In the 36 years since a law was passed aimed at creating a system of state trails around New Mexico, not a single trail has been designated.

The problem, according to State Parks officials: The law was so cumbersome it made it impossible.

Now, with an eye toward a trail along the Rio Grande and other projects, a state agency is proposing an overhaul of the law.

It cleared its first big hurdle Saturday when the legislation passed the House on a unanimous vote.

The current law says the state must own, develop, maintain and police any trail system that was established.

"We couldn't designate trails unless we could do everything — and we couldn't do everything, so we couldn't designate trails," said New Mexico State Parks Director Dave Simon.

The proposed modernization of the law authorizes the state to work in partnership with other governmental or private entities to establish a system of scenic, recreational or historic trails.

And it sets criteria for what would qualify for designation as a state trail.

"I am hopeful this bill will foster partnerships between state parks and trail organizations, as well as trail users and the communities having these trails," said Rep. Nathan Cote, D-Las Cruces, an avid hiker and the bill's sponsor.

The administration of Gov. Bill Richardson has proposed to establish a multi-use trail roughly paralleling the Rio Grande that would incorporate existing levee systems, the informal trail networks of irrigation districts and other infrastructure.

The priority would be the stretch between Belen and Las Cruces, where the state owns eight separate chunks of land.

"This is going to give us the tools ... to work on it," Simon said.

The bill also creates a state trails fund that Simon described as a "basket," to hold whatever federal funds, gifts or future state appropriations that might come along.

In this year of big budgetary problems, no money would be set aside for the fund.

The bill went to the Senate.

The state trails bill is HB273.




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