To the editor

Issues with recreational access

I would like to address what I believe are issues with the current New Mexico State Trust Lands Recreational Access Permit. For some information on my background, I was a Bureau of Land Management volunteer for 12 years. 

As a BLM volunteer I monitored Indian archeological sites and historic sites out of the Las Cruces office. I also assisted archeologists with surveys for rancher proposed fence and water lines. I also do photography as a hobby and several of my photos were used in to obtain the Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument. 

As a BLM volunteer, I often crossed and entered New Mexico State Trust Lands with other BLM volunteers. Many of these volunteers did not have a Recreational Access Permit.  When the Covid-19 virus hit us, I used my personal Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited vehicle to monitor archeological sites. This is where I believe that the Recreational Access Permit should be changed.

I believe that the permit should be set up like the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. It would cover the pass holder and occupants of a single, private non-commercial vehicle. 

The State of New Mexico is continually promoting tourism to our great state.  Unfortunately, the posted signs on the State Trust Lands does not promote tourism and visitation to many of the areas within our state. Tourists coming into the state have no idea as to obtaining a Recreational Permit and they are not going to do it for a few days of visiting. 

There are many areas of State Trust Lands within the Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument with posted signs that scare people from entering and seeing the monument. I have taken relatives and visitors out to petroglyph sites to see, and to enjoy and photograph the monument. 

These visitors do not have a New Mexico State Trust Lands Recreational Access Permit as they are only here for a few days. It is my opinion that they should have access if they are with me and that I have a Recreational Access Pass.

There are numerous historic sites contained within the Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument that require access into and through State Trust Lands. Petroglyph sites, Butterfield Stage wagon ruts in rocks and the list goes on and on.

I wish that changes could be made to the State Trust Lands Recreational Access Permit policy that would be like the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. A State Trust Lands Pass that would support tourism and visitation within many areas of our great state.

Paul A. Bardwell

Las Cruces

Bringing Cruces back

Las Cruces is the epicenter of a terrible and ongoing injustice. What's more is the fact that every single resident of our great city are the ones who are the victims of this perpetual injustice.

You see Las Cruces is naturally endowed with important and unique resources as well as a set of circumstances that should all add up to a thriving community. We should be booming economically. Socially we should be flourishing, and we should be innovating in commerce, health, education, and most importantly, quality of life.

Yet instead of fresh-looking store fronts in well-lit strip malls we have boarded up businesses, run-down buildings and common areas littered with trash. Instead of freshly paved streets carrying busy consumers we have homeless and mentally ill and drug addicts walking up and down cracked up, ugly, hole-ridden trails of expired asphalt.

Every community manifests its own standards for living and high community standards can only exist if there are high expectations from the majority of residents. The more rooted in the community people are the higher the standards of living. This community is rich in good-hearted, decent, respectable people yet we, as a group, have come to tolerate a standard of living that includes the daily prospect of falling victim to a property crime and a landscape that looks like a community that is dying. Unacceptable!

The clear root of the problem is our cities government. By catering to the least civic-minded and least responsible people in our community our "leaders" have been slowly driving the city towards a state of disarray fitting of the circumstance that defines the lives of our troubled homeless community.

In forthcoming letters I will propose changes in the areas of government, law enforcement, education. and policy that will bring Cruces back.

Greg Anselmo

Las Cruces