New Mexico traditionally receives more federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) dollars than any other state.

This year, 32 New Mexico counties will share more than $22.4 million.

The federal government owns at least 33 percent of the land in New Mexico, according to a news release from U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. PILT payments are intended to help counties and local governments make up for revenues they lose on tax-exempt federal lands.

De Baca County received $58,926 this year, while Roosevelt County received $15,139 and Quay County received $2,547.

Curry is the only New Mexico county that does not receive PILT funding because it has no eligible federal land within its borders.

• • • 
 
Floyd’s Fide Davalos was recently featured in an ESPN-U article about eight-man football players overcoming small-school stigma at the college level. The article is at:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3424009&type=story

• • •

Boaters at Santa Rosa Lake State Park have just a few more weeks to enjoy their sport before the lake levels drop by potentially 20 feet, according to a release from the state parks department.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin a water release at Santa Rosa Lake on Monday, eventually taking 35,000 acre feet from the lake. This will reduce the boat ramp from four lanes to one lane.

The release will take place over a two-week period and the Corps may take as much as 45,000 acre feet, which may close the boat ramp completely. The lake is currently at 57,000 acre feet.