Taos area clean up planned

TAOS, NM — Community members are invited to partner up with the Carson National Forest and Taos County on Saturday, October 21st from 9 a.m. until noon for a much needed clean-up of Miranda Canyon on the Camino Real Ranger District.  For quite some time this area has been used as a local dumping ground and is now inundated with household trash, construction debris and discarded furniture.

Meet up at the Llano Quemado Community Center for a safety session at 9 a.m.  Then the group will start making its way up the canyon for trash removal.  We plan to return to the community center at 12:15 p.m. to provide lunch for all participants. Please wear long sleeves, pants and sturdy shoes, and bring gloves and water.

The Carson National Forest purchased the 5,000 acres of land in Miranda Canyon from the Trust for Public Land using land and water conservation funds in order to protect the watershed from private land development. The area is south of Taos, just west of Picuris Peak and south of McGaffey Ridge.

Removing the trash is just the first step in restoring the health of this land. Future plans include a collaboration with representatives from the local community, land grants, recreation interests, Taos Pueblo, Picuris Pueblo, and others to develop a community plan on how best to manage the land.  The ultimate goal is to work together to implement a plan that will offer a clean, safe place for community members to visit, enjoy, and take pride in.

For more information, please contact Paul Schilke at 575-587-2255.