PrintTaos Ecotourism
With the richest indigenous culture in the United States along with breathtaking vistas, varied landscapes, and hundreds of species of wildlife, a new statewide focus on ecotourism is a natural for New Mexico—and it’s the first of its kind in the United States.
“We’re taking the existing quality of assets in the state and placing them in the limelight as defined by ecotourism, the fastest-growing segment in the travel industry today,” says Jennifer Hobson, ecotourism director for the state of New Mexico.
The idea behind ecotourism is to link tourism with conservation, showcasing and preserving what New Mexico offers: from wildlife (endangered Mexican gray wolves, black-footed prairie dogs, and elk, to name just a few) to the state’s rich Native American culture; from the art scene (Santa Fe is the second-biggest art market in the country, Taos one of the oldest art colonies) to outdoor activities (ballooning, kayaking, mountain biking, snowmobiling, skiing, hiking, fishing, etc.).
“As a Westerner myself, the bottom line is that there is a strong sense of place here,” adds Hobson. “We are capitalizing on that in order to both promote and preserve the reason why we make this place home.”
EnlargeThe state has called on EcoNewMexico to organize eco-retreats that will immerse people in that sense of place. One of the itineraries, the 12-day “Soul of the Southwest,” begins at Gila Wilderness, the world’s oldest designated wilderness; winds north to Santa Fe, Abiquiu, Ojo Caliente, and Taos; and ends in the Valle Vidal wilderness area in the Kit Carson National Forest, capped with a hike across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
“We’ll have a Native American guide, and we’ll stay on a private ranch, a cowboy bunkhouse, two nights in a ghost town, and one night in a pueblo,” says EcoNewMexico’s Sandy Cunningham. “Horseback riding, stargazing dinners, and sipping sundowners on a huge hill overlooking the terrain that looks like Africa—you can howl, and the wolves will howl back. It’s so primeval. It’s one of the most amazing things.”
EnlargeOne of the outfitters putting travelers in touch with the primeval is Brazos Meadows Ranch & Recreation Company. Its customized gourmet overnight camping trips at 10,000–11,000 feet in the elk-rich Chama area near the Colorado border include ATV adventuring, fishing, hiking near the Continental Divide, and wildlife viewing. “This kind of experiential adventure travel in northern New Mexico both showcases the natural wonders of the area and provides an alternative to private landowners so they don’t have to subdivide and sell land parcels,” says Michael Rivera, a descendant of Spanish conquistadors whose family owns Brazos Meadows Ranch, an original Spanish land grant. “If we can avoid fragmenting these important habitats by providing guests with a fantastic firsthand experience of New Mexico’s rich wildlife and gorgeous scenery, everybody wins.”
For more on eco-retreats, visit www.eco-newmexico.com and www.brazosmeadows.com.
Issue: June 2010
