Valle Vidal

[[File:Wheeler Pk from Valle Vidal.jpg|thumb|Taos Mountain and [[Wheeler Peak (New Mexico)|Wheeler Peak]], viewed from Valle Vidal]] [[Image:Philmont_Scout_Ranch_Philtruck_at_Ring_Place.jpg|thumb|A Philmont vehicle parked at Ring Place, one of the three BSA-operated camps in the Valle.]] The '''Valle Vidal''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]], "Valley of Life") is a 100,000-acre (400 km²) area in the [[Sangre de Cristo Range|Sangre de Cristo Mountains]] within the [[Carson National Forest]], northwest of [[Cimarron, New Mexico]]. [[Pennzoil]] donated the Valle Vidal to the American public in 1982. Valle Vidal hosts a number of species of animals including [[elk]], [[American black bear|black bear]], [[turkey]], [[bobcat]], and [[bison]]. Pure strains of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout can be found in waterways. Its valleys are ringed by [[Bristlecone pine]]. The Valle Vidal hosts outfitters, hunting and trekking guides, backpackers, horseback riding, fly-fishing and over 3,000 Boy Scouts a year. It contributes $3–5 million/year to local economies supporting dozens of jobs and local industries. {{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} In 2002, [[El Paso Natural Gas]] petitioned the Forest Service to lease the eastern 40,000 acres (160 km²) of the Valle for [[coalbed methane]] development. The proposed [[natural gas]] exploration drew strong public protests , and in 2006, [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] signed legislation prohibiting oil drilling and mining in the Valle Vidal. ==External links== *[http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/carson/plans/valle_vidal/miscellaneous_valle_vidal_.shtml Valle Vidal] at [[Carson National Forest]] *[http://taosvacationguide.com/businesses/view/319 Visiting Valle Vidal] *[http://www.vallevidal.org The Coalition for the Valle Vidal] {{coord missing}}