Santa Fe New Mexican/Associated Press
Thursday, July 2, 2009

COSTILLA, N.M. (AP) -- New Mexico's state fish, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, has been restocked in Comanche Creek.

State game officials announced Friday they released more than 5,000 of the native trout into the creek and its tributaries as part of an effort to establish a healthy population of the pure strain trout and give anglers a chance to catch the state fish.

The Rio Grande cutthroat restoration project includes more than 150 miles of streams and 25 small lakes in the Rio Costilla watershed.

The Comanche Creek portion includes about 20 miles of small streams in the Valle Vidal of the Carson National Forest.

The state Game and Fish Department built barriers in the creek to prevent non-native fish from traveling upstream and they removed non-native fish above the barriers.

karlfmoffatt.blogspot
Thursday, August 21, 2008

State Department of Game and Fish staff are back in the Valle Vidal and Vermejo Park this summer for another shot at sterilizing streams to be restocked later with native Rio Grande cutthroat trout.

Crews in August will be re-treating about 20 miles of Comanche Creek and its tributaries north of the newly installed fish barrier on Forest Road 1950 near the confluence of Little Costilla Creek, said Kirk Patten, fisheries biologist for the state Department of Game and Fish.

Last summer, the creek's fish population underwent unlimited angler harvesting, physical removal through electro-shocking and then an application of the chemical rotenone to poison any remaining fish in an attempt to sanitize the creek for restocking with pure-strain, native, Rio Grande cutthroat trout.

But numerous fish survived the onslaught, requiring yet another attempt to eradicate the last of any remaining non-natives, Patten said.

Patten, coordinator of the state's Rio Grande cutthroat restoration effort, said it is not unusual to require repeated attempts at clearing a stream before it can be declared fit for restocking.

"The hope was we could put fish back in this fall," he said. "But it's more likely we won't stock until next summer."

Anglers this summer will be able to fish for cutthroats in the four-mile stretch of Comanche Creek upstream of the confluence of the Rio Costilla at Comanche Point to the barrier just below the confluence of Little Costilla Creek, Patten said.

"There's plenty of fish in there," he said.

Crews will also be heading back into Ted Turner's Vermejo Park ranch adjacent to the Valle Vidal to re-treat another stretch of stream that had been previously cleared and restocked with what were supposed to have been pure-strain cutthroats.

But after restocking the stream with trout from the state's cutthroat hatchery at Seven Springs, Turner ranch personnel reported finding a cross- breed of rainbow and cutthroat trout known as a "cutbow" inhabiting the stream.

Turner has long pursued his own wildlife conservation and reintroduction efforts on his private ranches and is cooperating with state Game and Fish officials to reintroduce the cutthroat throughout the shared watershed in the Valle Vidal area.

Mike Sloan, chief of the Fisheries Division for the state, told state game commissioners at a November 2007 meeting in Raton that rainbow trout were used to test the Seven Springs Cutthroat Hatchery before it came online and some of those were undetected and apparently got mixed in with the cutthroats delivered to Turner's ranch.

The department has since taken a number of measures to ensure that its brood stock of cutthroat trout remains pure and no more mix-ups occur, Patten said.

The department efforts include keeping a population of its cutthroat brood stock in Santa Fe's protected reservoirs and raising their young at the cutthroat-only hatchery at Seven Springs in the Jemez Mountains.

The effort is part of an ambitious, overall restoration plan to return the state's native fish to its historic ranges, such as the Valle Vidal watershed.

Competition from non-native fish, such as rainbow and brown trout; environmental impacts such as mining, logging and cattle grazing; and human development have reduced the trout's habitat to about 10 percent of its native range with only 13 core populations left in the state.

The state's goal is to reduce threats to the Rio Grande cutthroat trout's survival and improve its ability to prosper, Patten said.

Success of the department's long-range plan would also nullify the need for the trout's protection under the Federal Endangered Species Act, which could result in land-use and sport-fishing restrictions.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in May filed notice of its intent to pursue listing of the trout on its threatened or endangered species list.

Success of the reintroduction effort in the Valle Vidal would go a long way toward addressing some of the agency's concerns for listing the trout, Patten said.

Much of the groundwork for that success has already been greatly enhanced by habitat work done on Comanche Creek and the surrounding countryside.

Roads are nearly closed off or, in some cases, roads that cause excessive runoff and erosion that fouls waters have been eliminated.

Stream banks have been rebuilt and restored with native vegetation to create a healthier environment for fish to thrive. And non-native fish such as rainbow trout and white suckers have been eliminated to allow the Rio Grande cutthroats a clean start in their restored home waters.

