Now Open: New Mexico’s Sabinoso Wilderness

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers member and Air Force veteran Brad Jones from Albuquerque drove up first thing in the morning to hunt turkeys. He was there waiting for Sarah the Taos BLM manager to open the gate to the Sabinoso Wilderness. The news around the Sabinoso Wilderness Area in north-central New Mexico is a breath of fresh air, in an era when access to the outdoors is rapidly eroding and elected officials seem more interested in squabbles than solutions. It’s public land, managed by the Bureau of Land Management and owned by all Americans. Its home to elk, mule deer, black bear and turkey. However, there was a catch. That meant rank-and-file outdoorsmen or -women could not set foot on the area without either having special permission or trespassing. Creating that access was no simple task. Over the past few years, the BLM, the Wilderness Land Trust and conservation-minded land owners worked out a complex deal of donations and purchases. In the end, BLM accepted 3,300 acres of donated land and purchased another 1500 acres of inholdings to guarantee public access.