Group seeks protection for Petroglyph Monument

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Not too many national monuments are littered with broken beer bottles, rusted cans or even a sizeable motorcycle racetrack, but Albuquerque is an exception. Parts of Petroglyph National Monument have for years been dumping, partying and racing grounds, and it's time for the city to step up enforcement, according to a watchdog group.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a national group with offices in the Southwest, is calling on the city to allocate more resources to the areas of the monument within city limits.

The monument sits on both federal and city land, meaning some parts are managed by the National Park Service and others by the city. The park service and the city have had an agreement since 1990, when the petroglyphs were made a national monument. The monument, spread out over 17 miles in and near the city's West Side, has an estimated 25,000 petroglyphs carved by Pueblo Indians between the 1300s and late 1600s.

The northern area of the park, near Tony Hillerman Middle School, belongs to the city. That's where riders have built a racetrack, and where remnants of parties are scattered all over the ground.

Daniel Patterson, an ecologist and PEER representative, called that area a "no man's land."

"Nobody is trying to infringe on local control, but there's a difference between local control and local neglect," Patterson said.

Patterson said he wants the city to allow park rangers, who are federal employees, to monitor and enforce regulations on monument areas within the city.

Matt Schmader, the city's open space superintendent, said the city and the park service are working on a new agreement that would allow park rangers to cite those who violate city codes.

"The city and park service are going to renew their management agreement next year, so we'll specifically write in ways to solve this particular problem," Schmader said.

Schmader said the city is aware of the issues and has poured resources into cleaning up and maintaining the monument. "It's not as if we don't know or we don't care. It's that we make calculated decisions about how to best use the money we have. We do care," Schmader said.

However, funds are limited, and there's only so much the city can allocate, he said.

Patterson said the city should do more, such as assigning open space police officers to supervise.