Friends of Talpa Foothills
Stand with the historic community of Talpa, New Mexico as they stand with communities
around the world to defend their culture, their water and their legacy, against developers.
Photo by Daniel Sonis
Recreation is good for New Mexico, but not when it threatens local culture.
Protect vital fresh water resources and sustainable land use.
Respect historic culture
and value local traditions.
Prevent the destruction of balanced ecosystems and wildlife habitat.
IMAGINE! This fragile mountain, home to much wildlife, respectfully used by locals for centuries, spiritual sanctuary to many over the years, becomes scarred by unsustainable, eroding trails over almost the whole of its face. At the same time, the ancient pastoral community that sits at it's feet is suddenly overrun by bicyclists and out-door thrill-seekers trying to access this trail system.
Special interest groups have proposed a plan to develop a massive trail system throughout the historic Talpa Foothills. The trail plan was created in collaboration with the Enchanted Circle Trails Association, the International Mountain Biking Association, Taos Mountain Biking Association and presented to the Carson National Forest Service.
As shown in the Taos News https://www.taosnews.com/la-vida/great-outdoors/a-bevy-of-trails-for-everyone/article_c6177843-cd03-535f-99cb-4b373d4617b6.html by courtesy of the Enchanted Trails Association.
%20cropped.jpg)
This trail system plan has met strong grassroots opposition. Friends of Talpa Foothills wishes to thank the many friends and neighbors, families and organizations who have stepped forward to help make the creators of this plan realize that the community has major concerns about the scale and location of this trail system.
Support for this fight is gearing up. Areas of preparation include petitions, email campaigns, letter writing campaigns, flier distribution, mobilization of the voter base, and ensuring that the meetings and surveys coordinated by these developers includes all voices (not just supporters). All of these efforts are quickly gaining more and more support. Concerned citizens are joining the Talpa community as they continue the Taos tradition of resistance against unjust treatment by the powerful, and rise to defend their homes, their culture and the legacy they will leave their children.
Supporters include:
La Merced de Cristobal de la Serna Upper Arroyo Hondo Community Land Grant
Acequia Del Monte del Rio Chiquito Taos Valley Acequia Association
New Mexico Acequia Association New Mexico Acequia Commission
Acequia Madre del Rio Chiquito
Talpa Ridge A pictorial essay with captions Malcolm Collier, ©2023
Soil analysis summary by Larry E. Hersman, Ph.D., Soil/Geo Microbiologist, retired, Bioscience Division,Los Alamos, National Laboratory - "not only are the areas disturbed on either side of the proposed trails unstable, but so are the trails themselves, because the trails are composed to the parent soil material – 50% sand, 50 % silt/clay." Analysis details.
The Proposed Trail System
The scale of the trail system and its impact
on this important watershed, wildlife habitat and
proximity to an historic community, are some of the concerns
that have not been sufficiently addressed.
Protect vital fresh water resources and sustainable land use
Protecting water resources in the face of climate change has become both a local and a global issue. Working together to stop developments that threaten to disrupt and contaminate critical fresh water resources has never been more important. The size of this development indicates the expectation of a vastly increased number of visitors, who inevitably bring the vastly increased threat of litter and human waste.
The Talpa Foothills are a critical shared watershed for the Rio Grande del Rancho, the Rio Fernando and the Rio Chiquito. Over a dozen acequias are fed by these two rivers, including the Acequia Madre del Rio Chiquito, the Acequia Madre del Rio Grande, the Acequia del Monte del Rio Chiquito, and the Acequia del Finado Francisco Martinez. The network of acequias runs through the heart of the communities of Talpa, Llano Quemado, Ranchos de Taos, La Cordillera, and Los Cordovas, sustaining local, family-owned farms, orchards and livestock.
