Thanks to the early work of environmental visionaries, Albuquerque had already preserved over 8,500 acres of open space by 1968. One year later, several preservation organizations formed, including Save the Volcanoes, the Bosque del Rio Grande Nature Preserve Society, Save the Sandias and Save the Arroyos. In 1975, these groups cooperated in the Citizens Open Space Task Force. That year, the City completed its Plan for Major Public Open Space, which called for preservation of the City’s spectacular natural features. The citizens also recognized the need to act, approving every open space bond measure placed before them between 1973 and 1983. As a result, Albuquerque has achieved many of its open space goals including the preservation of five volcanoes and 20,000 pieces of rock art in Petroglyph National Monument as well as protection of significant portions of the Sandia Mountains and the cottonwood forest of the Rio Grande River Valley.

Volcanoes protected by Albuquerque in the 1970s are just a few minutes drive from downtown.

The Rio Grande River, which flows through Albuquerque, follows the Rio Grande Rift, a trough formed when a 450-mile-long piece of the earth’s crust dropped several million years ago. The resulting faults and fractures became conduits for molten rock, producing volcanoes at the edges of the rift, including the five cinder cones that rise from the top of West Mesa, roughly 400 feet in elevation above downtown Albuquerque. In the 1970s, Albuquerque preserved these volcanoes when it acquired 4,000 acres of West Mesa.

Basalt boulders line the escarpment at the base of the West Mesa, facing the City. For centuries, Pueblo people carved images, called petroglyphs, into these dark rocks depicting animals, events, natural phenomenon and mythical beings. The volcanoes and roughly 20,000 rock carvings are now part of Petroglyph National Monument, a nearly 7,300-acre park which is jointly managed by the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division, the State of New Mexico and the National Park Service.

On the east side of town, the Sandia Mountains rise to a peak elevation of 10,600 feet, creating a dramatic backdrop for the City, particularly during the International Balloon Fiesta held here each October. With its acquisitions in and around the Sandia Mountains, Albuquerque has demonstrated a willingness to use creative preservation strategies. In 1982, the City purchased the 8,000-acre Elena Gallegos land grant using a voter-approved, three-year, quarter-cent sales tax. Rather than stopping there, the City traded most of the Gallegos land to the U.S. Forest Service for expansion of the Cibola National Forest and in return received federal surplus properties. Proceeds from the sale of these surplus properties were placed in a permanent trust fund dedicated exclusively to open space management.

In 1983, the State of New Mexico approved the Rio Grande Valley State Park. Managed by the City, this 23-mile long stretch of the Rio Grande River now includes trails, picnic areas and canoe launch ramps as well as the Rio Grande Nature Center. Known by the Spanish word for forest, the bosque features wetlands, meadows and farmland as well as a portion of the largest remaining cottonwood forest in the country.

In addition to volcanoes, petroglyphs, mountains and forests, the City also owns and manages two agricultural areas that offer wildlife habitat and demonstration gardens while serving as models of sustainable, organic agriculture.

In 1997, Albuquerque voters approved another two-year quarter-cent sales tax, generating $45 million for open space preservation. Additional bond measures for parkland were approved by Albuquerque voters in 2003 and 2007. The voters of Bernalillo County, which surrounds Albuquerque, also approved open space tax levies and bonds in 1998 and 2000. In 2006, the voters of Bernalillo County approved a 1/8 of one percent gross receipts tax increase for open space and water rights acquisition.

In addition to recognition and preservation of open space, Albuquerque maintains an ongoing effort to help people understand and appreciate these natural areas. For example, the City and Albuquerque Public Schools collaborated with non-profit organizations and individual volunteers to prepare a book entitled Albuquerque’s Environmental Story. This book explores Albuquerque’s natural and man-made environment with the goal of encouraging the evolution of a sustainable future. The book is available on the internet and is used as a teaching guide in schools. It beautifully documents the fact that open space preservation requires a knowledgeable citizenry and decades of dedication from determined individuals.