New Mexico WILD—THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW MEXICO WILDERNESS ALLIANCE VOLUME IX, NUMBER I — SPRING 2007 the GILA WILDERNESS the heart of everything we fight for Whittling away at the Gila 03 The last wild river? 04 Wild spirit of the Gila 08 A different trail 11 www.nmwild.org New Mexico WILD! Page 1 stephen capra, executive director new mexico Notes from the WILD! Executive Director SPRING 2007 by Stephen Capra The Gila Wilderness is the focus of this newsletter. If you live in New Mexico or care about wilderness, then you under- stand how extraordinary the Gila Country really is. Some go there to hike or paddle, others for a pilgrimage or quiet self-introspection. The Gila is a land that speaks to many and its message is the knowledge that can be discovered in a protected landscape. The lessons that we can learn from the land, from the wildlife - the gifts returned by leaving land in its natural state - are perhaps one of the lessons hardest to teach on a global level. The concept of wilderness began in the Gila. It was formed by the thinking of many, but spearheaded by the gifted Aldo Leopold. It was here in the heart of the Gila, in the early 1920s, that Leopold began to question much of what was then the modern thinking on nature: ideas revolving around heavily managing land and wildlife. But Leopold, rather than accepting the norms of his time, continued to question. He did it in a West that was growing, but had yet to experience the explosive growth that would occur after WWII. This was the twenties, the cutting of our forests and building of roads was underway, and Leopold could envision the future. He wanted to maintain places where people could horse-pack for at least two weeks in a roadless landscape. He wanted to protect grand parts of wild nature because he understood that, in its purest form, there was nothing to improve. He also politics dictating a shameful policy of continual killing of understood that society had a significant learning curve con- wolves. The federal agency in charge, the US Fish and Wild- cerning the idea of wilderness. His was a true visionary, the life Service, has deferred to a small and intransigent sector of voice in the wilderness that was the conservation movement the ranching community to define the wolf recovery policy, of the 1920’s. while biologists, conservationists, sportsmen and even some in the ranching community (those concerned with main- Leopold also began to understand the importance of wild- taining a healthy environment) are being ignored. Good life, especially predatory animals such as wolves, in a healthy people in the USFWS involved in wolf recovery are leaving ecosystem. The “green-fire dying” (see pg. 9) was his pivotal the agency, speaking volumes about staff morale under the awakening that wolves were not just important for a healthy Bush administration. Consistently, wolves are being shot in environment, but for the spirit of wild nature. His powerful our state (many by the agencies charged with protecting words were written in a time when most people felt that the them) while the defined goal for wolf recovery by 2007 is not only good wolf was a dead wolf. It’s sadly ironic that today, being met, not by a mile. Those responsible for illegally kill- here in New Mexico, that fight continues with ignorance and ing wolves continue to avoid prosecution. Radical groups like the Paragon Foundation continue their relentless push to eliminate wolves from our state and we continue to fight back and demand justice for this great animal. We also expect agencies like the Fish and Wildlife Service to do their job, without succumbing to political influ- contents ence. It would disgust Mr. Leopold to see how politics, not science, continues to control the wolf recovery program and 4 The Last Wild River? how, in 2007, the broader public still fails to understand the 5 Otero Mesa Update importance of wild lands and wildlife to the overall health of 6 Nuclear Power Not the Answer Nature and humanity. 8 Governor Richardson’s Plans But lets get back to the positive: Leopold’s vision for the pro- 9 Dona Ana County Update tection of wildlands that began during his time in the Gila 10 ORV Update Country. That vision started a movement. It began with the creation of the Gila Primitive Area in 1924 and expanded 11 A Different Path into a wilderness preservation system today that spans more 11 Service Projects than 107 million acres in 44 states, featuring 702 wilder- 13 Gila Wilderness Experience ness areas. It has also expanded overseas with countries like 14 Martin Heinrich Australia, Russia, Italy, Poland, Tasmania, Patagonia, Borneo, 15 UNM Wild India, Africa, Mexico, Canada and many others developing their own system of landscape and oceanic protection. Per- 16 WILDFEST 07 haps the greatest wilderness remaining is Antarctica, and the 17 El Malpais struggle to protect its pristine nature continues. It’s amazing 18 Anchor of the Wilderness System to think that Leopold’s vision may one day protect the wild- 19 Defending the Gila ness of an entire continent. 