Carson National Forest

Carson National Forest
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)

Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Carson National Forest
Map showing the location of Carson National Forest
Location New Mexico, United States
Nearest city Taos, NM
Coordinates 36°31′02″N 106°04′01″W / 36.517222°N 106.066944°W / 36.517222; -106.066944Coordinates: 36°31′02″N 106°04′01″W / 36.517222°N 106.066944°W / 36.517222; -106.066944
Area 1,391,674 acres (5,631.90 km2)[1]
Established July 1, 1908[2]
Governing body U.S. Forest Service
Website Carson National Forest
Map of Carson National Forest

Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers (1.5 million acres) and is administered by the United States Forest Service. The Forest Service's "mixed use" policy allows for its use for recreation, grazing, and resource extraction.

Geography

Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in New Mexico at 13,161 feet (4,011 m), is located in the National Forest.

The forest is located mainly in Rio Arriba (63.4% of acreage) and Taos (34.65%) counties, but smaller areas extend eastward into western Mora and Colfax counties.[3]

History

The forest was once inhabited by the Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) people, who left ruins of adobe dwellings and other artifacts at an archaeological site now called Pot Creek Cultural Site. Some areas of the forest were formerly lands granted to settlers by the Spanish monarchy and the Mexican government. After the Mexican-American War, the national forest was established, and was named for American pioneer Kit Carson.

Carson National Forest was established with the merger of Taos National Forest and part of Jemez National Forest on July 1, 1908.[4]

In 1967, the Alianza Federal de Mercedes, an organization dedicated to the restoration of Spanish and Mexican land grants, occupied Echo Amphitheater, an area of the forest in an attempt to recreate a historic land grant community. The occupants were evicted for overstaying camping permits. In 1982, the forest grew by 405 square kilometers (100,000 acres) when the Pennzoil corporation donated the Valle Vidal Unit to the American people.

Wilderness areas

Within the Carson National Forest are five designated and one proposed wilderness areas. Two of these are located mostly in neighboring Santa Fe National Forest (as indicated).

Forest service

Forest headquarters are located in Taos, New Mexico. There are local ranger district offices in Bloomfield, Canjilon, El Rito, Penasco, Questa, and Tres Piedras.[3]

Gallery

References

  1. "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  2. "The National Forests of the United States" (PDF). ForestHistory.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 12, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  3. 1 2 USFS Ranger Districts by State
  4. Davis, Richard C. (September 29, 2005), National Forests of the United States (PDF), Forest History Society, archived from the original (pdf) on 2013-02-12

External links

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