On the following day, December 14th, a meeting was held by most of those present on the previous day’s field trip in the Mesilla Village town hall to discuss what should possibly be a joint consensus of planning for the New Mexico Spaceport and El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. Some of the concerns were:
On December 18th I met with Rick Homans, New Mexico Cabinet Secretary of the Economic Development Department and Lonnie Sumpter the executive Director, Office for Space Commercialization of the Economic Development Department on CARTA’s stand on the spaceport. The meeting was a pleasant one in which they outlined New Mexico’s need for a rapid approval of the spaceport site. I spoke on the need to preserve El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, pointing out that the scenic overlook on Yost Draw is one of the best-preserved spots on the historic trail and CARTA’s desire to have it moved further from its proposed location. We all agreed to try and keep each other informed and to try and minimize any impact on the trail and Secretary Homans was open to dialog with CARTA at any time we wanted barring any other time conflict.
On December 22nd I met with Doña Ana County Commissioner McCamley, one of the leading proponents of the spaceport, on the issue. I expressed CARTA’s concern about the location and our desire to have it moved further to the east and south of its current proposed location. He is very concerned about the time frame of the spaceport and was enlightened a bit about by the existing endangered cultural resource. We both agreed to keep to continue a dialog.
Matthew P. Holt of the Holt, Babington and Mynatt law firm has agreed to pro bono representation of CARTA on minor legal advice and representation.
Patrick H. Beckett, CARTA President
COAS: My Bookstore
317 North Main
Las Cruces, NM 88001
Phone: 1-505-644-0868
e-mail: pat@coasbooks.com
Several high-potential historic sites and route segments are already officially part of the NHT. When Congress designated Camino Real as a national historic trail in October 2000, sites and segments already under federal management became automatically protected components of the NHT. New conversations now underway mark the first efforts to begin certifying non-federal sites and facilities identified in the trail’s Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP).
Schlanger and Taylor met with representatives from about 20 facilities – mostly interpretive centers – to discuss the NHT certification process at workshops in Santa Fe and Las Cruces in early November. For many of these organizations, this is the first time they have had occasion to work directly with the NPS or BLM, so there were lots of questions about what is involved.
Certification is the establishment of a partnership between the NHT and the certified site owner or manager. This legal agreement – which can be cancelled at anytime – permits certified sites to use the Camino Real trail logo and be recognized as an official component of the NHT. A major benefit to these partners is that with their sites certified, they can request guidance or assistance from NHT officials and experts in interpretation of the trail. All trail partners are also eligible to apply for Challenge Cost Share matching funds to help protect a trail property, make it accessible, research its history, or tell its story to visitors.
Certification partnerships are extremely flexible, allowing for sites to participate as much –or as little – as they want. Owners of a trail segment or historic property, for example, can allow limited public access at certain times. Certified interpretive facilities, which are usually open regularly, are places where visitors can gain an increased sense of context and understanding of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.
Also attending the certification workshops was NPS landscape architect Steve Burns Chavez. He coordinates the design of signage for auto tour routes on national historic trails. He is also available to trail partners to help design and order signs for certified trail sites. He brought several examples of ideas and possibilities to share with the workshop participants.
Concurrent with the certification process, Taylor and Schlanger are working with government officials in Texas and New Mexico to develop plans for installing auto tour route signs, as well as additional signage to direct visitors from the auto tour route or major roadways to certified sites. They spoke with workshop participants about these efforts.
It appears that the first auto tour route signs will appear in El Paso County, Texas, where NHT officials are working with CARTA members associated with the county’s historical commission, which has a strong working relationship with local governments and the Texas Department of Transportation. It is hoped that an interagency agreement and signage plan will be developed in early 2007 and that the first NHT signs will be erected by mid-year.
NHT officials expect to begin discussions next with the New Mexico Department of Transportation, followed by meetings with community officials along the trail in 2007 and beyond. Fully marking the auto tour route is dependent on local and federal funding, but NHT officials hope to have the entire route signed over the next couple of years.
After answering questions from those attending the workshop, Schlanger and Taylor asked the participants to take home copies of the one-page certification agreement and invited the organizations to “sign on the bottom line” and return it in the next few weeks.
Once these first group of facilities and organizations become certified, the next step is the production of the first official trail map and guide for the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro NHT. Based on the familiar 4-inch by 8-inch folded brochure style with the black strip down one edge utilized at all NPS facilities, the front side will have a map of the entire trail. The auto tour route described in the CMP will be supplemented by dots marking traditional Spanish communities, trail parajes, and places of interest. The latter will include all certified sites and trail segments. The back side will include a brief history of the trail and descriptions of certified sites and interpretive facilities that visitors can stop at to learn more about the trail—material that a CARTA committee will help draft.
Trail officials expect to make the first printing of the trail map and guide in mid-2007, including a second version translated in Spanish. Once available, CARTA and the certified sites will help distribute these brochures throughout the region—a next step in increasing the visibility and awareness of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail.
