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Still No Sign of Cloudcroft’s Vanishing Checkerspot Butterfly

The subspecies exists only in the Sacramento Mountains and hasn’t been seen in the wild since 2022. This summer's field searches are the recovery effort’s last strategy.
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Recent posts

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Wastewater Treatment Plant Number One: Council Sets Five-Year Infrastructure Funding List
The council planned what Cloudcroft projects need outside financial help, and ranked each project by urgency and its odds of landing funding
 • Hannah Dean
Art From the Dark: Ayla Yarbrough at Carlsbad Caverns
Cloudcroft native Ayla Yarbrough just completed a three-week artist residency at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and the park kept one of her paintings
 • Hannah Dean
Community Brings Flight Nurse Sarah Clark Home; Federal Report Details GPS Jamming in Fatal Crash
A new federal report lays out how a med-flight lost GPS navigation during active military jamming before the crash, which killed four. The report does…
 • Jonny Coker
Boil Advisories, Costs, Aging System: Timberon’s Water District Woes
Boil advisories, broken pipes, and financial burdens strain the unincorporated community 31 miles south of Cloudcroft
 • Jonny Coker
Help Shine a Light on Cloudcroft
Your support keeps us a healthy, well-informed community — for everyone
 • Chris Hearne and Hannah Dean
Cloudy’s: The Store Cloudcroft Has Been Waiting For
Bre and Dylan Kincaid’s new market offers fresh groceries ‘up the hill,’ 7 days a week.
 • Hannah Dean
Village of Cloudcroft Releases Annual Water Quality Report
Required and relevant, here's the local Consumer Confidence Report
 • Reader Staff
First Look: New Pawsh Pet and Expanded Elk Shed
See the boutique pet store upstairs in the former Mountain Monthly office and Elk Shed expansion next door to the Shed's flagship
 • Hannah Dean
Council Approves Water Rate COL Hike, Dormant Solar Panels Begin Paying Off
Highway closed during meeting due to vehicle fire. Village increases water rates 3.3% across the board, eyes tiered rate structure, finds electric…
 • Hannah Dean
Second Annual Pickleball in the Clouds Tournament Results, Photo Essay
Fierce play filled the packed courts on June 6 and 7
 • Reader Staff
Cloudcroft Clears State Filing Backlog, Submits Two Budgets Ahead of Deadline
The village met a key state deadline a day early by submitting both the final FY 2025-26 and the interim FY 2026-27 budgets.
 • Hannah Dean
Weed Fugitive Known as "Walter" Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges
Stephen Craig Campbell pleaded guilty to federal charges after spending 40 years on the most-wanted list
 • Hannah Dean
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Cloudcroft Reader
Cloudcroft Reader
The voice of the mountain. The most widely read publication serving the greater Cloudcroft community. Subscribe for free to receive our reporting.
Top posts
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#top

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Cloudcroft Summer: 2026 Field Guide
What's going on in and around the village? Get in the know with the Reader's top picks.
 • Hannah Dean
Rear View: Top 2025 Stories
With this year in the rear-view mirror, what stories did Readers, well...read? Plus, the Reader team makes our picks.
 • Hannah Dean and Chris Hearne
Wiley Wins Mayor Race; CHS Cross Country Goes to State; Prescribed Fire; FY24 VoC Audit Results, and More
Every trail tells a story. Stay informed with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
Cloudcroft Woman Arrested in Wichita County, Texas on Murder Charges
Deana Thetford was booked into the Wichita County Jail on charges of murder and tampering with evidence
 • Hannah Dean and Drew Gaines
Two Sides of a Soured Deal: Defense Responds to Allegations in Apple Barn Lawsuit and Makes Some of Their Own
With new court filings and a judge’s receivership decision, we revisit the Old Apple Barn Lawsuit to hear what the defense has to say
 • Chris Hearne and Drew Gaines
Workshopping Cloudcroft's Water Challenges
The Village of Cloudcroft Council meets with CDM Smith engineering firm, Public Works, and concerned citizens to discuss water issues
 • Hannah Dean
54:17
Cloudcroft's Murky Accounting
Village administration discovers it's been living in a financial fog
 • Hannah Dean and Chris Hearne
Cloudcroft's Fire Chief Shares Village Emergency Alert Plan
As the South Fork and Salt Fires burn to our North, and thousands of people remain evacuated, Fire and EMS Chief Wuersching reminds Cloudcroft Village…
 • Hannah Dean and Chris Hearne

