About two years ago, this time, many of us were in a panic. There were meetings all over town about the shape of our future. The conversation has ebbed, since the oil and gas threat has left us, at least for now. Thanks to a pioneering effort on the part of the citizenry, the county, and good legal council, Santa Fe has a very tight ordinance that is proving to be a prototype for counties next door and around the country.

We in Santa Fe can thank our stars and the New Mexico Environmental Law Center for horizons not poisoned. The Law Center has played a central but quiet role in the game, as a conduit between the people and their government.

It began, of course, with the neighbors upset at the traffic on County Route 55, which is a long dirt road into a basin of loveliness, bordered by ranches. There was an oil play in the works by interested parties, none of whom live here. A range war sprang up on the spot.

The residents on that road, who are well-heeled and alert, quickly got organized, thanks to Johnny Micou, a.k.a. Drilling Santa Fe. The Law Center added Drilling Santa Fe to its case list, and over the next year and a half coached Mr. Micou and others on how to fight the dragons of industry.

It was a learning curve for the hundreds who signed up for battle. Micou, like the Law Center, tried to keep a low profile, but with less success. It's unusual for a soft-spoken man who started out in social work to have medals pinned to his chest. But it wouldn't have happened without the thousands of hours spent pouring over documents at the Law Center.

Both Micou and the Law Center defer to the people, and the social fire that was lit, so that Santa Fe County now has not only its ordinance, but a new and progressive board of commissioners, with a female majority. This has been some kind of crucible for Santa Fe. And for myself. I joined the NMELC board this summer, so impressed was I by the Law Center's work.

But, the case is not closed. Just over the ridge, Mora and San Miguel counties are looking to our ordinance as a way to defend themselves from a much bigger dragon than we had to face: Shell Oil, of the Netherlands. And the people in those counties have much less money and means. But the good news is that Drilling Santa Fe and the Environmental Law Center are on their side.

So when we look up at the stars in the unpolluted night, we should think of our neighbors, and the hard-working folk at the Law Center. And if we can, show some support.

Alice van Buren is a board member of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. She lives in Santa Fe.