23 Join us! 21-23 NMWA Sponsors continued on page 15 Page 2 WINTER 2007 New Mexico WILD! Page 3 Whittling Away at the Gila Wilderness Area For over 80 Years Main Office politicians, and the public carried out the primitive area boundary on the 505/843-8696 • fax 505/843-8697 their responsibility of stewardship? south where the Gila River flows out [email protected] • www.nmwild.org Protecting the Gila Wilderness Area of the mountains. After World War P.O. Box 25464, Albuquerque, NM 87125 has been a personal passion of mine Two, army surplus jeeps were brought Las Cruces Field Office 275 N. Downtown Mall for the last thirty-six years, and I have home and were used to further pio- Las Cruces, NM 88001 carefully studied its history before neer two-track routes into the primi- 505/527-9962 that. In answer to my question, I can tive areas while the Forest Service NEW!->Taos Field Office 108B Civic Plaza DrIve say that we have not done a good job. shrugged their shoulders. Taos, NM 87571 Had it not been for stout-hearted 505/751-7309 citizen conservationists like Jim Stowe The heart of the Gila is where the three forks of the river come together. Mission Statement and principled Forest Service employ- The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance is ees like Sam Servis at key times, our This valley also held hot springs, dedicated to the protection, restoration, private inholdings and ranch head- and continued enjoyment of New Mexico’s caring for the Gila Wilderness would wildlands and Wilderness areas. have been far, far worse—a travesty, quarters, and the Gila Cliff Dwell- NMWA Staff in short. ings National Monument. Every year the Forest Service led a jeep caravan Albuquerque Office Stephen Capra, Executive Director Copyright 2007 Dave Foreman More than any other single area, the twenty miles through their Gila Prim- Tripp Killin, Associate Director Gila Wilderness epitomizes the never- itive Area to the Gila Cliff Dwellings, Nathan Newcomer, Grassroots Organizer Tisha Broska, Membership Coordinator “A wilderness,” Aldo Leopold wrote, ending struggle to protect wilder- officially violating their management Roxanne Pacheco, Finance Manager “should be big enough to absorb a ness and fulfills the conservationists’ standards. This was a big, well-publi- Michael Scialdone, Director of Wilderness Protection Trisha London, Membership & Grassroots Assistant two-week pack trip without crossing watchword, “A wilderness battle is cized event and attracted a lot of par- Craig Chapman, Special Events Coordinator your own tracks.” To early forester never won.” ticipants. During this time, the Gila Carlsbad Office Leopold, the wilderness was the pine NF Supervisor bet that he could drive Steve West, Southeast Director forest and sheer canyons of the head- The Gila was the first area specifically his jeep some thirty-five miles farther Las Cruces Office protected as wilderness by human Jeff Steinborn, Southern Director waters of the Gila River in the Mogol- across the Gila from the Cliff Dwell- Nathan Small, Wilderness Protection Coordinator civilization. But within eight years lon Mountains and Black Range in ings northwest over Turkeyfeather Santa Fe Office southwestern New Mexico. As I imag- of its designation, the Forest Service Pass to Willow Creek. He almost David Ehrman, Outreach Coordinator ine myself on Holt Mountain looking cut the North Star Road through made it. I have a photograph of a Taos Office Jim O’Donnell, Northern Director into the wilderness, ravens quork- it north to south, slicing the Black crumbling little bulldozer deep in the ing and wheeling below, it is easy to Range to the east from the rest of the wilderness that had been specifically Board of Directors believe that I am sitting with Leopold. roadless country. The Gila National designed to maintain primary wilder- Wes Leonard, Albuquerque, NM (Chair) Forest claimed the road was needed Dave Parsons, Albuquerque, NM (Treasurer) His words hang and spangle in the air ness trails. Glen Banks, Placitas, NM for quicker communication between Pam Eaton, Denver, CO below us like fall leaves of aspen. Randy Gray, Lake Valley, NM its ranger stations at Beaverhead and During the 1940s and 1950s, the Christianne Hinks, Albuquerque, NM During the second decade of the last Bob Howard, Santa Fe, NM Mimbres, and for access for fire-fight- Forest Service undertook a program Tom Mouck, Albuquerque, NM century, he became enthralled with ing, private livestock management, to review all of the primitive areas that Arturo Sandoval, Albuquerque, NM Todd Schulke, Silver City, NM the freedom of this remote fastness and hunting.