News Release

Visitors to Santa Fe County Enjoy Reopening of National Forest and Monument

For Immediate Release
Date: 7/26/2002
Contact: Amy Miller
Rick Johnson & Company Public Relations
(505) 988-1402

SANTA FE COUNTY, N.M. - The U.S. Forest Service announced this
week that the Santa Fe National Forest and Bandelier National
Monument are reopening to the public. The area has received
sufficient moisture, lowering the fire danger. The announcement
came just as the summer travel season in Santa Fe County reaches
its peak allowing visitors to explore the National Forest around
Santa Fe County.

"We welcome the public back and thank them for their patience
and for complying with the Closure Order," said Gilbert
Zepeda, Santa Fe National Forest Acting Forest Supervisor. "It
is crucial that everyone continues to be cautious when using
public land for recreational use. We are not totally out of
the fire season yet."

The forest reopened without fire restrictions except in the
Rio Chama corridor on the Coyote Ranger District. Coyote District
Ranger Francisco Sanchez reported that campfires are prohibited
and smoking is restricted along the Rio Chama Corridor.

Santa Fe County's mild summer weather and sunshine and an unmatched
natural beauty provide endless opportunities to take advantage
of the area's outdoor offerings. Visitors to Santa Fe County
enjoy the variety of outdoor activities including mountain biking,
climbing, horseback riding, hiking, camping, fishing, rafting
and picnicking in the beautiful mountains in Santa Fe County.

Bandelier National Monument's mesas, sheer-walled canyons,
and ancestral Pueblo dwellings includes over 23,000 acres of
designated Wilderness and is a popular visitor attraction in
Santa Fe County.

Just beyond Santa Fe's city limits lies an undiscovered world
filled with Native American pueblos, Spanish villages, breath-taking
mountains and dramatic mesas. It's a world where traditions
live on, where artistic expression is a way of life and where
beauty unfolds at each and every turn. It's Santa Fe County
and it's waiting for you. For more information visit call 1-800-548-8272.