The Caja del Rio Represents Traditions, Healing
Julian Gonzales is an avid sportsman, military veteran and traditional land user from New Mexico.
My family has lived near the Caja del Rio plateau in northern New Mexico for generations, long before it was even part of the United States. Located just west of Santa Fe, the high desert plain is ringed by white cliffs, with the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains rising in the distance. Much of the 84,000 acre area is part of the Santa Fe National Forest. This rugged land is practically in my DNA. Hunting, camping, collecting firewood and pinion nuts, are traditions that run deep.
I get butterflies just thinking about spending so much time here. Our family loves to tell the story of my grandfather taking a huge mule deer buck when he was a young man. Decades later, my father did the same. When I turned 13, it was my turn. I wanted to be part of that story. And I became part of that story. Now it is my son’s turn.
I have made it my mission to work with a broad coalition of people to ensure that this land is protected and accessible to all. I serve on a citizen’s advisory commission for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and want to see everyone — whether it’s bird watchers, hunters, cattle ranchers or cyclists — enjoy this region for generations to come. We call this the U.S. ranch and it’s for all of us to use. The Quarter Horse Association runs a 100-mile race here. The Hunt Club chases a mechanical fox here. Let them all come and enjoy this wonderful place.
I think it’s especially important for the Hispanic community to weigh in on future decisions about what will happen to our public lands. People need to show up at meetings. We want to make sure this is protected for our grandchildren and our great grandchildren.
The Caja del Rio not only represents family traditions but was a place of personal healing. As a veteran who served in the U.S. military for 27 years — including a stint in Iraq–it was spending time on this land that helped restore me.
When I came back, I needed some space to cure the demons that I had inside me– that I brought back with me. Stuff happens in war that imprints on you that you don’t want to share. So I came back out here, in the Caja, and found an inner peace. It purified my soul.
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So many of our country’s parks and public lands written about in these love notes would not exist but for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). This important conservation program was permanently funded when Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act earlier this summer. You can learn more about the Land and Water Conservation Fund here.
Would you like to write about public lands that you cherish? Please email Mary Jo Brooks at brooksm@nwf.org for guidelines.