Much of that work has involved volunteer groups such as the Truchas Chapter of Trout Unlimited, New Mexico Trout, the Quivera Coalition and the New Mexico Wildlife Federation.

The Taos News: Staff Report
Thursday August 21, 2008

The Comanche Creek watershed will be closed until Thursday (Aug. 28) while state personnel put a fish-killing chemi¬cal in the streams of that portion of the Valle Vidal. The application of piscicide is part of a multi-year project to rid the waterways of non-native fish, such as rainbow, brown and brook trout, and white and longnose suckers, so that they can be re-stocked with native Rio Grande cutthroat trout.

This latest activity, which is the second in a series, will shut off an area that begins at the junction of Forest Roads 1900 and 1950, heads west to the boundary of the Valle Vidal, south through Ortiz Peak and Van Diest Peak to Tetilla Peak, east along the watershed divide to Little Costilla Peak, and back west to the road junction.

Carson National Forest officials are overseeing the project, which is conduct¬ed on the ground by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish. Despite the closure, forest and state officials contend that the piscicide, when applied prop¬erly, is not dangerous to other animals or humans. Persons driving on Forest Road 1950 to Shuree Lakes can do so as long as they don’t get out of their vehicles.

For information, call the Carson National Forest main office at (575) 758-6200.

Special to The Range: By The Raton Range staff
August 19, 2008

RATON, New Mexico (STPNS) -- A portion of the Valle Vidal is temporarily closed while officials apply a piscicide - a chemical used to kill fish - to certain waters as part of an effort to kill non-native fish and allow the restoration of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout to its historic habitat.

The Comanche Creek watershed in the Valle Vidal - part of the Carson National Forest - was closed Aug. 13 and will remain closed through Aug. 28 while New Mexico Department of Game and Fish personnel apply the piscicide. The closure affects Comanche Creek and its tributaries. The closed area is immediately to the west of the Colfax-Taos county line and borders the county line.

Dan Berman, Greenwire senior reporter

President Bush signed legislation yesterday (December 12, 2006) prohibiting oil drilling and mining in the Valle Vidal area of New Mexico's Carson National Forest.

Protecting the 102,000-acre Valle Vidal has been a major focus of New Mexico's political leadership, environmentalists and outdoors groups over the past year. H.R. 3817 ensures that the Forest Service would keep Valle Vidal off-limits as it develops a new land-use plan.
vThe Forest Service was considering allowing energy development on about 40,000 acres. The Carson forest plan amendment is scheduled to be completed by early 2007, with any leasing decision made by fall 2008.

Valle Vidal was traded to the Forest Service in 1982 by Pennzoil Co. in exchange for $20 million in tax considerations. Pennzoil never allowed drilling in the area, and New Mexico politicians including Gov. Bill Richardson (D) fought to protect it, including the area in his roadless rule petition to the Agriculture Department earlier this year. A roadless designation would prohibit energy development and associated activities.

James W. Brosnan/Tribune Reporter
Friday, November 17, 2006
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2006/nov/17/president-considers-protectionfor-valle/

WASHINGTON - Legislation to block oil and gas drilling in the Valle Vidal is heading to President Bush's desk for signature into law following a 180-degree turn by Sen. Pete Domenici.

After holding up the bill for nearly four months, the Albuquerque Republican announced Thursday that he and Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a Silver City Democrat, would try to pass the bill quickly through the lame-duck session of Congress, without any legislative hearings or a vote by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee they lead.

Hours later, the Senate approved the bill unanimously.

"I am happy and surprised that things fell into place so quickly for this bill. I am confident the president will sign this bill so that the Valle Vidal will continue to be a virtually unblemished piece of New Mexico for people to enjoy for generations to come," Domenici said in a joint statement with Bingaman.

"This is terrific news. The Valle Vidal is a beautiful part of New Mexico that deserves to be protected," said Bingaman.

The action represents a victory for thousands of New Mexicans who protested by letter, phone calls and e-mail when the U.S. Forest Service said it would study whether to allow oil and gas development on a 40,000-acre portion of the 101,794 acre preserve north of Taos.

Pennzoil donated the Valle Vidal tract to the government in 1982 and it was added to Carson National Forest.

When El Paso Corp., one of the nation's largest natural gas companies, requested the Forest Service study, conservation, environmental, hunting, fishing and tourism groups joined to form a coalition to protect the Valle Vidal, calling it a "veritable Rocky Mountain paradise," with populations of mule deer, black bear, mountain lion, bald eagles, native Rio Grande cutthroat trout and the largest elk herd in New Mexico.

