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Thursday, May 10, 2007

Open Space Buy Needs $750K

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    The Gutierrez Canyon Open Space Acquisition project is closer to being a reality, but $750,000 still needs to be found, according to proponents.
    "(The project) got overwhelming community support. It just kind of swelled up and people became really excited about the idea," said Susan Loubet, who lobbied the state Legislature for money for the purchase of the open space property in the last session.
    At issue is 480 acres of land, which would extend an existing 300 acres of protected space. The western edge of the area would be accessible from N.M. 14 near the Cedar Crest post office.
    In fact, the access point at N.M. 14 might make an ideal visitor center, according to Andre Larroque, a member of the East Mountain Historical Society.
    "We would like to have a visitors center facility that would provide information on the local history of the East Mountain area and culture," said Larroque.
    Through a series of grants, the society has collected photos dating back to the 1800s as well as oral histories of the area, according to society president Anabel Sanchez.
    The society is currently unable to display the artifacts, but members are hopeful about the possibility of placing them in a visitors center. The historical society hopes to have a role in planning and perhaps operating such a facility, according to Larroque.
    Larroque said the society is interested in preserving Gutierrez Canyon because it is a link to the past.
    Pueblo and nomadic Indians, Spanish explorers and Anglo pioneers all experienced almost the same landscape, according to Larroque.
    "It is possible to get off the beaten path and experience the local natural environment in the same way that human inhabitants of the area have experienced it for eons," he said. "It's a link to our history and the prehistory of the area ... which is in danger of being destroyed."
    The project has secured $1.25 million, with more than $500,000 coming from state Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, R-Sandia Park.
    Other major contributions came from state Rep. Kathy McCoy, R-Sandia Park, who brought in a quarter-million dollars, and— at Lt. Gov. Diane Denish's request— Gov. Bill Richardson's office, which contributed another quarter-million dollars.
    As for the rest of the funds, one member of The Trust for Public Lands— a land conservation organization pushing for completion of the project— is hopeful.
    "We're optimistic that we can protect the land by the end of this year," said Greg Hiner, a field representative with The Trust for Public Lands.
    In fact, the entire $750,000 still needed might come from U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman's office, according to his spokeswoman, Maria Najera.
    A submission for funding was sent to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this month, according to Najera.
    "Budgets are tight and there are a lot of people competing for this pool of funding," Najera said.
    Bingaman's office is looking into other sources of funding as well.