Walk Albuquerque Action Alert: Please Contact Your State Legislators!
Claude Morelli
WALK Albuquerque
Legislative Action Alert
Your immediate support is critical!!!
Senate Bill 486 -- Introduced by Senator Dede Feldman
House Bill 445 -- Introduced by Representative Joni Marie Gutierrez
A BILL: All irrigation and conservancy districts and their public employees acting lawfully and within the scope of their duties that authorize any part of their property to be used as part of trails within a state park, the state trail system or a trail established and managed by a local public body are excluded from the waiver of liability under Subsection A of this section for damages arising out of the operation or maintenance of that state park, state trail system or local public trail.
Please call or write your legislators as soon as possible.
Tell them that:
§ You support recreational use of irrigation ditch and drainage canal right of ways in the North and South Valleys of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.
§ You love to walk, run, ride bicycles, and ride horseback along the ditch banks.
§ Use of ditch banks as "Safe Routes To Schools" helps increase physical activity levels of New Mexico's children.
§ This bill will help push forward cooperative management between irrigation/ conservancy districts and local parks and recreation departments.
§ You understand trails are the number-one recreation priority identified by New Mexicans in the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP).
§ You want access to more trails near where you live for health, recreation and travel purposes.
§ This bill is a win-win! Irrigation districts will be more comfortable allowing public access on recognized, managed trail corridors and the public will benefit from the potential establishment of hundreds of miles of new trails in the State.
Phone calls, email messages, and letters should especially be sent to members of the Senate Conservation and House Agriculture Committees (scroll down for a list).
SB 486 (Feldman) is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Conservation Committee (Room 311) on Tuesday, February 6 at 2:30 p.m. (or a half hour after the conclusion of the floor session). HB 445 (Gutierrez) is scheduled for a hearing in the House Agriculture Committee (Room 318) on Thursday, February 8 at 8:30 a.m. Please contact all of the members of these committees prior to the hearings to urge their support for this bill. Also, if possible, it is important for irrigation/conservancy districts and trails supporters to attend the hearings to testify in support.
Members of the Senate Conservation Committee
§ Sen. Phil A. Griego, Chair (D) 986-4861
§ Sen. James G. Taylor, Vice Chair (D) 986-4862
§ Sen. William E. Sharer, Ranking Member (R) 986-4381
§ Sen. Ben D. Altamirano (D) 986-4733
§ Sen. Clinton D. Harden (R) 986-4369
§ Sen. Richard C. Martinez (D) 986-4389
§ Sen. William H. Payne (R) 986-4276
§ Sen. John Pinto (D) 986-4835
§ Sen. John C. Ryan (R) 986-4373
Members of the House Agriculture Committee
§ Rep. Andy Nunez, Chair (D) 986-4423
§ Rep. Ray Begaye, Vice Chair (D) 986-4436
§ Rep. Joseph Cervantes (D) 986-4249
§ Rep. Jimmie C. Hall (R) 986-4215
§ Rep. Dona G. Irwin (D) 986-4249
§ Rep. Larry A. Larranaga (R) 986-4215
§ Rep. Don L. Tripp (R) 986-4220
Letters in support of the bills can be faxed to any legislator at 986-4610.
Email addresses can be found at http://legis.state.nm.us/lcs/
This message was created by the Steering Committee for the Ditches with Trails Project and by WALK Albuquerque.
For more information, please visit:
§ Ditches with Trails Project: www.ditcheswithtrails.org
§ WALK Albuquerque: www.walkalbuquerque.org