"It is a pristine, wonderful area," enjoyed by sportsmen of all kinds, back-country hikers and bird-watchers, said Oscar Simpson, president of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation.

The coalition won its first victory July 24 when the Valle Vidal Protection Act passed the House under the sponsorship of Rep. Tom Udall, a Santa Fe Democrat.

But Domenici, chairman of the Senate energy committee, refused to schedule the bill, contending there would be no harm in waiting so long as the Forest Service was just studying the drilling issue.

Simpson was in one of the coalition's semi-weekly strategy sessions Thursday when members learned the battle for Domenici's support was over.

Domenici explained Thursday that he was worried that pushing for Valle Vidal protections might affect his bill to expand oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico to within 125 miles of Florida's coast. That bill is stalled over disagreements with the House.

"I have been concerned about being perceived as pushing for or even forcing energy production in other states while saying `not in my backyard' in New Mexico. However, at this point, I believe we can, and should, try to enact the Valle Vidal Protection Act," he said.

Bingaman told reporters earlier this week that he would bring the bill out of the Energy Committee early next year if the bill did not pass in the lame-duck session. However, that also would force the House to pass the bill all over again.

Bob Gallagher, president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, criticized "the rush to judgment" before the Forest Service had completed its study. He said environmentalists would be the first to complain if the oil and gas industry tried to pass legislation to allow drilling without a study first.

Gov. Bill Richardson had mounted his own effort to save Valle Vidal by asking the federal government to include the preserve in the areas of New Mexico to be protected from new mineral development under a "roadless" rule.

After New Mexico's senators announced their agreement Thursday, Richardson said he was pleased but - in a dig at Domenici - added that he was concerned it was too late for action this year after "the long months this bill has sat in the Senate Energy Committee."

But Domenici showed that, when he decides to move, things can happen quickly. If the president signs the Valle Vidal Protection Act, the roadless rule won't be needed to protect the preserve.

Photograph by Dai Baker
Independent Television News, London U.K., and Washington, D.C.
White House News Photographers Association Photographer of the Year 2006

The photograph is a digital image, processed for sharp depth-of-field for all features between the immediate pond-and-meadow foreground on the east side of the Valle Vidal to Little Costilla Peak, more than a mile in the distance. The photograph was taken from a meadow targeted for drilling for coalbed methane natural gas. This image is now available as a 36" x 13" poster announcing the Abundant Life Art Exhibit - Celebrating the Valle Vidal at the Taos Country Club Gallery on the Green, October 20, 2006 (see article below).

To order the poster, send $25.00 to:

Coalition for the Valle Vidal
Abundant Life Poster
PO Box 238
Taos, NM 87571

Please make your check out to "Coalition for the Valle Vidal." Include your name, mailing address, and telephone number. Your contribution to protecting and restoring the Valle Vidal is tax deductible.

For information, contact Jim O'Donnell, 505.758.3874 or email at jodonnell@vallevidal.org.

An art exhibit and reception on Friday, October 20, 2006 from 6 to 9 P.M. in Taos, New Mexico.

During the summer and fall this year, artists from throughout New Mexico and our neighboring states visited the Valle Vidal to portray its exceptional beauty in paintings, sculpture, film, pottery, photography, jewelry, and other media.

The Gallery on the Green at the Taos Country Club will display these special artworks for sale at a gala reception on October 20th. Artists will take half of the proceeds of their sales, and half will go directly to protecting and restoring the Valle Vidal.

The Abundant Life Art Exhibit will be held as a special evening event in concert with New Mexico Bioneers Conference at the Kachina Lodge and Meetings Center in Taos, October 20-22.

We invite you to enjoy your choice of the exciting sessions of this conference.

New Mexicans and our neighbors from throughout the region will honor those who have made extraordinary contributions to permanently protect the Valle Vidal, New Mexico's national treasure.

We extended invitations to all members of the New Mexico congressional delegation, Governor Bill Richardson, and local and regional legislators and supporters from the many New Mexico counties, cities, and towns who resolved to protect the Valle Vidal forever.

We look to your support to protect New Mexico's Valle Vidal. We would be privileged for you to join us for the New Mexico Bioneers Conference and the opening reception of the:

Abundant Life Art Exhibit -- Celebrating the Valle Vidal
Gallery on the Green, Taos County Club, Taos, New Mexico, 505.758.7300
Opening Reception, 6-9 P.M., October 20, 2006

New Mexico Bioneers Conference
Kachina Lodge and Meetings Center, Taos, New Mexico, 505.758.2103
October 20-22, 2006

Art exhibit opening admission free to artists; $25 for the public. Bioneers attendees receive a $10 discount.

