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Thursday, April 8, 2004

Editorial: Heather Wilson Went Extra Mile


    Not too many people would choose to hike a muddy trail after days of rain. But Rep. Heather Wilson did, just so she could see for herself Otero Canyon's popular hiking and biking trails.
    In doing so, she demonstrated an unusual willingness to go the extra mile in pursuit of a compromise on federal plans to fence off part of the trail system.
    More accurately, she demonstrated a willingness to go an extra 8.5 miles. That's how far the Republican congresswoman hiked with seven members of the Friends of Otero trail preservation group to get an "on the ground" feel for Kirtland Air Force Base's latest fencing proposal. That proposal calls for a compromise between the base's desire for security and recreational users' desire for no closure, recommending moving the base's security fence back a half-mile from Kirtland's eastern boundary.
    Trail users say, and Wilson agreed after her hike, that moving the fence line even 50 feet "will really impact that trail system."
    She also saw on her hike a new possibility: that a small adjustment in the fence route could open up to public use another 5,000 acres of Forest Service land that would be landlocked under the current plan.
    A military veteran herself, Wilson now plans to write and possibily visit with base commander Col. Henry L. Andrews Jr. in the next couple of weeks to make some of her own suggestions and ask that the public comment period on the new plan be extended. Her first-hand knowledge will no doubt add considerable currency to the discussion.
    Friends of Otero members are, naturally, quite pleased with Wilson's interest and willingness to not only listen to their concerns, but see for herself why they are so passionate about this area and its 40 miles of forest trails. Wilson's trek will help ensure a true compromise can be reached— one that allows for continued use of the popular trails while still protecting KAFB. At best, such a compromise would also result in the clean-up of ordnance hazards from base testing and possible modification of live munitions fire.
    In hiking Otero Canyon, Wilson has logged valuable political mileage— for trail users and herself.