Taos Link - Link to businesses in Taos

This is an important environmental site. The Valle Vidal is a lush mountain basin located in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in northern New Mexico. Donated to the American People in 1982, the Valle Vidal is managed by the Carson National Forest primarily for it's wildlife, as well as it's outstanding scenic and recreational opportunities. The Valle Vidal is a veritable Rocky Mountain paradise, with abundant populations of Rocky Mountain wildlife, including mule deer, black bear, mountain lion, bald eagles, and native Rio Grande cutthroat trout. In addition, the vast alpine meadows of the Valle Vidal provide critical habitat for the largest herd of elk in New Mexico. Coalbed methane (CBM) development is having devastating effects in both the San Juan and Raton Basins of New Mexico and Colorado, and other rural communities throughout the West. Under current Administration guidelines, CBM producers are not held liable for any damage to the environment, or to public health and safety. CBM wells are connected by an extensive “spider-web” of roads and infrastructure that destroys the scenic beauty of an area, fragments rangeland habitat, displaces local wildlife populations. The Carson National Forest is currently in the early stages of assessments and studies that will lease 40,000 acres of the magnificent Valle Vidal for coalbed methane development. The area proposed for drilling is the prime winter habitat for New Mexico's largest herd of elk. CBM development will destroy the Valle's fragile alpine grasslands, and displace New Mexico's prize elk herd. The area will lose its scenic value and recreational opportunities. If this is allowed to happen, one of the premier wildlife viewing destinations in the world will be become an industrial park