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| Sangre de Cristo Mountains Wilderness Alliance | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sangre de Cristo Mountains Wilderness Alliance |
| Abbreviation | SDCMWA |
| Formation | 1996 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Pueblo, Colorado |
| Region served | Sangre de Cristo Range, San Luis Valley, Pueblo County, Colorado |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Sangre de Cristo Mountains Wilderness Alliance is a regional nonprofit conservation organization focused on protecting, restoring, and promoting the wildlands of the Sangre de Cristo Range and adjacent landscapes in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. The organization engages with federal agencies such as the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service as well as state bodies like the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to advance wilderness protection, public access, and habitat restoration. It works across political and cultural boundaries involving communities in the San Luis Valley, Taos County, New Mexico, Huerfano County, Colorado, and Las Animas County, Colorado.
Founded in 1996, the Alliance arose amid regional debates following the designation of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and ongoing discussions around Wilderness Act implementation and National Wilderness Preservation System expansion. Early campaigns intersected with controversies like the Rio Grande National Forest management plans and proposals affecting the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness (Colorado), bringing together advocates from groups such as the Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Trout Unlimited, and local landowner associations. Over time the organization navigated issues tied to federal legislation including the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and engaged during administrative decisions under presidential administrations from Bill Clinton to Joe Biden, coordinating public comment and litigation strategy with partners including the American Alpine Club and the Rocky Mountain Wild coalition.
The Alliance’s stated mission emphasizes protection of intact ecosystems in the Sangre de Cristo Range, defending roadless areas and high-elevation habitats for species such as the bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, and Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Strategic goals include wilderness designation under Congress, improved habitat connectivity with conservation easements involving entities like the Nature Conservancy (U.S.), and restoration of riparian corridors feeding the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) watershed. The organization targets policy outcomes through engagement with the United States Congress delegation from Colorado and New Mexico, federal land managers at San Isabel National Forest and Carson National Forest, and collaborative science with institutions including the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University.
The Alliance is governed by a volunteer board composed of local conservationists, outdoor recreationists, ranchers, and attorneys drawn from communities such as Alamosa, Colorado, Crestone, Colorado, and Taos, New Mexico. Staff roles typically include an executive director, advocacy director, stewardship coordinator, and outreach manager who liaise with agencies like the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and funders including private foundations such as the Gates Foundation and regional philanthropies. Financial and legal compliance follows standards set by the Internal Revenue Service for 501(c)(3) organizations and nonprofit sector norms promoted by groups like Independent Sector.
Key initiatives have aimed to secure wilderness designation for proposed units adjacent to the existing Sangre de Cristo Wilderness (New Mexico), protect migration corridors connecting to the Rocky Mountains, and prevent fragmentation from projects proposed by private developers and energy interests referenced in publications by the Bureau of Land Management and Department of the Interior. The Alliance has pursued land purchases and conservation easements in partnership with the Trust for Public Land, supported habitat restoration funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and helped advance trail planning with the Appalachian Mountain Club and regional land trusts. Field work includes restoration of alpine meadows, removal of obsolete roads near Blanca Peak, and restoration of tributaries to the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
The organization mounts campaigns for legislative wilderness proposals working with members of Congress from districts representing Colorado's 3rd congressional district and New Mexico's 3rd congressional district, and provides testimony at hearings before committees such as the United States House Committee on Natural Resources. It files administrative appeals and participates in Environmental Impact Statement processes under the National Environmental Policy Act, collaborates with legal partners like the WildEarth Guardians in strategic litigation when necessary, and organizes letter-writing and public testimony drives in coordination with local governments including the Costilla County Board of Commissioners and the Taos County Commission.
Programs include volunteer stewardship events, citizen science monitoring inspired by protocols from the National Park Service, trail maintenance often run with the American Hiking Society and the Colorado Trail Foundation, and educational outings for schools coordinated with the Santa Fe Public Schools and Pueblo School District 60. The Alliance runs campaigns promoting responsible Leave No Trace recreation, issues seasonal trail advisories in coordination with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, and maintains mapping resources that reference datasets from the United States Geological Survey and the National Hydrography Dataset.
Outreach emphasizes partnerships with tribal governments including outreach to leaders from the Taos Pueblo and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, collaborative work with ranching organizations like the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, and tourism stakeholders in communities such as Westcliffe, Colorado and Crestone, Colorado. The Alliance convenes regional forums with organizations including Conservation Colorado, Earthjustice, Friends of the San Luis Valley, and local chambers of commerce, and sponsors annual events linking outdoor recreation businesses, scientific researchers from institutions like New Mexico Highlands University, and cultural groups preserving traditions in the San Luis Valley.
Category:Environmental organizations based in Colorado Category:Organizations established in 1996