New Mexico provides 2,224 acres for public out of doors enjoyable

Outdoor lovers in northern New Mexico have a brand new playground: the two,224-acre Bartlett Mesa Ranch, now one of many New Mexico Department of Game and Fish’s Wildlife Management Areas, full with mountaineering and wildlife-viewing alternatives.

The Nature Conservancy offered matching funds as a part of the acquisition.

Located adjoining to Sugarite Canyon State Park and close to the Colorado border, the brand new Bartlett Mesa Wildlife Management Area sits at greater than 8,000 toes in elevation and affords sweeping views, considerable wildlife and entry to a rising community of public trails.

“This is a great opportunity for Colfax County residents and visitors alike,” stated Department Director Mike Sloane. “This acquisition will help preserve Bartlett Mesa and the wildlife that call it home for generations to come. But this WMA is also about access and outdoor recreation—expanding the public’s ability to hike, hunt, view wildlife and explore the rugged beauty of northern New Mexico. From its high-elevation vistas to its connection with nearby public lands and trail systems, Bartlett Mesa is a landscape rich in outdoor opportunities, and we’re proud to ensure it remains open and accessible to the people of New Mexico.”

Expanding Outdoor Access in Northern New Mexico

With its proximity to the City of Raton, the brand new Bartlett Mesa Wildlife Management Area opens the door to miles of latest mountaineering trails, birding and pictures alternatives, and wildlife viewing in a rugged, scenic panorama.

“Outdoor recreation is a key component of the City of Raton’s economy. We appreciate the many partners on this project, including The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Lands, the State of New Mexico and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish,” stated Lori Chatterley, Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Raton. “We are excited to have greater regional connectivity in this incredibly beautiful country. We hope residents and visitors alike will enjoy all it has to offer.”

Conservation with a Purpose

The Nature Conservancy acquired the Bartlett Mesa Ranch in 2022 as a part of a broader imaginative and prescient developed with the State of New Mexico and the City of Raton of regional connectivity for hikers, wildlife watchers and out of doors lovers. That collective imaginative and prescient is to construct a sustainable out of doors recreation economic system whereas additionally conserving out of doors areas and defending a key portion of the City’s watershed.

The Bartlett Mesa Wildlife Management Area affords essential habitat for a variety of native wildlife species, together with elk, mule deer, black bears, songbirds, birds of prey and extra.

“Bartlett Mesa encompasses such a unique and special landscape of high elevation grassland and dramatic cliff top views,” stated Terry Sullivan, New Mexico state director for The Nature Conservancy. “We are thrilled to complete this property transfer to the state as we work toward this larger vision for the spectacular Hi Lo Country of northeastern New Mexico. Working to develop collaborative solutions for people and nature is at the heart of our work, and this project truly embodies that ethic as it enables us to conserve a network of lands and waters across state boundaries to support the wildlife and communities that depend on them.”

The Department seems ahead to working with companions, together with New Mexico State Parks, The Nature Conservancy and the City of Raton, to find out future administration of the property to greatest serve wildlife and conservation wants, in addition to out of doors recreation pursuits.

More data on the Department’s Wildlife Management Areas may be discovered here.