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Thursday, May 01, 2008

Residents Celebrate New Open Space Area

By Lee Ross /
Mountain View Telegraph
      About 100 people came to a dusty, wind-blown dirt lot in Cedar Crest on Saturday morning to celebrate the outdoors.
       The get-together was held at the entrance to more than 700 acres of near-wilderness, the John A. Milne Gutierrez Canyon Open Space, which is accessible from N.M. 14 near the post office in the middle of Cedar Crest.
       A tent, chairs, podium and refreshments were set up at the entrance to the open space. In a short speech to the crowd, Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, R-Sandia Park, explained why she feels the area needed to be preserved. She persevered and completed her speech, in spite of a several strong gusts of wind.
       “We don't want (N.M. 14) to be the next Coors,” Beffort said in a short speech to the crowd. “If you want to go shopping, go into town.”
       The comment was met with applause from the crowd, many of whom had toddlers and dogs in tow.
       Part of what makes the area unique is its convenient access from N.M. 14. To make that access possible, the city of Albuquerque recently closed on a deal for about 420 acres of land in July, a roughly $2.2 million purchase. The property adjoins 300 acres of open space the city already owns.
       A good portion of that money came from state coffers, with Beffort, Gov. Bill Richardson, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Rep. Kathy McCoy, R-Cedar Crest, all backing the acquisition.
       Albuquerque City Councilor Isaac Benton, who was a supporter of the purchase, pointed out the benefit of the open space for city-dwellers.
       “When you're an urbanite, you really need to get out,” he said. “It is a wonderful area, and I'm an outdoor guy, too.”
       Susan Loubete, who lobbied the state Legislature for money for the purchase of the open space last year, said she was amazed at the support for the purchase.
       She also credited the East Mountain Historical Society for its efforts and said that if an interpretive center is built at the head of the trail, it would also be a good place for the society's collection of artifacts.
       “I've never seen anything come together like this,” she said, and added that she moved to the area in 1977. “My son grew up hiking these trails.”
       Credit for the acquisition also went to the Milne family, who owned the land and worked with the city, rather than selling to a developer. Joining the list were quite a few people and organizations that worked on a grass-roots level, such as John Peterson, Andre Larroque and Greg Hiner.
       After the public address, Julie Hall, an employee of the Sandia Mountain National History Center, took the sizable crowd on a one-mile interpretive hike through part of the open space.
       Scott Catanzariti, a physicist who recently moved to the East Mountains from California, went along for the hike. He said in California he used to drive for three hours just to get to a pristine outdoor area. Catanzariti runs and mountain bikes on trails and will likely be a regular user of the open space, he said.
       His wife, Nina Leacock, was also enthusiastic. She said she walks the trails of the open space every day.
       “I think (the open space) is absolutely an incredible gift,” Leacock said.
   

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