Among the many attractions is the largest stand of Rocky Mountain large tooth maples in New Mexico at the head of Tajique Canyon. Small, predominantly Hispanic communities, (most of them land grant communities), surround the Manzanos. The area in general is agriculturally based, with very close ties to the land. Local residents place high value in their heritage and ties to the mountains.
The Manzanos lie predominantly in Torrance County, which is an economically challenged area. Torrance County has been active in planning to diversify its economy, searching for ways to use its natural resources, which is their strength, while maintaining a rural way of life.
The urban sprawl is fast making its way around the Manzano Mountains threatening a way of life, culture and tradition and bringing in new values, wants and needs. Many of the private land in-holdings are being sold or some form of development is taking place consequently impacting the National Forest. Recreation use has tripled in the last ten years. User conflicts have become a management challenge. Uses include grazing, firewood, recreation, herb gathering and scenery in the watersheds that feed the surrounding communities. The result of urban sprawl is a rapidly growing wildland urban interface all around the Manzano Mountains.
The Mountainair Ranger District is working collaboratively with the many communities that we serve to establish partnerships. We have ten communities that immediately surround our District and which we work with directly. The 1990 Farm Bill has given us the opportunity to become involved in providing economic development assistance through grants and challenge cost share agreements and many hours of technical assistance. As of 1998, the Forest Service has provided approximately $72,000 in various grants and agreements in assistance to projects affecting economic development in Torrance County and the community of Corona. Torrance County and Corona have focused on tourism and recreation, working closely with the Mountainair Ranger District. Other opportunities that exist are more focused on the small land grant communities of Tajique, Torreon, Manzano and Punta de Agua as well as Mountainair and Abo, which are not land grant communities. These opportunities are in wood products and directly related to forest health.
In 1995, the Mountainair Ranger District had a not-for-profit organization, Western Network, do community value mapping that involved community members mapping their traditional uses of the mountain. Funding was made available through a grant from the Ford Foundation. Surveys were done within the adjacent communities to get an understanding of their values, wants and needs and how these people felt about Forest Service management decisions in the Manzano Mountains. The information gathered has helped identify forest related projects that match the subsistence and economic needs of adjacent rural communities.
Our goal is to collaborate with communities in the design of projects to not only meet economic and subsistence needs, but wildland/urban interface needs and forest health needs as well. Many landowners have come to realize the importance of defensible space and healthy forests and come to us for technical assistance for ways in which to treat their forested areas and erosion problems. The Mountainair Ranger District has been very active in providing this assistance and as a result, formed a strong relationship with NM State Forestry.
Collaborating on rural economic development projects and the efforts of Western Network has allowed the Mountainair Ranger District to better understand and communicate with our surrounding rural communities. One of the outcomes of this effort was the development of the CCC Thinning Project. This collaborative effort brought together the Forest Service and several communities. Communities' members were able to cut fuel wood for home use and for selling as part of a community economic development project. The Forest Service was able to get a dense area of trees thinned to facilitate forest health.
Another collaborative effort we nurture is working together with our neighboring Isleta Indian Reservation. We share a common boundary, which we cooperate to maintain. Annually we participate in field trips to each other's lands to share ideas, concerns and information while on the ground.
Our participation with Urban Forestry has included working as partners with local schools, Natural Resources Conservation Service and New Mexico State Forestry. These projects have been relative to community beautification and outdoor classrooms.
 In the area of environmental education our district participates in high visibility events. Our activities include setting up displays and staffing booths to talk to people and exchange information. We also participate in many school field trips and class presentations. Mountainair Ranger District sponsors a three-person YCC crew and works with the County Summer Youth Employee Training Program and that includes three other enrollees. In the course of a year, we have many public meetings to address resource management planning so our constituents have a forum in which to share and receive information.
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