Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA)
Signpost article, December 2022 Edition
Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association (ESCA) Report
By Jean Roberts, ESCA Board of Directors
While the Buffalo Tract Protection Act is still working its way through Congress, New Mexico has also moved ahead with plans that underscore the need to protect the tract from gravel mining. The New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Action Plan, developed by the state’s Department of Transportation (NMDOT), lists our area as one of its top six priorities to foster safer movement of mule deer, elk, pronghorn, black bear, cougar, and smaller animals between the Sandia and Jemez Mountains.
The proposal, entitled the “I-25 US 550 Sandia-Jemez Mountains Bernalillo Wildlife Corridor Recommendation,” would provide overpasses and underpasses for animals attempting to cross I-25 and Highway 550, thereby protecting the animals as well as drivers. The animals often are unable to cross because of high traffic volumes, even at night.
Recommended crossings include the Buffalo Tract, a key corridor for wildlife between the Sandias and the Jemez, and the plan also calls for protecting the Crest of Montezuma wildlife corridor near the village of Placitas. In developing the proposed plan, NMDOT used GPS data collected by the Department of Natural Resources of the Pueblo of Santa Ana, as well as data on vehicle crashes with wildlife attempting to cross our roads.
The full NMDOT plan is available on the website www.wildlifeactionplan.nmdotprojects.org. The report includes an executive summary.
In other ESCA news, all five At-Large Directors were re-elected to two-year terms by ESCA members. The directors are George Franzen, Wayne Gaede, Virginia Jordan, Jacques Ramey, and Richard Reif.
ESCA’s October cleanup of the first mile of Highway 165 was a success. Some 14 members picked up five bags of trash and other debris. Through the Adopt-a-Highway Program, ESCA is helping to keep the “main street” of Placitas clean and beautiful as residents and visitors enter our area.
The next monthly ESCA meeting will be December 12, 4 pm, in the Gracie Lee Room of the Placitas Community Library.