Continued funding for the ambitious Rio Grande Trail is one of the appropriations trail advocates hope Gov. Bill Richardson will request in his wish list to this year's Legislature.

The trail, which organizers envision one day will stretch from Colorado to Texas, along the Rio Grande, would stitch together existing trails and new ones. When finished, people could hike, bike and ride horses on the trail hundreds of miles through the Land of Enchantment.

In 2005, the state Legislature appropriated $4 million to New Mexico State Parks for trail work, $3 million of it for the Rio Grande Trail from Bernalillo to Belen. The money went to the Mid-Region Council of Governments to study and begin work expanding the existing 16-mile Paseo del Bosque bike trail in Albuquerque.

"We're making great progress on this project this year," said State Parks Director Dave Simon. "We will see a completion of a solid plan for the southern end of the trail."

The council is studying how existing ditch and levy systems could be used to expand the trail. They're also looking at what materials — asphalt, gravel or dirt, for example — would be used on different sections of the trail. The State Parks division of the Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources used some of the funding to create trails through five state parks along the river.

Some of the legislative appropriation also was used to analyze routes for the trail in Southern New Mexico from Belen to Sunland Park. "We're finding tremendous support for the trail," Simon said.

The trail has the support of outdoor advocates and some environmental groups.

Randall Coleman of Environment New Mexico, a nonprofit research and policy center, said money for the Rio Grande Trail would have to be appropriated as capital outlay funds to the State Parks division. "Ideally we would like to get a bucket of money to support this trail," Coleman said.

Where the river crosses pueblo land, trail advocates hope to negotiate easements with tribal officials or look for alternate routes that skirt Indian lands.

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