The East Mountains community will have a rare opportunity to influence county policy when Bernalillo County District 5 Commissioner Eric Olivas hosts a community conversation about opening Sedillo Ridge Open Space, located just 5 miles from Tijeras.
The meeting will be held Thursday, Aug. 14, at 6 p.m. at the Sandia Ranger Station, 11776 NM-337, in Tijeras, with sign-in beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Sedillo Ridge is one of the largest open spaces in the Bernalillo County system, but has remained closed to public access despite being county-owned for more than two decades, according to Commissioner Olivas’s meeting invitation letter.
“Did you know that Sedillo Ridge has been owned by the county since the early 2000’s and is [one of the largest open spaces] in the county system, yet it remains closed to its public owners almost 25 years later?” Olivas wrote in the invitation.
The county has requested $150,000 from the state for facility improvements to allow Sedillo Ridge to “be fully open to the public, including a trail head with parking that will support equestrians and other user groups, a shade structure and picnic area,” according to a 2024 funding request.
County officials say the property has remained closed because “the facility needs an updated master plan and management plan,” and “before opening the facility, parking and trail system will need to be constructed,” according to the Capital Improvement Program document.
Olivas encourages all community members to attend the meeting to “listen, and share your concerns, priorities and hopes for the Sedillo Ridge Open Space.”
“Your voice plays a vital role in shaping local planning and services,” the commissioner wrote.
The Bernalillo County Open Space program manages 17 properties totaling nearly 1,200 acres and was established through voter-approved mill levies in 1998 and 2014, funded by taxpayer dollars.
For information, contact Bernalillo County Open Space staff at (505) 314-0400 or openspace@bernco.gov.
