Matthew Schmader is the assistant superintendent for Albuquerque's Open Space Division, which manages about 4,000 acres of city lands within the monument acquired by the city through a local, dedicated open-space tax.





Matthew Schmader: "A lot of sweat and blood has gone into protecting this place. When you put the two of us together - the city's Open Space Division and the Park Service - we have very complementary capabilities.


"If people are really intent on vandalism, they'll manage. If you have agency presence - signage, literature and people - you can reduce vandalism to almost nothing. You have to show you care.


"If people understood how special a place this was, they would come here and do things equal to their respect for the place. I don't run my dog through the museum."


*C.R.