If you own or manage a historic trail segment or interpretive facility on the Camino Real, CARTA encourages you to become certified, too! For more information, contact CARTA, Mike Taylor (michael_taylor@nps.gov), or Sarah Schlanger (Sarah_Schlanger@blm.gov).
The Heritage Center is making arrangements with Boy Scout Troop 85, based in Albuquerque, to finish marking a recreational trail that laid out by the BLM on September 30, 2006, during Public Lands Day. The Scouts are working on requirements for their Historical Trails patch and need to complete a two-day project, including a two-night stay onsite. The Heritage Center will be collaborating with Mike Bilbo from BLM. Bilbo is the Outdoor Recreation Planner/ NM Leave No Trace & Treadlightly Coordinator out of the Socorro Field Office. A preliminary meeting was held on December 21st with the Troop committee member Ted Cooley and Troop 85 representatives to plan for the project, which is scheduled to begin in late April 2007.
This will be the fourth Historical Trails project undertaken by Troop 85. Previous projects have included work at the village of Hillsboro, the ghost town of Chloride, and at the Heritage Center. Members of this troop have had a high percentage of military service, with significant number accepting commissions as officers in various branches of the armed services, one of which is on the list to be promoted to the rank of Colonel within the year. One of the enlisted personnel currently stationed at Kirtland is an Eagle Scout from this troop.
Historic Forts Day at the Center
Saturday, February 24th, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Discover forts along the ancient Camino Real through a buffalo soldier presentation; living history re-enactments of soldier camp activities including bullet-making, black powder demonstration, treadle sewing, open-fire cooking; video presentation. Free refreshments and children souvenirs. For info: 505-854-3600, www.elcaminoreal.org.
Día del Niño
Saturday, April 28th, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
A celebration of Mexican children's day will feature story telling, piñata breaking, a Mexican arts and crafts workshop, balloons and popcorn. Event will also include demonstrations of Spanish Colonial life along El Camino in commemoration of the Oñate Thanksgiving of 1598.
Spring Fiesta
Saturday, June 9th, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Learn more about the New Mexican environment and its wonderful resources through information booths and hands-on activities ranging from minerals, animals, and seedling planting. Event will feature special lecture presentations by Eliseo “Cheo” Torres on curanderismo and by the Valencia Xeriscape Club. Enjoy live entertainment and refreshments.
Hispanic Heritage Celebration
Saturday, September 15th, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
A celebration of Hispanic culture through special performances, video presentation, refreshments and more.
Días de Muertos
Saturday, November 3rd, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Papel picado workshop, storytelling, video presentation, refreshments, and viewing of Días de Muertos altar installation.
Celebración de Ontoño: El Camino Real International Heritage Center Welcomes Bosque del Apache, Center’s 2nd Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, November 17th, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Living history demonstrations of life along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, staff-led tours, special performances, refreshments.
Holiday Celebration of El Camino Real
Saturday, December 15th, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Celebrate the winter holiday with special performances, a visit from Santa Claus, arts & craft project, piñata breaking, and delicious holiday treats.
For additional information, contact:
Claudia J. Gallardo
El Camino Real International Heritage Center
New Mexico State Monuments
PO Box 175
Socorro, New Mexico 87801
Phone 1-505-854-3600
www.elcaminoreal.org
www.nmstatemonuments.com
www.nmoca.com
El Camino Real International Heritage Center Location:
From IH 25, 30 miles south of Socorro, turn east at exit 115. Turn south on frontage road (Highway 1), drive 1.4 miles, turn east onto County Road 1598, follow it for 2.7 miles to the Heritage Center.
For additional information, call 1-505-854-3600 or visit www.caminorealheritage.org.
Beloved photographer, historian and author Mary Daniels Taylor passed away this morning at the Taylor family home in Mesilla, New Mexico. She was the wife of State Representative J. Paul Taylor who retired from the New Mexico Legislature in 2004. Together they raised seven children in their historic home, on the Plaza in Mesilla, which they have generously donated as a New Mexico State Monument. Over a 40-year period, Mary engaged in primary research in Mexican archives discovering unknown information on the Mesilla Valley and New Mexico that led to rewriting the history of the Mesilla area. Her book
A Place As Wild As the West Ever Was: A History of Mesilla, New Mexico 1848-1872 was published in 2004 by the New Mexico State University Museum Press. She was awarded Author of the Year Award in 2005 for her book by The Friends of Thomas Branigan Library. She was also given an award from the New Mexico State University Library (2004) “With gratitude for your inspiration in making possible the Durango Microfilm Project.” Together with her husband, she received numerous awards including the Governor’s Award of Honor for Historical Preservation and the Pas Por Aquí Award. Mrs. Taylor is survived by her husband and six of her seven children: Robert Milton, Mary Dolores, Michael Romero, Mary Helen Catherine, Albert Patrick and Rosemary Marguerite.
—New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs