Watershed group wants state to run Pecos Canyon park

Study concludes unmanaged recreation is harming river

Staci Matlock | The New Mexican

5/2/2008 - 4/30/08

The Upper Pecos Canyon Watershed Association plans to lobby this year for the creation of a Pecos Canyon State Park.

The nonprofit organization, formed to study and restore stream quality in the Pecos River watershed, commissioned a recent study that indicates what many people already knew: Unmanaged camping and recreation in the canyon is harming riverbanks and water quality.

N.M. 63 winds through the steep-sided canyon along the Pecos River. Through the summer, thousands of people use the few developed campgrounds or simply pull off the side of the road, park and walk down to the river. The four-mile stretch from the Bert Clancey campground near the Terrero General Store to the Mora Campground is among the most popular with anglers, picnickers, campers and hikers.

People using the area willy-nilly have denuded riverbanks, created erosion and left trash, according to a recently released report by Nelson Consulting on the "Impact of Recreational Use on Water Quality." Without vegetation to hold back soil, rain and snow wash soil and other debris into the river.

The river water is so mucked up with sediment in the stretch between Dalton Canyon and the Mora River that it's listed as impaired by the New Mexico Environment Department. High sediment levels cause higher water temperatures and lower oxygen levels, bad conditions for trout and other fish.

The way the canyon is managed is part of the problem, according to the report: "Public agencies lack the expertise, resources, authority and funding necessary to reverse many years of inappropriate use in the canyon," the study finds.

Because of these problems, users of the canyon are likely to find more limits on what they can do there and where specifically they can do it regardless of who ends up managing the area — and they'll probably be paying more to do it as well.

The stretch of river between Dalton Canyon and the Mora Campground is a mixed management bag now, with some areas overseen by Santa Fe National Forest and some by the state Department of Game and Fish.

The state Game Commission has commissioned its own recreation capacity study of the canyon to determine how many recreational users the area can sustain. State legislators approved $300,000 for the study, which is due out this summer.

Several areas owned by the Game Commission — Fenton Lake, Clayton Lake and Cimarron Canyon — already are managed by the State Parks division under joint agreements, said Marty Frentzel, public information officer for the Department of Game and Fish.

He said the department wants to do what is best for both the Pecos community and the river, and is working to properly manage the areas under the Game Commission's authority.

Doug Jeffords, the project coordinator of the watershed association, said its board voted last week, based on the report's recommendations, to support New Mexico State Parks' taking over management of the recreational sites between the Bert Clancey and Mora River campgrounds. "This is an action we feel is desirable for water quality and the environment, and for recreational users, to give them a better experience," Jeffords said.

State Parks has the expertise and staff to create and manage campgrounds, Jeffords said. He said the association is forming a coalition of groups that support creating a Pecos Canyon State Park and will lobby for the park's creation and funding in the next legislative session.

State Parks Director David J. Simon said he was honored the watershed association recognized the hard work of his staff and wants his division to manage the Pecos Canyon area. That decision lies with the Department of Game and Fish, he said. "Pecos Canyon is one of New Mexico's most precious and popular recreational assets. Whatever happens, the area needs more attention and more resources to make it the best it can be."

Hugh Ley, San Miguel county commissioner and owner of the Terrero General Store, said the river needs protecting because it is the reason so many people come to the canyon.

He said he supports State Parks' taking over management or the Department of Game and Fish developing an office with expertise in managing campgrounds. "This hands-off approach of the department is shot," Ley said.

Contact Staci Matlock at 470-9843 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.