Laura: NEW MEXICO'S LANDSCAPES ARE DIVERSE.

WE HAVE MOUNTAINS, DESERTS, RIPARIAN AREAS, BAD LANDS AND FORESTS.

PEOPLE RELY UPON, LIVE WITHIN AND VISIT THOSE LANDSCAPES FOR MANY DIFFERENT REASONS.

ONE THING THAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT NEW MEXICO IS WE ARE NEVER FAR FROM WILDERNESS AND WIDE OPEN LAND.

JUST ON THE EDGE OF THE STATE'S LARGEST CITY, THERE IS A WILDERNESS AREA, 37,000 ACRES, WITHIN THE 100,000 ACRES OF THE SANDIA RANGER DISTRICT OF THE CIBOLA NATIONAL FOREST WHERE DEVELOPMENT CAN'T OCCUR, AND VEHICLES, EVEN MOUNTAIN BIKES, AREN'T ALLOWED.

AT THE END OF JANUARY, STUDENTS FROM ALBUQUERQUE TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP HIGH SCHOOL JOINED THE NEW MEXICO WILDERNESS ALLIANCE FOR A SERVICE PROJECT IN THE NATIONAL FOREST.

Mr. Ribbans: WE HAVE KIND OF A BIG GRAFFITI SPOT UP HERE.

THESE STUDENTS, AT FIRST THEY SPRAY IT WITH A CHEMICAL AND THEY'LL LET IT SIT IN FOR A WHILE AND THEN THEY'LL SCRUB PRETTY EXTENSIVELY.

AS YOU CAN SEE, IT IS TIRING.

THEN WE WASH IT OFF WITH A KIND OF A SPRAY PUMP.

THEN WE JUST REPEAT THE PROCESS.

IT CAN BE ARDUOUS AND TAKE SOME TIME.

SO, WE HAVE A BUNCH OF THEM OUT HERE TRADING OFF.

Laura: WILL RIBBANS WORKS FOR THE NEW MEXICO WILDERNESS ALLIANCE AND SAYS PROJECTS LIKE THESE CREATE A CONCERT OF CARING FOR PUBLIC LAND.

Joseph: DOING SOME WORK ON THE LAND AS WELL ON THIS LAND, IT IS KIND OF AN ADDED BONUS, I THINK.

I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO COME UP HERE.

I WAS EXCITED HEARING IT LAST WEEK THAT WE WERE GOING TO COME UP HERE THIS WEEK SO I WAS VERY EXCITED.

I WAS LIKE, YES.

Elizabeth: WE WERE OUT HERE CLEANING GRAFFITI OFF THE ROCKS IN THE WILDERNESS AREA, WHERE YOU'RE NOT REALLY SUPPOSED TO HAVE ANY MACHINE OR ANYTHING.

IT IS A WILDERNESS AREA, BECAUSE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE NON MANMADE.

IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THIS AREA WHERE ANIMALS CAN GO AND HAVE SANCTUARY AND BE THEIRSELVES WITHOUT MAN INTERFERING.

Joseph: IT WAS KIND OF IRRITATING JUST HAVING TO KEEP GOING UP AND DOWN, SIDE TO SIDE, BUT, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT IT, I AM DOING SOMETHING FOR THE COMMUNITY.

Laura: IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO, THE COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO PROTECT ANOTHER UNIQUE EXPANSE OF PUBLIC LAND, OUTSIDE LAS CRUCES.

Mr. Pena: THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS DESERT PEAKS NATIONAL MONUMENT CAME ABOUT BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY OF DONA ANA REALLY WANTED TO PROTECT THEIR STORIES THAT ARE WRAPPED UP IN THE MOUNTAINS AND SO THEY LED NEARLY A DECADE EFFORT TO PERMANENTLY PROTECT THE LANDSCAPE AROUND DONA ANA COUNTY AS THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS DESERT PEAKS NATIONAL MONUMENT.

Laura: ANGEL PENA IS PRESIDENT OF THE NUESTRA TIERRA CONSERVATION PROJECT.

Mr. Pena: NUESTRA TIERRA MEANS MY LAND, OUR EARTH, OUR DIRT, OUR PLACE, OUR HOME.

YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REGULAR "METATE" AND THESE?

SO A REGULAR "METATE", THE BIG ONE THAT YOU SEE "ABUELITAS" RIGHT, YOU HAVE THE "MANO," AND YOU ARE ABLE TO SCRAPE THE CORN OR THE BEANS OR WHATEVER.

THESE, THE THOUGHT WAS THAT THE EXTRA EFFORT WAS USED TO PREPARE PIGMENTS FOR SKIN OR CERAMICS.

Laura: THERE IS EVIDENCE OF THE PEOPLE THAT RELIED ON THE LAND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Mr. Pena: THIS PLACE HAS BEEN A SPECIAL PLACE FOR A LONG TIME.

AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HERE USING THIS PLACE AS A CULTURAL HIGHWAY FOR A LONG TIME.

HOPEFULLY, TODAY, IF WE EXPLORE A LITTLE, WE'LL RUN INTO SOME CERAMICS THAT WILL REALLY HELP US PIECE TOGETHER THE STORY OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE HERE.

Laura: THOSE ARE ALL GOOD REMINDERS THAT NOT ONLY ARE OUR LANDSCAPES DIVERSE, OUR COMMUNITIES ARE TOO.

EVERYONE NOT ONLY NEEDS ACCESS, THEY NEED TO FEEL WELCOME.

Mr. Pena: THERE WAS A LOT OF ENERGY AROUND MONUMENT DESIGNATIONS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.

THERE WAS A LOT OF EFFORT TO HIGHLIGHT AND AMPLIFY THOSE DIVERSE VOICES THAT USE PUBLIC SPACES, BUT I THINK ESPECIALLY DOWN HERE IN THE FRONTERA, WE FELT A LITTLE LIKE WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AND USED THESE PLACES.

WE HAVE ALWAYS EXPLORED AND RELIED ON THESE PLACES AT TIMES TO FEED OUR FAMILIES.

I THINK SOME FOLKS MAYBE FELT A LITTLE INSULTED BECAUSE WE WERE FORCED TO REMIND FOLKS WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE BUT WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE, ALSO.

Laura: AND BUILDING NEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LANDSCAPE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE DIFFICULT OR EXPENSIVE.

Mr. Pena: I BECAME A FATHER REALLY YOUNG AND QUICKLY LEARNED IT WAS CHEAP TO TAKE MY LITTLE GIRL ON A HIKE, YOU KNOW.

WE PACKED UP A PICNIC AND WE TOURED WITH A BACKPACK AND WE WERE GOOD ALL DAY LONG.

THAT REALLY HAS BEEN THE FOUNDATION FOR MY EXPERIENCES AND LOVE OF THE DESERT.

Laura: AND PENA TAKES HIS DAUGHTER, NOW 11, HUNTING TOO.

Mr. Pena: JUST LAST YEAR, JUST NORTH OF HERE, WE WERE HUNTING FOR MULE DEER AND HIKED UP AND DOWN THOSE MOUNTAINS, UP AND DOWN THE FRONTERAS.

Laura: TOGETHER THEY ARE SHARING NEW EXPERIENCES, BUILDING NEW STORIES, AND MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE FUTURE.

FOR OUR LAND, I AM LAURA PASKUS.