County Open Lands, Trails and Parks Advisory Committee (COLTPAC)

Resolution 2011-4 Creating the County Open Land and Trails Planning and Advisory Committee (COLTPAC)

The purpose of the Committee is to advise the BCC, acting through and with the assistance of the Open Space and Trails Program staff, on matters related to open space, trails, and parks.
The duties and responsibilities of the Committee are:

• Evaluate applications by property owners and to recommend to the BCC property to be acquired for open space, trails, and parks
• Advise on the funding for the Open Space and Trails Program;
• Assist in updating and reviewing the Open Space and Trails Plan, adopted by Resolution No. 2000-60, as necessary;
• Examine and make changes to the criteria for property selection when necessary:
• Establish volunteer subcommittees to address specific concerns for open space and trails and parks, and;
• Work with County staff to provide public outreach.

The Committee is made up of nine (9) members appointed by the BCC. All Committee members shall reside within Santa Fe County. One member shall be appointed by each Commissioner from residents of their Commission District; the remaining members shall be at- large and may reside in any area of the County and be nominated by any Commissioner.

Member and Term
Sandra Massengill 2 years, expires January 2013
Scott Stovall 2 years, expires January 2013
Sam Pallin 2 years, expires January 2013
Jerry Rogers 2 years, expires January 2013
Eliza Kretzmann 3 years, expires January 2014
Matthew Montoya 2 years, expires January 2013
William Hutchinson 3 years, expires January 2014
Michael Patrick 3 years, expires January 2014
Judy Kowalski 3 years, expires January 2014

Bill Hutchinson is a licensed landscape architect with 27 years experience in New Mexico and has professional degrees in landscape architecture, history, and literature. He has run and owned landscape design/build companies doing projects across the northern part of the state. For the last five years he has worked for the NM Department of Transportation and now manages programs for native revegetation and streetscape design including public art and enhanced citizen involvement in the design process. He serves on a committee advising the NM Secretary of Transportation on bicycle, pedestrian, and equestrian policy and a federally-funded state DOT technical panel on carbon sequestration. A native Coloradoan, he has studied and lived on both coasts and has done projects (including green roofs) in Europe, Australia, and Mexico. He has survived four teenage children and he and his lovely artist wife are now proud grandparents. An outdoor enthusiast, he bicycles locally to get around including the ever-interesting ‘icebiking’.

Judy Kowalski is a New Mexico licensed landscape architect and avid outdoorswoman who has lived in New Mexico for more than 20 years. As the current landscape architect for New Mexico State Parks, she has the opportunity to travel to some of New Mexico’s most beautiful places on a regular basis. State Park projects have included designing the landscapes for the new visitor center at Eagle Nest Lake State Park and the new education building at Rio Grande Nature Center, as well as salt cedar eradication and native plant restoration at Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, and trail designs for Heron Lake and Elephant Butte Lake State Parks. As a cultural landscape architect intern for the National Park Service in Santa Fe, Judy developed a great appreciation for historic landscapes and their preservation—she completed a cultural landscape report on the Santa Fe Plaza as an employee of MRWM, Ltd., Landscape Architects, in 2006. Prior to becoming a landscape architect, Judy obtained diverse experience in the natural resources fields of mining, forestry, pollution prevention, and waste management. Previous public service work includes two years as a commissioner on the Albuquerque Environmental Planning Commission and a year as a volunteer to the Santa Fe County Open Space Program designing the San Ysidro River Park river restoration for her Master’s Thesis. Favorite outdoor activities include hiking, cross country and downhill skiing, and motorcycling. Judy has a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of New Mexico, a Master of Science degree in Mineral Economics from the University of Arizona, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and International Relations from the University of Delaware.

Eliza Kretzmann is a native Santa Fean with experience in environmental project coordination and regional planning. Eliza currently serves as the Executive Director of the Railyard Stewards, a local environmental group that provides the care and programming for the Santa Fe Railyard Park + Plaza. She served as the Community Stewardship Coordinator at Earth Works Institute, working in watershed restoration and community education. She also worked in environmental education, community event coordination and field science with River Source. Eliza served as an Urban Ecology Instructor in New York City, empowering residents to improve their neighborhoods and providing educational programming to inner-city schools. Additionally, she worked at a United Nations non-profit collaborating with diplomats, United Nations staff and nonprofits in work on global issues ranging from violent conflict prevention to indigenous forums. Eliza has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from Pitzer College. Eliza grew up enjoying the trails and wilderness of New Mexico, and is excited to serve on COLTPAC.

