State park transfer draws suit
Legislators say they should have input on decision to transfer Southern N.M. park to Game and Fish
Legislators are suing to stop the transfer of a state park near Mesilla to the state Department of Game and Fish.
Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration announced last year the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department would hand over ownership of the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park because of budgetary constraints.
Legislators, however, say they have been left uncertain about the future of the park’s facilities and management under a different department with a different mission.
They also say the law requires they approve the move.
“A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into the creation of this beautiful state park,” said Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, in a statement on the park, which was dedicated in 2008.
“Years of legislative work, community input and significant investment cannot just be scrapped without proper involvement from the legislative body responsible for approving and funding our state parks,” she added. “If there are problems or issues to be addressed that’s fine, but the process has to be transparent and go through the proper channels.”
The park features a couple of miles of trails and prime birdwatching alongside the Rio Grande.
But the state also has said the park is among its least visited and that transferring the property will save money.
The Legislative Council, which handles the Legislature’s day-to-day business when lawmakers are not in session, filed the suit Tuesday in the state First District Court in Santa Fe.
The lawsuit names the secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department; the director of the State Parks Division; the Game and Fish director; and the state land commissioner as defendants.
It asks a judge to return ownership of the park to the State Parks Division and and bar Game and Fish from controlling or managing the park.