CIBOLA COUNTY – Illegal dumping is seeing a massive increase across Cibola County.
The vandalism not only destroys the natural ecosystem of Cibola but gets in the way of supporting efforts to protect the forest by creating additional fire hazards which had not existed before, and by leaving rubber and plastics where they invade natural drinking springs for the forest’s creatures.
From the forest to Cibola’s land grants, like Cubero and Seboyeta, illegal dumping has even been reported on private property.
The Cibola Citizen reached out to the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office for more information on illegal dumping, hoping to get an understanding of ordinances and rules under their enforcement that could limit and prevent illegal dumping. The newspaper heard back from the department, informed that the sheriff would answer all questions, the newspaper did not hear back by press deadline.
The Cibola Trail Alliance is one of the few groups in the community who physically goes out on a mission to clean the items from the forest and have recently found more than tires – mattresses and other household items are often scattered across the beautiful forest.
Organizations like the Cibola Trail Alliance are made up entirely of community volunteers. These Cibola residents take time out of their own personal life to clear the forest of trash and other rubbish.
Grants-Cibola County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Les Gaines said that the effort to clean up the forest is twofold, “Between the messes we indirectly transmit by vandalism to our public signs – forest signs – and the direct vandalism by dumping, it sends a message this is not a safe, comfortable place. These are local people dumping in the forest, not our tourists.”
Gaines called on the community to support and participate in efforts to clean Cibola.
The forest is not a dump. For those desperately needed to eliminate trash, do not leave it in the forest, instead visit the Northwest NM Regional Solid Waste Authority 2305 West US Highway 66, Milan, NM.