Sandra Madrid Massengill is a native New Mexican and lives in Pojoaque, New Mexico. She recently retired from New Mexico State Parks Division and worked a majority of her employment with the state as a Program Manager involved extensively with outdoor recreation, open space and trails planning and development. She partnered with the National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration to ensure the statewide allocation and distribution of federal funds from the Land & Water Conservation Fund and the Recreational Trails Fund for outdoor recreation sites, trails and open space for the recreating public to enjoy. She also worked with the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in southern New Mexico in fire, range and recreation projects, as well as the NM Department of Game & Fish Department in wildlife management projects. COLTPAC offers a familiar essence that provides a continued involvement with open space and trails in Santa Fe County. Sandra is an outdoors enthusiast and wants to stay in touch, learn from and contribute positively to COLTPAC’s mission and goals.

Matthew Montoya was born in Santa Fe and grew up with an appreciation for the surrounding landscape. My interest for the outdoors began at an early age and developed when I attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I received my bachelor’s degree in wildlife science management. I was able to achieve the Sam Steel award given by the college of agriculture, consumer and environmental sciences for being a student that was active in the community. My college experience allowed me to gain knowledge in and outside of the classroom. In college I was an active member of the wildlife society at NMSU and gained valuable field experience. I am excited to be a member of COLTPAC and contribute to the committee’s mission.
Dr. SAM PALLIN is a medical consultant and licensed physician residing in Southern Santa Fe County. Together with his wife he raises Missouri Fox Trotting horses, and the two are avid trail riders. As such they spend a great deal of time in the open spaces and wilderness areas of the County and State. As a member of the High Desert Riders Dr. Pallin represents the interests of equine enthusiasts in the area. He has been privileged to serve as chairman of the Civic Advisory Working Group which was charged with providing constituency representation and input for the Interstate-40 improvement project, Sedillo to Moriarty. His executive experience includes 6 years as president of a large horse breed association, Vice President and Board member of a manufacturing company, 27 years as owner and medical director of two ambulatory surgical facilities, Physician Supervisor for the Arizona State Prison at Perryville, and life member of the Arizona Easter Seals Board of Directors. Dr. Pallin has served as Vice Chair of COLTPAC for the years 2009 and 2010. He is a veteran, having served as a Flight Surgeon in the U.S. Air Force, and both he and his wife Karen hold Real Estate Licenses in New Mexico, currently inactive.

Michael Patrick is a project manager with the environmental nonprofit The Trust for Public Land. I have been working for TPL for nine years in the practice of ‘conservation real estate’ to protect lands throughout the Southwestern states. In this role, I have been responsible for the acquisition of 25+ properties (or conservation easements) from private landowners and conveying the lands to a variety of federal and state agencies, counties and cities for long-term conservation, protecting over 10,000 acres of important land with a market value in excess of $26 million. I also own (with my wife, Dr. Lynore Martinez) and manage Eden Medispa, a Santa Fe medical practice. Prior to moving to Santa Fe, I had worked for 15 years in the oil and gas industry including technical, financial and international business development assignments. I have an engineering degree from Texas A&M University and a Masters in Public and Private Management from the Yale School of Management. Lynore and I have lived in Santa Fe since 2000, and have two (amazing) young children.

Jerry L. Rogers holds degrees in history from Texas Tech University, where he was Director of the Ranching Heritage Center and Executive Director of the Ranching Heritage Association. After joining the National Park Service in 1964 he held several key positions, serving as Associate Director for Cultural Resources and Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places for over a decade before retiring in 2001. He represented the Secretary of the Interior on the Board of Trustees of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; the Lowell, Massachusetts Historic Preservation Commission; and the Federal Committee on the Arts and Humanities; and closed his career as Chair of Discovery 2000: the National Park Service General Conference. Since retirement he has been a Board member and President of the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance, where he advanced such new concepts as the cultural resource values of La Bajada Escarpment, The Waters of New Mexico, and the New Mexico Night Sky. He is active with the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, a volunteer site steward for The Archaeological Conservancy, and is a member of The National Parks Second Century Commission (see www.npca.org). On COLTPAC he represents the central zone of Santa Fe County.

Scott Stovall ranches in New Mexico and consults for several nongovernmental organizations on various international development projects worldwide. Scott holds a bachelors of Science degree in Natural Resource Management from Arizona State University and a Masters of Science degree in Agriculture Economics from New Mexico State University. Scott is an outdoor enthusiast with an interest in long distance trail hiking and has completed the Arizona Trail, the Colorado Trail, the Pennine Trail, West Highland Trail and several segments of the Continental Divide Trail. Scott’s interest in COLTPAC is to be able to be part of a committee that promotes trails and open spaces for various outdoor recreational pursuits and long-term preservation.

Meeting Schedule
This committee meets on the third Thursday of every month at 6 p.m. in the conference room of the Community Services Department at 901 West Alameda Street, Santa Fe.

Committee Liaison
Beth Mills
Phone (505) 992-9857
bmills@santafecounty.org