Valle Vidal
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The Valle Vidal (Valley of Life) is a 100,000-acre (400 km²) area in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains northwest of Cimarron, New Mexico. Pennzoil donated the Valle Vidal to the American public in 1982. [1] The Valle hosts a large number of species of animals including elk, black bear, turkey, bobcat, and bison. Pure strains of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout can be found in many of the waterways. Its valleys are ringed by Bristlecone pine.
The Valle Vidal hosts outfitters, hunting and trekking guides, backpackers, horseback riding, world-class fly-fishing and over 3,000 Boy Scouts a year. It contributes $3-5 million/year to local economies supporting dozens of jobs and local industries.
Valle Vidal is in danger of Oil and Gas Development. In 2002, El Paso Natural Gas petitioned the Forest Service to lease the eastern 40,000 acres (160 km²) of the Valle for coalbed methane (CBM) development. Before the Forest Service can engage in the leasing analysis, it must prepare an amendment to its Forest Plan for the Carson National Forest to include the Valle Vidal.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is due out for a 90 day public comment period in the middle of July of 2006. There is an ongoing debate as to whether to protect the entire Valle Vidal unit, with some of New Mexico's politicians (House member Tom Udall, Senator Jeff Bingaman, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and Albuquerque City Council, and New Mexico's Governor Richardson) coming down on the protection side and some (Senator Pete Domenici, House member Heather Wilson) in favor of oil and gas exploration. Governor Bill Richardson declared the surface waters in the Valle Vidal Outstanding National Resource Waters in 2005 in an attempt to protect the area from Oil and Gas Drilling [2].