New Mexico Bioneers Conference information and registration at www.sustaintaos.org

Coalition for the Valle Vidal: Jim O'Donnell 505.758.3874, jodonnell@vallevidal.org

Abundant Life Art Exhibit/Coalition for the Valle Vidal: William M. Brown; wmb3@zianet.com

Taos Country Club: 505.758.7300
Artists' Contact: Betsy Carey, betsy@kitcarson.net
NM Bioneers Conference/Sustain Taos: Sharon Leach, 758-2103, sharonl@sustaintaos.org

By ANDY LENDERMAN | The New Mexican
July 24, 2006
Santa Fe New Mexican
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/46921.html

A bill to keep natural-gas drilling and other energy development out of Valle Vidal cleared the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday. But U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who chairs the key Senate committee that will consider the measure, still won't take a position on it.

Preservation of Valle Vidal has become a rallying cry for hunters, fishermen and environmentalists, while energy companies that want to drill and mine in the area consider the mineral-rich property equally important.

Domenici on Monday praised the bill's sponsor, U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and said the bill has a good purpose. But Domenici reiterated his position that the Forest Service should be allowed to complete an inventory of natural resources in the 102,000 acres of high-mountain valleys, forests and streams in Taos and Colfax counties.

"Let that take place, and let's see what happens," Domenici told radio reporters Monday. "My hunch is that they are going to determine that you can't drill up there."

Meanwhile, hunters and fishermen, Democrats, Republicans and independents are pressuring Domenici to support protection of Valle Vidal. Proponents say it is a key watershed for the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, the state fish, and home to New Mexico's largest elk herd.

One Republican -- Oscar Simpson of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation -- said Domenici, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is key to protecting Valle Vidal -- or Valley of Life -- from drilling.

"He holds power," Simpson said. "And I think thousands of people across New Mexico and across the West ... are asking him to step up to the plate and help."

Bill Schudlich, chairman of Trout Unlimited's New Mexico chapter, said: "I understand that Senator Domenici has a tough job. He has to balance out the energy needs of our country against the resources. ... Overwhelmingly, we believe that (Valle Vidal) has more value in terms of the recreation and wildlife than it does in terms of gas."

Jeremy Vesbach of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation said of the 54,029 public comments on the subject submitted to the U.S. Forest Service, which now controls Valle Vidal, all but 10 comments supported a ban on drilling.

Ed Olona, a Democrat who is a hunter and Springer community leader, urged Domenici to address the matter now. "It's important for them to take action now instead of later," he said, "because there's no reason to go ahead and procrastinate on this because the people of the state of New Mexico have spoken. Fifty-four thousand in favor of no drilling. Why wait?"

After the House vote, Udall said in a statement: "For generations, the people of New Mexico have appreciated all the Valle has to offer, and warmly welcomed others to partake in the experience. Now that this bill has been passed by the House, my hope is that it gains the support and the momentum needed to carry it through the Senate, under the guidance of our senators."

U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., congratulated Udall on Monday and noted the bill will die if the Senate does not approve it before Congress adjourns at the end of the year.

"It's my hope that we can win support for his measure in the Senate before this session ends in a few months, so we don't have to start all over again next year," Bingaman said in a statement.

Domenici, meanwhile, has been busy working on another piece of energy-related legislation. The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act calls for lifting a ban on energy development in the outer continental shelf off Florida. The bill would allow drilling on 8.3 million acres with an estimated ability to produce 1.26 billion barrels of oil and 5.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That's enough gas to heat 6 million homes for 15 years, according to Domenici's office.

Domenici called the area "the most energy-laden piece of real estate" owned by the federal government. "It's close, it's clean, it's safe, it's ready," he said Monday in a talk with radio reporters.

Valle Vidal also has become an issue in the race for New Mexico's 1st Congressional District, which covers Albuquerque. The contest has drawn national attention based upon expectations the race will be close and could be part of a Democratic takeover of the House.

Last month, Democratic challenger Patricia Madrid vowed to protect Valle Vidal from drilling if elected to Congress. Later that same week, U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., co-sponsored Udall's bill.

"The Valle Vidal is a great recreational area and the summer destination for 3,000 Boy Scouts on a wilderness experience each year," Wilson said in a statement. "That's its best use."

Contact Andy Lenderman at 995-3827 or alenderman@sfnewmexican.com.

