Talpa Ridge Trail plan near Rancho de Taos falls short

Just outside of Ranchos de Taos are lands that are sacred and vital to the survival of traditional-use communities: the beautiful Talpa foothills. It’s a place that families like mine have depended on for our survival, and where we look to for physical and spiritual health. A place of reflection, community and sacred lands that go back far before New Mexico was even a part of the United States. A place we must protect.

Here in the surrounding areas of Taos, 2022 has been a lot to handle. We’ve had to deal with a fire that ravaged through places that provide life and substance to our communities, our family and neighbors in surrounding counties. A long-lasting drought has our acequias needing to work closely together to find a way to maintain our way of life, while continuing to do our part to address issues of climate change, while using less and less water each year. And we’ve had to deal with a constant battle against gentrification that sees prices of land skyrocket, which doesn’t allow people who have lived here for generations to afford rent, much less be able to buy new land or a home.

We are a resilient people that will continue to fight for our community and our way of life, particularly when it comes to our land, our water and religion. Which is why the proposed bike trail along the Talpa foothills brings our community many issues.

The plan for the Talpa Ridge Trail has fallen short in its early stages of getting community input, especially since its placement has such importance to locals. Spearheaded by the Enchanted Circle Trails Association and Taos Mountain Bikers Association, in concert with the Carson National Forest, this proposed trail would be constructed along foothills that have many religious and cultural sites crucial to the spirituality of our people for generations.

These sites and shrines need to be protected, not disrespected. We have dealt with vandalism on these shrines before and do not want to invite more problems with the proposed Talpa Ridge Trail going by many of these sites. Along with the cultural and religious sites, we have a thriving local herd of elk, as well as an abundance of deer and bobcats. They do not have a voice in this matter, and we must protect their habitat as well.

With early proposed management plans that depend heavily on a volunteer force — the Forest Service doesn’t have the manpower or the funding to manage such a large trail system — we in the surrounding communities are opposed to the mountain bike trail.

We propose the Forest Service keeps the existing trail system on the mountain and uses funding to both maintain and make improvements to the current trails. We also ask that any new approved trails be pushed farther up into the national forest and away from local communities that depend on their surrounding areas for survival.

Any new trailheads also need to be located away from rivers and watersheds that will impact acequia flows below them. As a member of the New Mexico Acequia Commission, a parciante depending on the acequias and sixth-generation Taoseña, I ask that anyone reading this do what you can to be sure your area and your way of life are not impacted without input.