SANTA FE COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – Hiking, biking, and horseback riding, that’s the vision Santa Fe County commissioners have for more than 2,000 acres of land just outside city limits which they’ve pledged to protect for future generations to enjoy.
“This property is really special because it is a really large relatively undisturbed piece of land,” said Open Space and Trails Planning Team Leader with Santa Fe County Adeline Murthy.
The spot is so special that Santa Fe County commissioners are now buying the 2,650 acre plot of land to protect it for future generations.
“Santa Fe has a reputation for wide open spaces and this helps maintain the reputation,” said Santa Fe County Commissioner Hank Hughes, who helped co-sponsor a resolution to purchase the property along with Commissioner Adam Johnson.
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The land is currently called Bobcat Crossing Ranch and it’s used for grazing. The property is north of Eldorado, off Interstate 25. It’s in the middle of an area that’s seen a lot of growth in recent years. The county’s Open Land, Trails and Parks Advisory Committee recommended the spot.
“There’s amazing views. There are a couple of vistas that will look out onto the Galisteo Basin to the west onto the Sangre de Cristos to the east. The terrain itself is interesting,” said Johnson.
Right now it’s privately owned, but not for long. County commissioners signed off on buying it at their April 29 meeting for $3.7 million. The county will be purchasing the property from Rancho Viejo Partnership.
County officials said they want to eventually build trails for horses, hikers, and bicyclists to enjoy. The land also has cultural significance, spanning former alignments of historic route 66 along with an ancestral pueblo site.
“The idea with that pueblo site is to preserve it and not have it be accessible to the general public,” added Johnson.
The county said they hope to also protect wildlife crossings with wells on the land they hope animals can use.
There isn’t a timeline yet on when the property will officially be in the county’s hands, but the county hopes to start building trails in a year or two. The county said they will need to make a management plan to determine how much of the land will be used for open space.
The county currently manages 7,000 acres of open space, making this the 21st open space property and potentially their largest open space area.
The Northern New Mexico Horsemen’s Association sent KRQE this statement about the county purchasing the property.
Northern New Mexico Horsemen’s Association is wholeheartedly in support of the recent purchase by Santa Fe County of the 2,600-acre Bobcat Crossing Ranch, located off Bobcat Crossing Road.
This will be a crown jewel in the county open space program, given the myriad benefits to the community and wildlife. There is unlikely to be another opportunity to obtain a tract of this size so close to existing neighborhoods, that has the archeological values, wildlife corridors and habitats, possibilities for trails, protection of dark skies, and yet easy access from three sides.