By Jennifer Talhelm
The Associated Press
Albuquerque Journal
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
URL: http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/478581nm07-25-06.htm

WASHINGTON - House lawmakers on Monday approved a bill to protect northern New Mexico's mineral-rich Valle Vidal from gas drilling, putting the issue of whether to keep the region off-limits to energy companies in the Senate's hands.

In 2002, El Paso Exploration and Production Co. asked the Forest Service to open 40 percent of the 101,794-acre valley in the Carson National Forest for coal-bed methane drilling.

Thousands of people have said the Valle Vidal is too pristine to allow drilling, including all of New Mexico's federal delegation except Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who has yet to take a position.

If the Senate approves it, the House bill would scuttle the drilling proposal and prevent energy companies from leasing in the Valle Vidal in the future.

"This bill is what all of us in the coalition wanted, which was to permanently protect the Valle Vidal from oil and gas and mineral exploration," Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., the bill's sponsor, said. "I'm going to give both Sen. Domenici and Sen. (Jeff) Bingaman a call and let them know what transpired here and that I hope for their support."

The fate of the bill rests in part with Domenici, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, who has the power to decide whether any bill dealing with the Valle Vidal will go to the full Senate.

Bingaman, D-N.M., has introduced another Valle Vidal bill in the Senate that would make the area a national preserve, protecting it while allowing public access.

On Monday, Domenici commended Udall for his work on the bill. But he said he wants to wait for a report from the Forest Service about whether drilling is an appropriate use for the valley.

"My hunch is that they're going to determine that you ... probably shouldn't (drill)," Domenici said. "But I think we ought to let that happen rather than precipitously stop it when there is such a terrific problem in the country with natural gas."

Environmentalists have said the Valle Vidal's natural beauty and pristine land would be ruined by drilling.

The coalition to protect the Valle VidalÑ or "Valley of Life"Ñ includes sportsmen and environmentalists, who say it is a key watershed for the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, the state fish, and home to New Mexico's largest elk herd.

Protecting the region has even become an issue in the Albuquerque-area 1st Congressional District race, many miles from the Carson National Forest. In June, the Democratic challenger, state Attorney General Patricia Madrid, signed a pledge to always oppose oil and gas drilling in the Valle Vidal, pointing out that her Republican opponent, Rep. Heather Wilson, did not back Udall's bill.

Wilson co-sponsored the bill three days later.

On Monday, Wilson said she had evaluated the legislation and decided the Valle Vidal should be protected. "The Valle Vidal is a great recreational, scenic and wildlife area, and the summer destination for up to 3,000 Boy Scouts on a wilderness experience each year," she said in a statement. "These are its best uses."

By ANDY LENDERMAN | The New Mexican
July 22, 2006
Santa Fe New Mexican
www.freenewmexican.com/news/46811.html

The Valle Vidal Protection Act is scheduled for a vote Monday in the U.S. House of Representatives, the office of U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said Friday.

The bill would ban oil and natural-gas drilling on 102,000 acres of Northern New Mexico's high-mountain valleys and forests, an area controlled by the U.S. Forest Service.

"The progress this bill has made in the last year is truly a testament to the thousands of New Mexicans who have declared their support to preserve this unique and versatile landscape," Udall said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for Udall said he feels there is a good chance the bill will pass. It needs a two-thirds majority because it has been placed on the House Suspension Calendar, which means it cannot be amended.

The bill must pass the Senate and be signed by President Bush before becoming law.

U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He has not taken a position on Udall's bill but supports a survey to determine what kind of natural resources are in the area, which is spread over Taos and Colfax counties.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., has introduced similar legislation in the Senate.

Contact Andy Lenderman at 995-3827 or alenderman@sfnewmexican.com.

The Valle Vidal was reopened to visitors on Friday, July 7, 2006.

The arrival of the much awaited monsoonal moisture throughout much of Northern New Mexico has lessened fire danger levels sufficiently to allow the Carson National Forest to reduce fire restrictions and allow visitors into the Valle Vidal. The area had been closed to all uses from June 26 through July 6, 2006 due to Stage III fire restrictions.

By Michael Coleman | Journal Washington Bureau
Albuquerque Journal
Thursday, June 22, 2006
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/470363nm06-22-06.htm

WASHINGTON - A key House committee voted Wednesday to protect the Valle Vidal - 102,000 acres in New Mexico's Carson National Forest - from gas drilling.

"This is a huge step forward in the process to protect one of New Mexico's most precious gems," said Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who authored the measure. "Protecting the Valle Vidal means preserving for New Mexico and the nation a land rich in history and culture and abundant in wildlife."

The U.S. Forest Service, which manages the Valle Vidal, has been considering whether to open 40,000 acres of the land to coal-bed methane drilling.

