Tradition, off-roading clash in N.M.

OJO DE LA VACA, N.M. — Richard Montoya looks out the pickup truck's window as he heads down the dirt road toward the steel gate.

To the right, a few cows and horses graze in a pasture bordered by hills thick with pinon and juniper trees. To the left, the remaining stone walls of this once vibrant trading post stand out against the backdrop of Glorieta Mesa.

"So what do you think of this country?" the 67-year-old northern New Mexico rancher says.

It's not a question but rather Montoya's way of affirming the beauty of the surroundings he and his wife, Zenaida, have known all of their lives. They say they're lucky to live on the mesa, raising their horses and cattle and living off the land as their families have done for generations.

But the couple worries about whether they can maintain their traditional way of life now that the challenges of ranching in the West are being compounded by a new threat — the growing popularity of off-road motorized recreation on public land.

And the ranchers of Glorieta Mesa are not alone.

Battles among off-roaders, ranchers, land owners and environmentalists are heating up around the country as the U.S. Forest Service tries to decide which of its millions of acres should be designated for travel by motorcycles, four-wheelers and other backcountry vehicles.

About 36 national forests already have completed travel management maps, and the rest will follow over the next two years. The Santa Fe National Forest, which includes Glorieta Mesa, plans to release its map this summer.

More than half of the Santa Fe Forest is currently open to cross-country motorized travel.

"And with the growing population, the resource impacts of that are unacceptable," Santa Fe Forest Supervisor Daniel Jiron said.

Residents on Glorieta Mesa say irresponsible off-roaders are threatening their livelihood by tearing up the forest they depend on.

Some have photographs of tracks crossing pristine land. Others have stories about their livestock being chased, fences being cut and earthen stock tanks being used for impromptu mud bog sessions.

Forest officials have been talking with off-roaders and others in an effort to determine what the travel plan should look like. But the mesa's residents argue that until recently, they had not been included in the process, making for an even more contentious debate.