By BEN NEARY
NMWF Conservation Director
Hunters could soon have access to currently landlocked portions of the northern Peloncillo Range under a plan supported by the New Mexico State Land Office and a prominent ranching family.
Rancher Seth Hadley, whose family owns the sprawling Diamond A Ranch in the Bootheel, has agreed to construct a road on the northern side of the ranch to the national forest boundary. He proposes to construct a parking lot at the boundary to allow public access into the forest.
The new road segment would tie into Horse Camp Road, and would cross state trust land to the south to reach the Diamond A Ranch.
Craig Johnson of the New Mexico State Land Office is set to brief members of the Hidalgo County Commission about the project. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Wed., April 14. Click HERE to access the meeting via Zoom.
The New Mexico Wildlife Federation has been working for years to open public access to the northern portion of the Coronado National Forest in the Peloncillos. The federation encourages hunters from around the state to join the commission meeting to support the plan.
Constructing the access road would give hunters, birdwatchers and others access to national forest lands that are currently only accessible by packing several miles north across rough country from Geronimo Trail.
“It’s getting harder every year for the New Mexico public land hunter to keep our traditions alive,” said Jesse Deubel, executive director of the NMWF. “The Diamond A Ranch is offering access to some of the best deer hunting lands in the state and it’s imperative that hunters and others who care about public land access come together to support their proposal.”
Deubel said it’s predictable that some neighboring ranchers may oppose the access project, but said he has no sympathy for their position.
“We’re talking about public lands — both the state section that this road would cross as well as the Forest Service lands that the road would reach,” Deubel said.
“For too long, this portion of the national forest has been locked up and treated as a private game preserve,” Deubel said. “It’s high time the public gets access to what belongs to all of us. We thank the Hadley family for their generous donation of the road across their ranch and thank the State Land Office staff for their work. We encourage all hunters to express their strong support for this project to the county commission and to the land office.”