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Whether it's hiking, wildlife-viewing or hunting, a strategic project in New Mexico will expand recreation and safeguard biodiversity and wildlife corridors.

Brad Corey, conservation manager for The Nature Conservancy, said the Bartlett Mesa Management Area, located near the northeast Colorado border, will offer new opportunities for locals and visitors.

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"There will be trails, it'll be a whole new area for them to explore," Corey explained. "There's very well understood opportunities associated with this type of open space development that have the ability to really positively impact people that live in Raton."

At more than 8,000 feet in elevation, Bartlett Mesa Ranch offers sweeping views. It was recently acquired by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, following its original purchase in 2022 by The Nature Conservancy, and is now officially designated as one of the state’s Wildlife Management Areas.

Corey called the collaborative venture "conservation with a purpose," because it conserves outdoor spaces, protects a key portion of Raton's watershed and helps build a sustainable outdoor recreation economy. He believes the area's biodiversity will amaze those who visit.

"There's a really fascinating grassland at the top of this, which stands in stark contrast to the hillsides all around the mesa," Corey observed. "There's an important elk herd that uses this ranch, migrates directly right through it. There's a lot of great conservation outcomes as well as 'people outcomes.'"

In addition to elk, the Bartlett Mesa Wildlife Management Area offers crucial habitat for mule deer, black bears, songbirds, birds of prey and more.