Facility for the Southwest
NMSU breaks ground on Southwest Center for Rangeland Sustainability.
New Mexico State University (NMSU) Sept. 28 broke ground on its Southwest Center for Rangeland Sustainability near Corona. When completed, the $1.5 million state-funded first phase will consist of indoor and outdoor multiuse meeting/exhibit areas; library/meeting room for outreach activities and student use; offices for the Corona research center, visiting faculty, staff and students; and a kitchen/meal preparation facility. These components will be spread throughout 3,450 square feet (sq. ft.) of enclosed space and 2,800 sq. ft. of covered porch area.
Because the new facility is centrally located in New Mexico, NMSU's Southwest Center for Rangeland Sustainability has garnered support from many statewide organizations, legislators and local governments, as well as the executive branch of the State of New Mexico. [NMSU photo by Audry Olmsted]
"This facility is going to open up a whole new world of outreach for us," said Shad Cox, ranch manager of the Corona Range and Livestock Research Center. The new building will be located on the research center's property. "We'll have something where, at a moment's notice, we can, in a more timely fashion, bring an educational event to the community and the state of New Mexico." The center is also intended to provide a rich learning environment for NMSU students.
Because the new facility is centrally located in New Mexico, it has garnered support from many statewide organizations, legislators and local governments, as well as the executive branch of the State of New Mexico. The building will be a venue for centralized meetings for statewide interests, as well as exciting new outreach activities, in a secluded, picturesque rangeland setting.
The center will be located one and one-quarter miles northeast of the Corona research center headquarters, providing students and guests a view of the Gallinas Mountains.
People will be attracted to the facility and what it has to offer the people of New Mexico, said NMSU President Barbara Couture. She said she hoped the training facility would help ranchers learn more about how to continue what many have done for hundreds of years — continue to sustain the land so it remains prosperous.
"I understand what this lovely facility will do for [the area]," she said. "The facility has a wonderful look to it. I think it will be attractive to the new ranchers we want to attract to this area."
The first phase of the center is expected to be complete in May 2011.