Troy Lowe and Brian Burge were tired of head shops. For years, the two glassblowers made pipes because they were more marketable than pendants and marbles and the odd art piece. But the primary venues for selling their work were stores that specialized in drug paraphernalia, and it didn’t feel like a good fit. “We didn’t like being in there,” says Lowe. “It was kind of seedy.”

Ronn Perea started a roaming comedy club in Albuquerque when no one knew what one was.

Virginia Maria Romero designed the first conservation stamp aimed at the wolf. Wolves are dog-like creatures that ranchers like to shoot. Romero will be on hand at Bookworks (4022 Rio Grande NW) on Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m. to sign special copies of the stamp for $20. The same night, Craig Chapman from the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance will discuss service opportunities found in the 2011 Wild Guide, a book that features information on guided hikes in remote places in New Mexico. The book can help you find environmental volunteer work, be it restoring trout habitats or planting native vegetation. It’s nice to live in such a beautiful state. Help keep it that way.