The Forest Service solicited public opinion on the proposal and received 54,000 responses, only nine of which supported drilling in the area, according to an analysis by the Coalition for the Valle Vidal, which opposes opening up the Valle Vidal to gas drilling.

The Valle Vidal, located in Taos and Colfax counties, is home to one of the largest elk herds in the state and has been described as an outdoorsman's paradise.

Udall also said the Valle Vidal was home to some of America's earliest inhabitants - including Native Americans, Spanish settlers and myriad forms of wildlife.

"I believe we have a responsibility to protect it for future generations," he said.

The Valle Vidal tract was donated to the Forest Service in 1982 by Pennzoil Co., which never drilled in the area.

Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., who sits on the resources committee, said Wednesday he supported the protection.

Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., became a co-sponsor of the measure after it passed the committee Wednesday. She had previously declined to publicly support or oppose the legislation, saying she wanted to study the matter and hear public feedback.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M, has sponsored similar legislation in the Senate, but Sen. Pete Domenici, chairman of the Senate Energy Natural Resources Committee, has not yet declared a position on the Valle Vidal Protection Act.

By DEBORAH BAKER | Associated Press
The Santa Fe New Mexican
June 1, 2006

Gov. Bill Richardson is asking the federal government to protect all 1.6 million acres of roadless national forest in New Mexico -- and to throw in 100,000 acres of the Valle Vidal as well.

Adding the Valle Vidal to the protected acreage would create "another stumbling block" to proposed drilling on the renowned elk and trout habitat, he said.

New Mexico becomes the fourth state -- and the first Western state -- to petition the Bush administration for roadless-area protection under a new rule established last year.

"I call on other Western states to follow New Mexico's lead," Richardson said Wednesday at a news conference at the Randall Davey Audubon Center, at the edge of the Santa Fe National Forest.

The petition was applauded by hunters, anglers and conservation groups including The Wilderness Society, which said Richardson was trying "to make the best of a bad federal policy."

Just before he left office in January 2001, President Clinton issued a rule banning development and road building on almost one-third of the nation's 192 million acres of national-forest land.

The Bush administration repealed the rule, replacing it with a process under which governors can ask the U.S. Forest Service to protect roadless areas. Critics say that puts wild areas at risk for logging, mining, and drilling, unless governors act and the Forest Service agrees.

New Mexico is among a handful of states that filed suit challenging the Bush administration's repeal of the Clinton rule. The lawsuit is pending.

Richardson, a Democrat who was Clinton's energy secretary and who is testing the waters for a possible 2008 presidential run, called the Bush administration "very hostile" and said he was "a little bit agitated about their environmental policy."

The Valle Vidal, a unit of the Carson National Forest in northernmost New Mexico, wasn't included in the inventories of roadless areas conducted by the Forest Service decades ago because it was private land. It was deeded to the federal agency by Pennzoil Corp. in 1982.

Oil-and-gas development in the Valle Vidal "would be disastrous," according to Richardson. The petition process provides an opportunity to add the area to the roadless inventory and protect it, he said.

Houston-based El Paso Corp. has asked the Forest Service to open almost 40 percent of the Valle Vidal for leases, in order to tap into coal-bed methane reserves. A final decision isn't expected until 2008.

Richardson noted there is bipartisan opposition to the drilling; U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., is against it.

The Valle Vidal, one of the most scenic outdoor-recreation areas in the state, is home to New Mexico's largest elk herd and the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, the state fish.

By Dan McKay
Albuquerque Journal Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 15, 2006

New Mexico's largest city is joining the effort to protect the Valle Vidal from oil and gas development. Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, City Council President Martin Heinrich and others announced on Tuesday their support of work to preserve the wilderness.

"This is our children's heritage," Chavez told reporters at the Rio Grande Nature Center. "The responsible thing is to stop any development and drilling of the Valle Vidal."

City councilors last month unanimously adopted a resolution stating their opposition to energy development there.

"The Valle Vidal is one of the unique, priceless places in New Mexico," said Heinrich, the state's natural resources trustee. "It deserves permanent federal protection."

A coalition dedicated to preserving the Valle Vidal wants New Mexico's congressional delegation to protect the area. The 100,000-acre wilderness in the Carson National Forest is prime habitat for elk and troutÑ as well as Boy Scouts from the nearby Philmont Scout Ranch.

Nick LaRue, an Eagle Scout and Madison Middle School teacher, said the Valle Vidal is a great place for youngsters to learn about the wild. "I have a responsibility as a New Mexican and as an American to protect the wild places," he said.