#lodging

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9:41
VIDEO * A Kitchen Reborn: One Chef’s Mission to Restore Fine Dining at The Lodge — and Train Who Comes Next
Fresh fare, elbow grease and ghost busting: How Chef Richard Lepree resurrects an iconic restaurant
 • Drew Gaines
What's Out There? Sacramento Camp & Conference Center
Take a look at the secluded haven in Sacramento, New Mexico, with the Reader
 • Hannah Dean
Village News: Lodger’s Tax and P+Z Meetings, Interim Budget
The Lodger's Tax funding ask, P+Z open seat, and the Village gets the interim budget in on time.
 • Hannah Dean
Hotel Cloudcroft on Burro ‘Closer to Opening’: Water Pressure Test Truck-In Scheduled at ‘No Cost to Village’
The newly remodeled hotel plans to open soon after passing tests and inspections, date TBA.
 • Hannah Dean
Cloudcroft Village Trustee Gail McCoy Shares Her Journey
Trustee, fitness instructor, B&B owner, and great-grandma Gail McCoy sits down with Cloudcroft Reader Senior Editor Hannah Dean to share her life story…
 • Hannah Dean
Cloudcroft Reader’s Lodging Guide: Part Two
Meet the owners, take a video tour, and plan your stay on the mountain with part two of our user-friendly guide.
 • Drew Gaines
Rebecca's Final Chapter
Ghost of Rebecca will no longer haunt fine dining at The Lodge as Cloudcroft resort rebrands its showcase restaurant, introduces new menu
 • Drew Gaines
The Lodge at Cloudcroft: A Century-Old Icon's Renaissance
Owner Joe Duncan shares the journey of restoring a mountain gem.
 • Chris Hearne

#water

View all
Wastewater Treatment Plant Number One: Council Sets Five-Year Infrastructure Funding List
The council planned what Cloudcroft projects need outside financial help, and ranked each project by urgency and its odds of landing funding
 • Hannah Dean
Boil Advisories, Costs, Aging System: Timberon’s Water District Woes
Boil advisories, broken pipes, and financial burdens strain the unincorporated community 31 miles south of Cloudcroft
 • Jonny Coker
Village of Cloudcroft Releases Annual Water Quality Report
Required and relevant, here's the local Consumer Confidence Report
 • Reader Staff
Council Approves Water Rate COL Hike, Dormant Solar Panels Begin Paying Off
Highway closed during meeting due to vehicle fire. Village increases water rates 3.3% across the board, eyes tiered rate structure, finds electric…
 • Hannah Dean
Water Coverage
Dive into our years-long reporting of Cloudcroft's water woes
 • Chris Hearne
Failing WWTP; Meet Greg Crinklaw and Scott Powell; Spring Updates, and More
Follow the story with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
The Man, The Operations Manual
Scott Powell has spent more than 30 years keeping Cloudcroft's wastewater treatment plant running. He retires at the end of this year
 • Hannah Dean
Village Meeting Recap; Insider Look: 1899; Pickleball Court Repairs; FireWise, and More
Follow the story with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff

