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Dorothy Smith Farm Horse Trail Debuts |
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Written by Jeff Radford
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Saturday, 07 November 2009 |
The much-anticipated recreational path connecting two of Corrales’
major ditch bank trails through the late Dorothy Smith’s farm got its
debut Saturday, October 17.
An estimated 50 participants in this year’s Corrales Recreational Ride
got the first look at the tree-shaded trail along the north side of the
pastures where Smith’s niece, Alana McGrattan, continues to raise
cattle.
The Smith property runs all the way from Corrales Road to the Corrales
Main Canal. Before she died, Smith and McGrattan dedicated six acres
acres of the Ventana Grande Ranch as perpetual farmland/open space in
2005 and opened negotiations on a recreational trail easement between
the Main Canal and the Corrales Acequia.
Although the trail easement had not been finalized, McGrattan permitted
use of the farm road for this year’s 18th annual Corrales Recreational
Ride.
The event was organized by Corrales Horse and Mule People (CHAMP).
Departing from the TopForm Arena at the Corrales Recreation Center,
riders headed south along the Corrales Acequia past Meadowlark Lane to
the Jones property where they turned west to reach the Main Canal ditch
bank.
From there the route continued north to King’s Lane at the north end of
the valley and then back to the rec center along the Acequia.
CHAMP President Steve Henry said riders’ reaction to the trail
easement was extremely positive, “awesome,” some said. “It is not only
beautiful, but a perfect access trail for those traveling Meadowlark,”
one participant exclaimed.
Henry added, “Any riders who have ever ridden Meadowlark between
Corrales Road and Loma Larga will treasure not only the beauty of this
trail but the safety that it offers to east-west equestrian travel in
that area. Many thanks to Alana and Peter for making the trail
available for this event.”
CHAMP members and other trail users have worked for decades to achieve
an integrated, village-wide trail network. The Dorothy Smith trail
easement, known as “Rythym’s Way,” after McGrattan’s first horse,
is regarded as a key element to such a plan, and is recognized as such
in the Corrales Trails Master Plan produced by a consultant last year.
On the trail master plan map, the following are shown as future unpaved trails (south to north):
• Camino Campo from Cabezon to Quirks Lane and west to the Main Canal;
• Via Oreada from the Nicholls Drain to the Corrales Acequia;
• Applewood from Corrales Acequia to the Main Canal;
• the Corrales Interior Drain;
• Coronado Road from Corrales Road to the Thompson fence line (Rio Rancho boundary) and Coroval Road east to the Interior Drain;
• the Corrales Acequia from Coronado to Sandia View Academy;
• East Ella and West Ella Drive from the Sandoval Lateral ditch to the Main Canal;
• Mission Valley Road from Old Church Road to Calle Blanca;
• Camino Hermosa from the Main Canal to the Thompson fence line;
• Sagebrush Drive from Corrales Road to the Thompson fence line;
• the Montoyas Arroyo;
• Romero Road from Corrales Road to the Riverside Drain (Clear Ditch).
The map shows the following future paved trails:
• Cabezon Road to the Main Canal (as part of the proposed regional trail linking Belen to Bernalillo);
• Via Oreada from the Nicholls Drain to Corrales Road;
• Corrales Road from Coronado to Perea Lane;
• Calle Contenta from the Harvey Jones Channel north to the Rio Rancho boundary; and
• the Thompson fence line trail extension from Sagebrush to Highway 528 via “Access A” in the Far Northwest Sector.
Future bike lanes were shown as:
• Corrales Road north to south;
• Coronado Road from Corrales Road west to the Rio Rancho boundary; and
• Camino de la Tierra from Loma Larga to the Rio Rancho boundary.
At the October 13 Village Council meeting, Mayor Phil Gasteyer
suggested the council begin to set priorities and an action plan to
implement the most important recommendations from the Trails Master
Plan. He said the topic might be added to the council’s agenda for the
October 27 meeting.
The following goals and objectives were identified in the master plan, based on public input at meetings over the previous year.
1. Improve connectivity: make a continuous trail system.
• provide routes that connect village residences to schools, community services and businesses;
• provide links to adjacent communities and regional trails;
• preserve access points along Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District facilities;
• connect to natural amenities, such as the Corrales Bosque Preserve, the sand dunes and the Arroyo de los Montoyas;
• develop more mixed use trails as identified in the trails master plan; and
• provide more east-west connections through the village.
2. Develop an integrated system of trails and pathways.
• connect to non-trail facilities, such as bicycle route and lanes and regional public transportation;
• provide opportunities for all user modes including pedestrian, bicycle, equestrian and mule riding;
• ensure the trail system serves as both a transportation and recreation facility; and
• develop a maintenance plan and schedule.
3. Increase non-motorized movement in the village.
• increase public awareness about trail facilities;
• install bicycle racks, pedestrian activated signals, cavaletti (equestrian step-overs) and trail access infrastructure;
• build pedestrian and equestrian-friend roads; and
• provide a safe, comfortable and convenient trail environment.
4. Encourage health living and active lifestyles.
• provide safe routes to local destinations; and
• support the Safe Routes to School program with Village resources.
5. Encourage local economic growth in Corrales.
• provide a safe pedestrian pathway through the commercial core of the village; and
• connect to destinations within Corrales and to the regional trail system.
6. Preserve existing trail access points and links.
• identify key existing easements and access points through plat review;
• coordinate the knowledge of and preservation of easements between stakeholders; and
• create and enforce a policy to address encroachments into the public right-of-way, as recommended in the Trails Master Plan.
7. Develop strategies to mitigate conflicts between trail users and with vehicular traffic.…
8. Increase the safety of trails and pathways, routes and bicycle lanes…
9. Increase public awareness of trails and the trail system…
10. Construct new trails that are identified in the Trails Master Plan that serve all user groups.…
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