS coordinates allowing emergency responders to get within 10 feet of your smart phone if you have the app. You should still check that your address is accurate and get a clear and visible street sign for your house so our emergency responders can find your home in case of an emergency. We are all neighbors, and we do care.
Are you struggling to feed your companion animals? “4 Paws Pet Food Bank”, sponsored by CARMA, is here to help! Canned, dry, and veterinary special diet food is available for cats and dogs and can be picked up from the pantry on Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri & Sat between 9am-5pm (closed Thur & Sun) at: Corrales Kennels, 490 E. Valverde Drive here in the Village of Corrales. For more information, please contact Lisa Isenberger @ 505-228-3395 lisenberger [at] gmail.com () OR Barbara Bayer @ 505-321-6275 barbaracarma [at] msn.com.
CRIME & SAFETY UPDATE:
Tuesday 4/18 - police were advised of a road rage incident during which a 36-year-old Albuquerque man was reportedly followed to a residence on Old Church RD and threatened by a 62-year-old Corrales man. An Assault charge is subsequently pending against the alleged perpetrator. Don’t let an aggressive driver bait you into a road rage incident. Whenever possible, let them pass you and be on their angry way. If they persist in following you, call 9-1-1 (preferably have a passenger call or use a hands-free device) and carefully drive to the nearest police station or a crowded, well-lit area. Don’t lead them to your home or workplace.
Wednesday 4/19 - items were reported to have been stolen from within a bank-owned residence (with no signs of forced entry) on El Rey DR at an unknown time prior to 7/11/22.
Thursday 4/20 a resident advised police that he received a call informing him that he missed Jury Duty and was required to pay a fee, which he did, then realized that he was scammed. Screen your calls, don’t send funds to unknown parties and review further information concerning Jury Duty scams at this link:
Friday 4/21 - a hit-and-run involving a light pole was reported on Academy DR. An alert neighbor provided responding Officers with a license plate number and description of the vehicle and driver, which led to the 39-year-old Albuquerque man being cited for Leaving the Scene of an Accident, No Insurance and not having a valid Registration.
Please keep calling those tips in to 505-891-7226 and please look out for each other in your neighborhoods and always remember: SEE IT, HEAR IT, REPORT IT!
HEALTH & SAFETY UPDATE:
COVID vaccine update: Every person 6 months of age and older is eligible for at least one bivalent omicron vaccine. People 65 and older are eligible for a second, as long as it has been 4 months since first bivalent omicron vaccine. People 6 and older with certain immune compromising conditions or medications also may be eligible for a second bivalent omission vaccination. Corrales Fire Department is holding vaccine drive through events; registration is available at: https://goodtimes.vaccinenm.org/stay-ahead-nm/. Please call Fire Commander, Tanya Lattin at 505-702-4182 with any questions or if you need assistance with registration.
As a reminder, FREE Covid home test kits are still available at Village Hall, Corrales Fire Station, and the Corrales Library. As always, remember to wear a mask indoors (especially in crowds), social distance, wash your hands frequently and please stay home if you are feeling sick.
The wildfire season is upon us and the Spring winds this time of year do not help! We have information on ways to protect your home.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Sat. & Sun. 4/29 & 4/30 – “Spring Arts Market” at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center at 2401 12th Street NW in Albuquerque from 9:00am – 4:00pm. For more information, please visit: https://indianpueblo.org/event/spring-arts-market-2023/
Saturday 4/29 – “Heritage Spinning and Weaving Class” at Casa San Ysidro Museum, 973 Old Church Road from 1:30-3 pm. For tickets and information: https://www.cabq.gov/artsculture/albuquerque-museum/casa-san-ysidro
Sunday 4/30 - “Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra 50th Anniversary Grand Finale Concert” at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th Street SW in Albuquerque at 7:30pm. This is a FREE event for all ages and there will be refreshments following the concert. More info: www.abqphil.org
Sunday 4/30 – The Season opening of the Corrales Growers Market from 9:00am-12:00pm. Come by for the Sandoval County Master Gardeners Annual Plant sale to find locally grown veggie and herb plants for your spring gardening projects. Ask questions and get info on planning, planting and growing your spring garden. Go to: https://corralesgrowersmarket.com for a market map and list of vendors and products expected this Sunday.
Sunday 4/30 – “Rides, Strides, and Giddy-Up Spring Recreation Fair” at Parks & Recreation, 500 Jones Road, 10 am – 1 pm. Learn about what the recreation center has to offer, helmet fitting, bike rodeo, FREE helmet giveaways, clean your bike, bird watching, raptor/owl demonstration, fishing in the bosque, meet horses, learn how to approach horses safely, noodle pony rodeo for kids, information on safety and emergency services from the Corrales Fire Department and much more! Come and join the fun, all are welcome to attend this FREE event.
Monday 5/1 – “May Day Celebration at Ex Novo” the Kiwanis Club of Corrales invites children and their families to bring a book and take a book at the dedication of our new Children’s Little Free Library from 3:30pm – 7:30pm. A portion of beverage sales during this event will benefit “Read to Me, NM”.
Tuesday 5/2 – Corrales Village Council Work Study Meeting @ 3:00pm.
Sat. & Sun. 5/6 & 5/7 – “25th Annual Corrales Art Studio Tour” which will include 93 local artists, galleries and 50 elementary student artists. They will showcase their artwork throughout the Village of Corrales from 10am – 5pm both days. For more information, please visit: https://corralessocietyofartists.org/studio-tour/ .
Saturday 5/6 – “Spring Clean up Day in the Village” from 8am-12pm! Bring your household trash and green waste to 500 Jones Road for FREE disposal. No hazardous materials will be accepted.
Sunday 5/7 – “First Sunday in the Village” sponsored by Corrales MainStreet, throughout the Village business corridor.
Sunday 5/7 – “Corrales Growers’ Market” from 9:00am – 12:00pm
Tuesday 5/9 – Regular Village Council Meeting @ 6:30pm
Registration for all Summer activities at Parks & Recreation, including swimming lessons will open Monday, May 1st @ 8:00am. Please visit website for more information.
Please check out our Village of Corrales website to find out more about what is going on in the Village of Corrales. You can also print important forms, view our Village Ordinances, see the calendar of events and much, much more!
If you know someone who would like to receive the weekly mayor’s message electronically, please email the Village Clerk, Melanie Romero at mromero [at] corrales-nm.org () or by phone at: 505-897-0502 ext. 208.
Have a great week and get outside and enjoy the nice weather,
Jim Fahey
Corrales Mayor
