State of New Mexico
House of Representatives
Ben Lujan, Speaker of the House
Ken Martinez, House Majority Leader
Sheryl Williams Stapleton, House Majority Whip
For Immediate Release: March 8, 2007
House Passes Memorial Urging Completion of Continental Divide Trail in New Mexico:
First of Its Kind Passed by a State Legislature
SANTA Fe, NM - The New Mexico House of Representatives unanimously approved House Memorial 39 today, sponsored by Representative Nate Cote (D-Otero/Dona Ana), which urges completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) that traverses New Mexico. This memorial is the first of its kind passed in any of the five states along the CDT route (including Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico).
The CDT was designated by the United States Congress in 1978, but is not yet finished. When complete, the CDT will stretch 3,100 miles across the backbone of the western U.S., from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. According to the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA), some 740 miles of the CDT will cross New Mexico, but only 46 percent (338 miles) of the trail is complete in the state.
“The Continental Divide Trail will be great for New Mexico in so many ways,” said Rep. Cote, himself a volunteer trail builder with the non-profit CDTA. “The trail will connect communities, promote recreation and healthy lifestyles, stimulate tourism, and educate the public about the natural and cultural resources along the route.”
HM 39 urges State Parks and the State Land Office to work with local, state, federal, tribal and private entities to complete the New Mexico segment of the CDT. The federal agencies involved with the CDT include the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. The Memorial also urges the New Mexico Legislature and the U.S. Congress to provide funding to complete the CDT.
“More trails are the public’s #1 recreation priority in New Mexico and I applaud Rep. Cote’s leadership to support the CDT; State Parks is ready to do our part,” said Dave Simon, New Mexico State Parks Director.
State Parks has recently joined the interagency CDT group and has awarded several grants totaling $130,000 to help complete CDT segments. State Parks plans to provide other funding and assistance as appropriate. On April 9, federal and state partners plus the Pueblo of Acoma will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the CDT in New Mexico. This MOU will also be the first of its kind in the country for a national scenic trail.