#fire

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Council Approves Water Rate COL Hike, Dormant Solar Panels Begin Paying Off
Highway closed during meeting due to vehicle fire. Village increases water rates 3.3% across the board, eyes tiered rate structure, finds electric…
 • Hannah Dean
Seven Cabins Fire Grows; Local First Responders Plan to Honor Flight Nurse Killed in Crash
Seven Cabins Fire blaze grows to 16,443 acres; Sarah Clark is among four killed in a med-plane crash that sparked the wildfire. Local law enforcement…
 • Jonny Coker
Fire Restrictions; Rain; Cloudy's; Easter, and More
Follow the story with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
Making Firefighters; Unmasked: Fugitive Arrested in Cloudcroft; New Rules for Shed Hunting, and More
Follow the story with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
Where Firefighters Are Made: Sacramento Mountains Wildfire Academy
Cloudcroft Fire Department Volunteer Hilary Kitzman and SMWA graduate Dakota Moon give an inside look at the Academy
Village Meeting Recap; Insider Look: 1899; Pickleball Court Repairs; FireWise, and More
Follow the story with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
Village Approves Returning PD Hire; Fire Risk Moved to HIGH; Egg Hunt Announced, and More
Follow the story with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
Cloudcroft Firefighter Takes Antarctica Assignment
Harry Crinklaw will spend eight months at McMurdo Station
 • Hannah Dean

#school

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Real-World Impact: Senior Capstones
Cloudcroft High School Seniors recently presented their work--organizing blood draws, community projects, archives, and more. CHS Junior and Mountain…
Taking Aim: Cloudcroft Schools Launch New Archery Program
NM Game & Fish Officer Anthony Chavez introduces NASP-- the National Archery in the Schools Program--to Cloudcroft
 • Hannah Dean
Sunspot Closed Indefinitely; Bears Continue in Playoffs; Crinklaw in Antarctica; Meet Beth Merrell, and More
Follow the story with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
Cloudcroft’s December School Board Meeting: Takeaways
What'd you miss at last night's Board of Education meeting?
 • Hannah Dean
Basketball and Bonfires: A Cloudcroft December Weekend
Photos of the Mountain Top Tournament and annual winter Ullr Fest at the ice rink
 • Hannah Dean
Wiklund Talks Ice Rink; Your Council-Elect; Phone-Free School; Veterans Day; Cool Investment in Cloudcroft, and More
Every trail tells a story. Stay informed with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
7:47
Phone-free Classrooms in Cloudcroft
Cloudcroft Middle School saw a sharp rise in academic proficiency after locking away phones. Educators and researchers are watching to see if the…
Wiley Wins Mayor Race; CHS Cross Country Goes to State; Prescribed Fire; FY24 VoC Audit Results, and More
Every trail tells a story. Stay informed with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff

#villageCouncil

View all
Wastewater Treatment Plant Number One: Council Sets Five-Year Infrastructure Funding List
The council planned what Cloudcroft projects need outside financial help, and ranked each project by urgency and its odds of landing funding
 • Hannah Dean
Council Approves Water Rate COL Hike, Dormant Solar Panels Begin Paying Off
Highway closed during meeting due to vehicle fire. Village increases water rates 3.3% across the board, eyes tiered rate structure, finds electric…
 • Hannah Dean
Cloudcroft Clears State Filing Backlog, Submits Two Budgets Ahead of Deadline
The village met a key state deadline a day early by submitting both the final FY 2025-26 and the interim FY 2026-27 budgets.
 • Hannah Dean
Making Headway: Books, Budget, Courts, Tourism, Hires, Sunspot
Cloudcroft Council clears a packed May agenda as clerk targets December for full state compliance
 • Hannah Dean
Down to the Brass Tacks: Cloudcroft’s FY 2026–27 Budget Workshops
Due by the end of May, the council and Clerk Jini Turri mapped out the village's projected revenues and expenditures for the upcoming year. Plus, a new…
 • Hannah Dean
Department Heads Make Their Case at Cloudcroft’s Budget Workshop
The Village met Tuesday, April 28, for the first of several planned public budget workshops ahead of the July 1 fiscal year start — and department heads…
 • Hannah Dean
Failing WWTP; Meet Greg Crinklaw and Scott Powell; Spring Updates, and More
Follow the story with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
Village Meeting Recap; Insider Look: 1899; Pickleball Court Repairs; FireWise, and More
Follow the story with the Reader, the Voice of the Mountain.
 • Reader Staff
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