I have been keeping up with the proposed land swap that New Mexico Land Commissioner Pat Lyons is trying to complete in the Whites Peak area involving 40,000 acres of prime hunting land in northeastern New Mexico near Ocaté.

What a disgrace. Shame on this man. The sooner he completes his term in office, the better!

I highly commend local activist Max O. Trujillo of Las Vegas, who helped bring the proposed swap to our attention, state Rep. Brian Egolf, Gov. Bill Richardson, Edward Olona of the Wildlife Federation, former state Land Commissioner Ray Powell and all others who have worked to keep this land from disappearing under Lyon's watch.

In the 1970s or 1980s, the state of New Mexico had an opportunity to buy the Vermejo ranch northwest of Cimarron for $25 million. We missed out on the chance. When the state didn't buy it, Penzoil moved in and bought this wonderful land. New Mexico had the money. Today, this place is probably worth 100 times more.

I really don't blame the area's large-scale ranchers for trying to butter up Commissioner Lyons, if he is easy prey! The proposed land within the trade that would come to the ranchers is probably worth many more millions than Mr. Lyons is attempting to sell it for. This land is like gold to all nature lovers, whether they be birdwatchers, campers, hunters, sight-seers, hikers, etc.

Lyons was not elected to office to get rid of some of the prettiest and most valuable land in northeastern New Mexico. Why doesn't he consider selling or trading his ranches in the Santa Rosa and Fort Sumner areas for a minimal price? The land in the Whites Peak area is a New Mexico treasure; no wonder those ranchers want it! This land belongs to the people of the state, not to Lyons. He has no right to sell or swap our state treasure. Not only is it unethical, it is not financially responsible because the state could lose a major source of annual revenue.

Lyons does not care about taxpayers. He is a rancher bent on helping his rancher friends in the Whites Peak area. He is about to complete his term in office, so he has a lot to gain if he helps his ranching buddies acquire what they want. What will he gain? Maybe hunting permits for life for him and his buddies? Whites Peak is like a game refuge. Maybe he will gain a large chunk of land in Whites Peak. Who knows, because the transaction is being conducted behind closed doors without a public review process. We must stop this swap; it's a scam.

I am surprised that all the legislators are not up in arms about this one-sided land swap Lyons is ramming down our throats. I will be contacting our area legislators to voice my concerns and seek their assistance. I hope our state auditor and our attorney general will stop this swap. If they do, they will do New Mexico a great favor.

Trading prime big-game forested habitat for land on the open plains has to be the craziest thing a land commissioner has done in the state of New Mexico, but it's not the only thing.

I witnessed the closure of a road in the Fort Sumner area that had been in use since at least the early 1900s. The closure hurt two ranchers and the sportsmen to benefit another rancher friend. This access to state trust lands had been maintained during Ray Powell's and his predecessor's tenure. Please help before it is too late and New Mexico loses one of its most beautiful treasures once again.

Flavio Larrañaga lives in Anton Chico. He is a retired Department of Transportation road construction inspector, and a hunter.