The presence of the Community College and the Institute of American Indian Arts adds their programs and student talent pools to the County’s concerted economic development effort to develop film, media and entertainment industries within the zoned Media District, one of only two in the nation.

Wind, solar and green design, alternative energy and water conservation projects are all part of the future plans for the new villages within this district emanating from a specific sustainability program outlined in the 2000 plan.

The Protection of Open Space

In its effort to curtail sprawl across the landscape, the County began an Open Space and Trails Program and created the County Open Land and Trails Planning and Advisory Committee (COLTPAC) in the late 90s to acquire and manage public open space projects. Over $20 million has been raised primarily through bonding initiatives to purchase public open spaces including the Santa Fe County Rail Trail, the Cerrillos Hills Park (now a state park) and Petroglyph Hill, among others.

One of the biggest potential challenges to our sensitive open spaces and their wildlife habitats and wetland resources is the possibility of renewed resource and mineral extraction in these areas. Santa Fe County is concerned about this relationship and is undergoing intensive studies and scientific investigations to make correct and considered choices in these matters, understanding that the protection of open space is a major concern of its residents.

Regional Infrastructure Systems

Unique and sensitive community settings require appropriate infrastructure systems. As growth demands increase the density of our settled places and threaten the landscape of our surroundings, the need for better systems becomes apparent. This is especially true when a proliferation of wells, septic tanks and new roads continue to endanger the intrinsic qualities of our lives.

Santa Fe County continues to investigate and consider the need for and potential uses of regional water and wastewater systems, particularly in the northern and central portions of the county. The Buckman Water Diversion Project, in conjunction with the City of Santa Fe, and regional wastewater projects with the City of Espanola and Pojoaque Pueblo hold promise for the future. Ten years ago, regional cooperation may have seemed unnecessary. Now it is an essential element of sustainability.

The Importance of Community Planning and Local Decision Making

Perhaps the most overlooked element of sustainability is the need to sustain the local spirit. If the landscape is the soul of Santa Fe County, our people and our places of settlement are the heart. Santa Fe County initiated a formal community planning process in 1999 and to this date, seven traditional community plans and three contemporary community plans have been completed and adopted. Two highway corridor plans have been finalized. One could argue that if the voices and the intentions of the local people are the backbone of democratic sustainability, then this is one of our most “sustainable” projects.

It is important to note that Santa Fe County community plans are not just about land use and zoning regulations. They are also concerned with educating residents about governance, power sharing, community problem solving and how to make individual sustainability choices.

What frequently gets lost in the discussion of sustainability and its need to balance the present with the future is the need to keep one eye on the past…and to understand that our future means very little if we do not sustain the indelible and integrative abilities of those who have gone before us.

Jack Kolkmeyer is the Land Use Administrator and Director of the Planning and Development Division, Growth Management Department of Santa Fe County. (www.santafecounty.org). Jack has 40 years of experience in community development, urban/regional planning, education and media communications. He has worked and studied in the Caribbean, West Africa, Europe and the Midwest and Southwestern United States. Email: jkolkmey@co.santa-fe.nm.us.