New Mexico Leopold Conservation Award Finalists Named
Ute Creek Cattle Company of Bueyeros in Harding County. Courtesy/Sand County Foundation
LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD News:
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Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the prestigious award recognizes farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water, and wildlife habitat management on private, working lands.
The finalists are:
JX Ranch of Tucumcari in Quay County: Tom and Mimi Sidwell have adopted grazing practices that create a resilient landscape and mitigate drought. These efforts have increased ground cover, which means more forage for livestock and wildlife, and less sediment in the air and water. It also pulls carbon out of the atmosphere, and increases soil’s ability to infiltrate and store water.
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When it comes to population, well, as Mosquero resident and business man Pete Callahan put it, “there’s not a lot of voters out here.”
But that doesn’t mean that the La Frontera del Llano Scenic Byway, that stretches not quite 100 miles from Logan to Abbott, is not without its charms.
As a matter of fact, the wide-open spaces unfilled by folks, may be one of the area’s most rewarding aspects.
Atop the caprock looking back at an ancient ocean along La Frontera del Llano. (Courtesy Department of Transportation)
“It’s a beautiful drive,” Callahan said. “You cross canyons and the caprock of eastern New Mexico. The caprock was the shore of an ancient ocean in prehistoric times. It stretches from northern Harding County all the way down through Melrose and Grady. There’s an 800-foot difference below and above. That’s a pretty significant rise in elevation.”