Rowe ranch owner to 'rejuvenate' river

SANTA FE (AP) - Contrary to rumors, the man who purchased the Rowe area ranch formerly owned by Val Kilmer is not damming the Pecos River. But the Texas oil and gas executive does have big plans for the property, and they include making "enhancements" to the river that runs through his land.

Benjamin A. Strickling III declined The New Mexican's request for an interview, but did provide a statement regarding his vision for the 5,000-plus-acre ranch for which he reportedly paid $18.5 million last fall.

"Since purchasing the Pecos River Ranch we hear from time to time rumors about airstrips under construction to buildings and tearing down bridges and the like," the statement begins. "These rumors have no merit. To hear recently about building a dam on the Pecos River is consistent with previous silliness. Simply put, we are building a trout fishing ranch second to none," the statement says. "To make this happen, we've undertaken programs to enhance the river and to attract the wildlife that once roamed these lands in abundance."

Since purchasing the property, Strickling said he's thinned some 1,200 acres of "overgrown woodland to regenerate the shrinking meadows — at one time the 'breadbasket' of the Pecos Pueblo. We leave the chipped wood on the ground to mulch and hold water. A healthy ecosystem and rangeland made up of meadows and woodlands attracts and supports the natural habitat for wildlife ranging from songbirds to wild game."

Strickling said in his statement that he has also reseeded natural grasses to reduce erosion and is partnering with the Santa Fe Conservation Trust to "preserve a significant portion of the ranch."

When it comes to the river, Strickling's statement says he'll be placing small boulders and "other natural elements" in the current to "rejuvenate the river by increasing its oxygen supply." The heavy equipment that has drawn the attention of his neighbors will be used at least in part, to rebuild or reroute ranch roads that led to the river in an effort to "reduce the erosion and sediment load carried to the river."

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulatory specialist Deanna Cummings said that after reviewing a description of the project, she has determined that the work proposed by Strickling — "a small amount of bank stabilization, reinstalling stream crossings to ensure they have less water quality impact and some fish habitat restoration" — is such that it complies with the criteria for a general nationwide permit (as opposed to an individual permit) and as such does not require public noticing or public comment.

But she said Wednesday that the letter notifying Strickling of her determination hadn't been sent yet, and work on the river has not begun.

According to documents obtained from San Miguel County, Strickling has also obtained permits to build an 11,296-square-foot main ranch house, install a swimming pool, add two bedrooms and a bath to an existing foreman's house, and renovate several casitas on the property.

The estimated cost of the work Strickling has obtained San Miguel County planning and zoning approval for is $4.5 million.

A spokeswoman for the Office of the State Engineer said in an email Thursday that Strickling has also been granted a permit to drill a supplemental domestic well, but that the well has not yet been drilled.

Strickling declined, via his attorney Jim Overton, to allow The New Mexican to photograph any of the work being done on the ranch, at least for now.