Newest open space celebrated

Acquisition boosts open space and city's reputation

Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, right, with Albuquerque Open Space Director Matt Schmader at Milne Open Space celebration. (Photo by Becky Schnelker)

CEDAR CREST -- Blasts of sand and wind failed to dampen the spirits of about 100 who gathered recently to celebrate the opening of New Mexico's newest recreational preserve. Acquisition of the John A. Milne / Gutierrez Canyon Open Space in the mountains east of Albuquerque, heralded as a tribute to regional cooperation, also further cements the metro area's status as a national leader in open space preservation.

A local fire truck pulled alongside the refreshment table and celebration tent in an attempt to block off the cold and dry, grainy gusts, but people ignored the weather -- they were gathered to celebrate not only the purchase of the Milne site, but what many viewed as extraordinary cooperation that led to it. In all, 420 acres owned by the Milne family was acquired, more than doubling the existing Gutierrez Canyon Open Space, creating a 720-acre preserve that is easily accessible from north state Highway 14  in Cedar Crest, known to area residents and tourists alike as the Turquoise Trail.

Nearly 75 people stayed after the speeches to hike a mile into Milne's pinon, juniper and ponderosa pine-dotted canyons on trails created mostly by horseback riders. Eventually, trailhead improvements will be made at the site behind the Cedar Crest post office.

A series of speakers -- all of whom played a role in the acquisition -- marveled at the synergy that brought together state and local government, coalition groups and individuals, and at the good fortune of the project, which sought help when the Legislature was flush during the 2007 session. As Sen. Sue Wilson-Beffort, R-Bernalillo, noted, "There wouldn't have been the money" in a subsequent session to save what she called "Albuquerque's last frontier."

Jay Lee Evans, deputy director of Albuquerque's Parks and Recreation Department, told the New Mexico Independent (NMI) that the Milne acquisition "was just another feather" in the city's open-space leadership cap. "Our open space acreage in terms of [population] compares very favorably to Berkeley, Boulder, Minneapolis/St. Paul -- the other leading lights" in terms of open space.

Andrew Demoulin, senior research associate with the Trust for Public Land (TPL), which helped facilitate the Milne acquisition through its New Mexico office, told NMI that Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and Santa Fe are considered national leaders in open space because they have had dedicated funding sources for land acquisition. After a series of successful bond issues and gross receipts tax initiatives for open space, Albuquerque has a permanent funding source in the Elena Gallegos Trust Fund. A county open-space bonding measure, left off the ballot through administrative error in 2006, will come before voters this fall.

"Elected officials have shown a commitment to land preservation," Demoulin said. "Voters have, too." Albuquerque specifically has a long open-space history, of which Milne is the latest chapter.

Dedicated funding is probably tops on the list in terms of what TPL looks for in gauging conservation success. It "puts them leagues ahead" of other communities, Demoulin said, and is critical because state and federal funding sources are not always reliable. 

While Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and Santa Fe may be conservation leaders, Jenny Parks, state director of TPL, said New Mexico is one of the few Western states that lacks a state conservation fund. She said TPL will push for a bill to create a permanent source of state funding so that it's there to match community funds when purchase opportunities arise.

"New Mexico won't be like this forever. We need to keep key parcels, like this one," she told those at the Milne celebration.

Wilson Beffort and fellow East Mountain Rep. Kathy McCoy, R-Bernalillo, were among those who helped secure funding for the $2.2 million Milne purchase in the 2007 session. In all, $1.25 million came out of the session, including more than $500,000 sponsored by Wilson Beffort, another $250,000 from legislation sponsored by McCoy, and another $250,000 from Gov. Bill Richardson, secured at Lt. Gov. Diane Denish's request.

In September, the Albuquerque City Council unanimously approved the use of up to $500,000 in Open-Space Acquisition funds. The state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department stepped up with the rest.

Councilor Isaac Benton represents Albuquerque's downtown, but said the Milne space "is for all of Albuquerque. When you're an 'urbanite,' you really need to get out." Benton said the Milne acquisition was noteworthy, too, in that it involved "the entire regional community." Benton co-sponsored the city bill with former councilor Martin Heinrich.

The Milne space process seemed to set a record -- it was one year from the first meeting in January 2007 when the coalition formed to preserve it,  to January 2008 when Albuquerque took possession of it. Coalition member and area resident Susan Loubet said she'd worked on many legislative projects and had "never seen anything come together like this." McCoy concurred that it was "not an easy project" but she hadn't seen any other bill progress as quickly. "It moved through the Legislature in record time."

Area resident John Peterson, who was singled out for special credit for pushing for preservation of the space, had already worked several years on the project before pulling together the coalition in January 2007. The project gained momentum when, in the fall of 2006, he brought the project to the attention of TPL's Greg Hiner, who got an option on the property while the funding was being cobbled together. Both Hiner and Peterson credit the Milne family for their patience in working through the process.

Peterson told NMI the "fortuitous" influx of oil and gas money in the 2007 session made the purchase possible.

The existing 300-acre Gutierrez Canyon Open Space had been managed by the city since its purchase in 1963, but was accessible only through a nearby residential area. The new addition provides access to Gutierrez Canyon from state highway 14.

The Milne space was one of several lands -- from The Railyard Park and Plaza in Santa Fe to property near Tonuco Mountain north of Las Cruces -- protected with TPL's help in 2007.

(Note: The writer of this article was part of the coalition that worked toward preservation of the Milne Open Space.)

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