Red Lodge Clearinghouse

Jim O'Donnell of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, which has been pushing for the bill's passage, said the Sabinoso is a unique ecosystem because it straddles the transition zone between the plains and the mountains. That means it is inhabited by both mountain and plains species, making it a potential mecca for birders and other nature enthusiasts.

"Opening access to Sabinoso and putting it on the map as a designated wilderness area will draw people to the Las Vegas area and they will in turn spend money," O'Donnell said.

At the Nov. 14 hearing, Arturo Sandoval, president of the Center of Southwest Culture, told the subcommittee that a wilderness designation would boost eco-tourism in the area.

Local officials also see economic potential in preserving the land. Government officials in San Miguel County and the towns of Las Vegas, Wagon Mound and Springer have all passed resolutions supporting the bill. It has also attracted the support of the San Miguel Las Vegas Economic Development Corp. and the state legislature.

A 2004 study by the nonprofit Sonoran Institute found that communities adjacent to protected public lands have the fastest economic growth rates.

Sam DesGeorges, manager of BLM's Taos District, which oversees the area, said Sabinoso is a study in solitude. "It's a wild, beautiful place," said DesGeorges, who has visited the area many times on horseback. "It's just you and the landscape. In my mind, it's what it felt like to be in places 100 years ago."

In order for people to experience that wild beauty and for the area to become an eco-tourist attraction, BLM will need to secure access to the site. Currently, the Sabinoso, managed as a Wilderness Study Area, cannot be visited by the public, except by making special arrangements with BLM. The area is surrounded by private lands, and the agency has not yet succeeded in securing an access agreement with any of the landowners.

But that may change soon. Elena Daly, director of BLM's National Landscape Conservation System, told the congressional panel that BLM is in discussions with local ranchers on acquiring either easements for access through their property or some of the property itself (E&E Daily, Nov. 14).

DesGeorges confirmed that those negotiations are in progress and said the discussions with area landowners will continue whether Congress approves the designation or not, because the agency has wanted to allow access to the area for years.

Marissa Padilla, press secretary for Rep. Tom Udall (D), who introduced the bill in June, said a deal could be sealed by the end of the calendar year.

Sandoval noted in his testimony before the House panel that the bill also has strong support from local residents, some of whom have centuries-old ties to the area. "We know that protecting Sabinoso as a wilderness area means we are also protecting our traditional culture," said Sandoval, whose great-grandparents were born and raised near the proposed Sabinoso Wilderness.

The area is one of about 50 wilderness study areas in New Mexico, but only the second to be proposed for an official wilderness designation in more than 20 years. The first, which became the Ojito Wilderness Area northwest of Albuquerque, was passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in October of 2005.

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