Valle Vidal Waters Protected

By John Arnold
Journal Staff Writer
http://www.abqjournal.com/north/416639north_news12-15-05.htm

Opponents of energy development in northern New Mexico's Valle Vidal scored a victory on Wednesday when the state Water Quality Control Commission voted to further protect the area's streams and lakes.

The commission designated Valle Vidal surface waters as Outstanding National Resource Waters, a classification allowed under the federal Clean Water Act that prohibits further degradation in water quality.

The designation doesn't prohibit oil and gas drilling, but allows state regulators to set more stringent water quality standards for the 100,000 acres of Carson National Forest land east of Red River.

"It doesn't preclude uses, it doesn't encourage uses, it focuses on water quality," said Marcy Leavitt, the surface water quality bureau chief for state Environment Department.

Spills, subsurface discharges, road building and other activities associated with gas drilling pose a threat to water quality, according to state Oil Conservation Division director Mark Fesmire.

Several state agencies, the Coalition for the Valle Vidal and members of the public argued for the Outstanding National Resources Waters designation during two days of testimony that wrapped up Wednesday. Gov. Bill Richardson proposed further water quality protection in August, calling it a first step in a long fight to protect the Valle Vidal from natural gas drilling. The Water Quality Control Commission approved the petition by a vote of 11-1.

"(Richardson) feels that it deserves to be protected not just for its natural beauty, but also for the economic funds pumped into the state through tourism, elk hunters and fishermen that enjoy use of that area," Richardson spokesman Jon Goldstein said Wednesday.

During the hearing, proponents argued that the Valle Vidal is a unique ecological treasure and home to important wildlife populations. Streams in the Valle Vidal are a refuge for the native Rio Grande cutthroat trout, New Mexico's state fish. Conservation groups are working to restore the cutthroat trout's habitat in the Valle Vidal, according to William Schudlich, chairman of Trout Unlimited's New Mexico council. Anglers hope restoration efforts will help prevent the fish from being listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Such a listing could impact fishing, grazing and other uses around the cutthroat trout habitat.

"I think anything we can do to prevent the listing of a species can help us all out," Commissioner Tim Darden said.

Petitioners also argued that the Valle Vidal's ecological health is an important economic factor. The long-term economic benefits derived from tourism and recreation outweigh any short-term economic boost that gas drilling would provide, Fesmire said. He cited a study by University of Montana economist Thomas Michael Power, who projected that energy development in the Valle Vidal would provide just 94 jobs over a 10-year period.

"That economic value would not offset the loss in the long term of this pristine area," Fesmire said.

Houston-based El Paso Corp., which operates hundreds of coal bed methane wells on Ted Turner's adjacent Vermejo Park Ranch, has asked the U.S. Forest Service to consider opening the Valle Vidal to drilling. A final decision on drilling won't be made until 2008.

An El Paso Corp. spokesman said Wednesday that his company has not decided whether to pursue a lease if drilling is approved.

"So there's no thinking about what might be the consequences of the (designation)," Bruce Connery said in a phone interview.

Energy industry representatives did not participate in this week's hearing. New Mexico Oil and Gas Association president Bob Gallagher on Tuesday accused the state of misusing a law to prohibit energy development. He said the state's petition for the Outstanding National Resource Waters designation didn't merit a response from his association.

Several commission members said the absence of protest during the hearing played into their decision to vote for the designation.

"It wasn't just what was presented, it was what was not presented that was important to me in terms of supporting the designation," Commissioner Peggy Johnson said.



State to protect valley's waters

By Staci Matlock
The New Mexican
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/36397.html
December 15, 2005

Northern New Mexico's Valle Vidal, where sportsmen and environmentalists are fighting to keep out coal-bed-methane drilling, got a new layer of protection Wednesday from the state Water Quality Control Commission.

After a two-day hearing in Santa Fe, the commission voted 11-1 Wednesday in favor of designating the streams and ponds in the Valle Vidal as Outstanding National Resource Waters.

The federal Clean Water Act allows states to protect waters from degradation caused by such activities as road building or coalbed-methane drilling.

Conservationists and recreational users are fighting to keep drilling out of the 100,000-acre Valle Vidal Ñ or Valley of Abundant Life Ñ in the Carson National Forest.

The 12-member commission made the decision after accepting testimony from three state agencies and more than a dozen citizens.

The state Department of Game and Fish, state Environment Department and New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources petitioned for the Valle Vidal waters to receive the special designation.

Witnesses from the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, Trout Unlimited, New Mexico Wildlife Federation and New Mexico Riparian Council were among the groups that spoke in favor of protecting Valle Vidal's waters.

