In achieving victory in the Valle Vidal, northern New Mexico highlighted its strengths. We are a land and people of deep history, diverse culture and exciting opportunities. Over the coming months, we all deserve to take the time to celebrate and acknowledge that, without the support of each and every one of us, we would not have been able to protect one of our most valuable landscapes.

And yet, this victory leaves us with more to do - and it leaves lessons for the rest of the country.

Thanks to our incredible landscape here in the north-central part of New Mexico, the profundity of the cultural connection to that land within the Pueblo and Hispanic cultures of the area and the love of the land brought by most of the people who have moved here over the last few decades, we have an incredible opportunity to create something unique in America. That is, an economy and life way intimately tied into and dependant on the health and well-being of our landscape. Key to that goal are protected public lands and the key to protecting public lands is economy.

Human beings have fundamental needs. The economist Max-Neef suggests that the fundamental needs of human beings fall into nine categories: subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, idleness, creation, identity, and freedom. Here, I want to talk about subsistence. Jobs.

There is a nexus where the health of both ecosystems and communities meet: economic activity. An economy that is dependent on destructive activities is itself ultimately SELF-destructive.

In 1970, when I was born, mining, agriculture, timber, oil and ranching accounted for about 20% of the rural West's economy. Today they account for about 8% and that number is dropping every year. The economy of the West has changed and our goal must be the creation of an economy that effectively meets human needs AND protects and nurtures natural systems.

Part of that future is recreation on protected public lands. In the course of the Valle Vidal fight, we were able to estimate that the Valle generates anywhere from $2 to $5 million a year for the local economy from recreation. Nationwide, non-motorized recreation on public lands is a $730 BILLION industry that supports 6.5 million jobs across the nation and generates $88 billion in state and national tax revenue every year. Here is New Mexico, the value of hunting and fishing recreation is more than $329 million a year and roadless areas on public lands are the number one location for those activities. If hunting and fishing were combined as a corporation in New Mexico, it would be one of the biggest.

Given that we are funnily situated in an area with large roadless areas (Wheeler and Latir Peak Wilderness areas, Colombine Hondo WSA, Ute Mountain, Rio Grande Gorge, much of the Valle Vidal, etc.) it should be evident that protecting these areas is vital to our regional economic future.

While recreation on our public lands is a vital and growing portion of our economy and one that must be nurtured, it is a double-edged sword. We need also be wary of its impacts and of a tendency to rely too heavily on imagined benefits. In creating a bioregional consciousness we must remain aware that these lands serve many purposes and should also nurture, among others, a small but thriving timber industry, hunting and fishing opportunities for area residents, wild crafting and our vital agricultural systems.

These latter are, in part, the so-called "ecosystem service values": climate moderation, pollination, seed dispersal, watershed protection, carbon sequestration, natural pest control, biological diversity protection, scientific research opportunities, and protection against forest fires. Watershed protection, for example, protects private property from floods, supplies clean drinking water and nurtures our vital acequias among many others.

In 2005, Colorado State University researchers pegged the ecosystem services of the nation’s roadless acreage at nearly $1.5 billion. This makes an estimated $2.38 billion total ecosystem value of the 42 million roadless acres in the nation (remember, this leaves out agricultural and recreational value). Given the large amount of roadless and wilderness quality lands in our area, it should be clear that we benefit hugely from keeping these lands protected. That must be our mission.

So yes, let us celebrate our great victory with the Valle Vidal. But let us not rest. Its time to lean into the next task and to utilize our diversity to our advantage. We must continue our work in nurturing our bioregion and our bioregional economy. Again, congratulations to you all!