Local, small scale farms tend to use fewer pesticides and other chemicals. These methods help to conserve water and reduce the amount of waste generated by the farm. They are also more likely to employ sustainable methods such as crop rotation and composting. They reduce the carbon footprint by providing a very short supply chain. They support food security and can generate healthier produce, much of which is seen at local farmers markets.
Every source of fresh water is crucial.
Protecting fresh water resources is not only a local issue. “Worldwide, more and more people are living under conditions of water scarcity… This now affects more than a third of the global population.” National Geographic Fresh Water Initiative. These fresh water supplies are dwindling at an alarming rate. “...the 37 world's largest aquifers that we looked at, over 21 of them are past sustainability tipping points, meaning that the rate of withdrawal exceeds the rate of replenishment. And of those, we found that 13 are in a pretty bad way and threatened to exceed a point at which they may not come back.” PBS Interview with Jay Famiglietti, Global Futures Professor , School of Sustainability Faculty.
Help safeguard this critical watershed. Join the Talpa community as they fight to preserve this invaluable resource for future generations.
Respect historic culture and value local traditions
This is an opportunity to participate in a critical moment, an historic moment. The Talpa Foothills represent an opportunity to change a narrative that has already destroyed countless cultural treasures in the name of development and recreation. Preserving this area ensures that we all continue to benefit the people, traditions and culture that make this part of the country so rich in diversity and history.
“...any damage to cultural property, irrespective of the people it belongs to, is a damage to the cultural heritage of all humanity, because every people contributes to the world's culture…” Preamble of the 1954 Hague Convention
Northern New Mexico has a rich history that predates the United States, and many living communities in the region are still intimately tied to this history. These unique cultural villages developed intricate methods for sharing water, land, and forest resources, fostering cultures rooted in mutual aid and deep community care. The historic Hispanic communities of Northern New Mexico represent the northernmost reaches of what was once the Spanish Empire, cultivating a unique culture all their own in the peripheries of New Spain, Mexico, and now the United States. Many in the Talpa community are direct descendants of the original Land Grants, the heirs of agreements made with the Spanish crown and accepted by the US federal government.
Today, the Talpa foothills continue to support these centuries old cultural traditions, traditions that have been passed from generation to generation since before written history. Local families continue to access important religious shrines, collect traditional natural resources such as herbs, and maintain the acequia infrastructure.
“Cultural diversity, like biodiversity, plays a quantifiable and crucial part in the health of the human species. An attack on cultural heritage in one part of the world is an attack on us all.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Those proposing to turn this historic land into an adventure tourism playground fail to grasp the true value of what is at stake. The lessons and values of Talpa are a gift to all who love this land and wish to move forward in community together, guided by the shared principle of mutualismo!
Prevent the destruction of balanced ecosystems and wildlife habitat
Biking trails and adventure tourism have brought joy to outdoor enthusiasts in our national forest areas, but their overuse can exact a heavy toll on our precious wildlife and their fragile ecosystems.
The proposed trail system in Carson National Forest, advocated by the Enchanted Circle Trails Association (ECTA) and the Taos Mountain Biking Association (TMBA), would develop over 60 miles of new trails, and raises the risk of overuse and overdevelopment, jeopardizing a cherished wilderness space.
The density of this trail network, as seen on the map, threatens wildlife habitat. Countless animals will be displaced from their dens, burrows, and nests, disrupting their feeding, mating, and movement patterns.
Moreover, the increased human activity heightens the risk of catastrophic wildfires. New Mexico has already experienced a significant increase in the size and frequency of wildfires, with over 900,000 acres burned in 2022, compared to an average of approximately 270,000 acres from 1995 to 2015. Human-caused wildfires are particularly destructive, burning faster and impacting more trees. They are responsible for 84% of all U.S. wildfires and 97% of those that threaten homes.
While we value outdoor recreation, it is important to strike a balance that preserves wildlife habitat, supports sustainable land use, and reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
SUPPORT TALPA!!!! Protect our national forests and the wildlife they support! Together we can ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of these treasured spaces.