Waters designated as "outstanding" must be part of an excellent trout fishery, provide exceptional recreation or ecological value or contain quality water that meets or exceeds standards for aquatic species and other wildlife.

Valle Vidal's waters are only the second in the state to be designated as outstanding resource waters. In January, a 25-mile stretch of the Rio Santa Barbara, from the Pecos Wilderness to the Embudo River, became the first water body in the state that the commission designated as an outstanding water resource after its nomination by the nonprofit river-advocacy group Amigos Bravos.

The designation won't affect fishing, hunting, recreation or livestock grazing in the Valle Vidal, according to Marcy Levitt, bureau chief of the Environment Department's Surface Water Division. "It does not limit ongoing activities as long as they don't degrade water quality," she said.

Among the waters protected under the designation are Rio Costilla and associated creeks, Middle Ponil Creek, Shuree Lakes, North Ponil Creek and Leandro Creek.

Levitt showed the commission pictures of Vermejo Park Ranch, owned by Ted Turner and adjacent to the Valle Vidal, before and after coal-bed-methane drilling began. The aerial photos taken after drilling show a network of roads and well pads. "Roads are one of the largest threats to water quality," Levitt said.

El Paso Co. of Houston has asked to lease the Valle Vidal for coal-bed-methane development. Carson National Forest is now deciding whether such development will be allowed.



Panel Considers Valle Vidal Restrictions

By John Arnold
Journal Staff Writer
http://www.abqjournal.com/north/416242north_news12-14-05.htm
Wednesday, December 14, 2005

The state commission responsible for controlling water pollution in New Mexico is mulling a proposal meant to further protect streams and lakes in the Valle Vidal.

Proponents also hope the proposal protects the 100,000 acres in the Carson National Forest from natural gas drilling.

The state Water Quality Control Commission began hearings Tuesday on whether to designate Valle Vidal surface waters as Outstanding National Resource Waters. The designation, allowed under a provision of the federal Clean Water Act, would prohibit further degradation in surface water quality and would mean stringent requirements for potential energy developers.

Several state agencies, including the Environment Department, the Department of Game and Fish, and the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, are petitioning the commission for the designation. Proponents testified Tuesday that it is needed to protect "the Yellowstone of New Mexico," an ecological treasure in northern New Mexico that offers rare recreational opportunities.

Those opportunities have a significant long-term economic impact, said David Propst, a fish biologist with the state Department of Game and Fish. Fishing and elk hunting at the Valle Vidal bring in nearly $1.5 million a year to the state and local economies, he testified. Propst did not have figures from other activities like bird-watching, horseback riding, hiking and camping, but said they likely have significant economic impact, as well.

"I've spent my entire life pursuing recreational opportunities in the area, and I have found none that match what is happening in the Valle Vidal," said Francisco Antonio Guevara, a northern New Mexico native and recreation guide.

"It's a very, very special place and needs to be protected," he told the commission during a public comment period.

Oil Conservation Division director Mark Fesmire testified that spills, subsurface discharges and road building associated with drilling could pose problems for Valle Vidal waterways. Fesmire said that statewide there are 1,400 active cases of contamination caused by oil and gas operations.

The Outstanding National Resource Waters designation would not prohibit drilling, he added, but would allow the state to write stricter water quality rules for the Valle Vidal.

"The statewide rules now in place would not be sufficient to protect resources like the Valle Vidal," he said.

Gas industry representatives did not participate in Tuesday's proceedings. New Mexico Oil and Gas Association president Bob Gallagher said the proposal doesn't "merit a response from us."

"This is a blatant attempt by the state to misuse an existing law to find whatever method they can find to prohibit the exploration of natural gas in the Valle Vidal," Gallagher said.

He refuted Fesmire's claim that oil and gas operations are responsible for 1,400 contamination cases, saying the state doesn't have scientific evidence to back up its claim. And Gallagher argues that the state's petition for an Outstanding National Resource Waters designation is premature because the Forest Service hasn't completed scientific study to determine whether gas development should be allowed.

Houston-based El Paso Corp. has asked the Forest Service to consider opening the eastern 40,000 acres of the Valle Vidal to natural gas development. The company currently operates about 500 coalbed methane wells just to the north and east of the Valle Vidal, on Ted Turner's Vermejo Park Ranch.

The 12-member Water Quality Control Commission will resume discussion of the Outstanding National Resource Waters designation at 9 a.m. today. The hearing will be held at Apodaca Hall in the PERA Building, 1120 Paseo de Peralta.