Rocky
Mountains
in New Mexico
Sangre
de Cristo Area
-
This part of the Rocky Mountains in northern
New Mexico is not as spectacular as some of
the higher areas, such as in Colorado. It's
wonderful, though.
This area has a comfortable feel to it - warm
weather in the nearby desert or dry Plains,
cool fir shrouded forests up high. And a friendly
bunch of peole living there where nothing seems
to change too much.
It's a part of the Rocky Mountains where you
can go out exploring and not see anyone the
entire day. I imagnie if you broke a leg, or
maybe it would take both legs, and you couldn't
get out, it might be a few years before someone
wandered on to you. Or, your carcass might be
devoured by coyotes and other critters and you'd
never be found.
The combination of high pine forests, and low
dry and hot lowlands below the mountains, make
thsi a most interesting environment to visit.
And if Ted Turner is reading this, I hope someday
you see fit to benefit future generations by
turning your ranch into the Ted Turner Public
Nature Preserve.
Rocky
Mountains
in South Dakota
Black
Hills National Forest
- this
is another national forest positioned out away
from the main part of the Rocky Mountain range.
It's not a huge and high part of the mountain
range. It's more gentle. And enchanting in a
delightful way.
Unfortuantely, the Black Hills is one of the
most threatened of all the Rocky Mountains areas.
There are a lot of private land holdings dispersed
throughout it. That makes management difficult.
Black
Hills backpacking
Black
Hills hiking - Hiking
and backpacking, for instance, could be quite
good if these mountains were managed differently.
As it is, the Black Hills are strewn with roads,
and more are being made all the time by kids
and adults riding off-road vehicles where they
are now even tearing down fences and destroying
delicate riparian habitat in stream bottoms
to pursue what they call their hobby
Since only a miniscule .7 of 1 percent of the
Black Hills has been designated wilderness,
true multiple use management is not going on
in this part of the Rocky Mountains.
It's more like management for commodities, and
the many housing developments that are springing
up.
The
Himalayas - Magnificent Mountain Range
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