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The Albuquerque City Council and state officials hope the city will buy this area in Tijeras Canyon to preserve it for wildlife. If the city invests in the purchase, the state would add its own enhancements, including an underpass beneath N.M. Highway 333 for wildlife between the Sandias and the Manzanos.

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TIJERAS — Just over three miles west of Tijeras, at a spot dubbed Deadman's Curve, motorists and large animals play dangerous hit-and-miss games with each other.

Thanks to a year-round water supply nearby in Tijeras Canyon, the stretch of road is an animal magnet. It also serves, in this era of suburban development, as a rare green connection between two vast swaths of protected habitat: the Sandia and Manzano mountain ranges.

Deer, bears, coyotes and other larger animals generally can navigate under the bridges that take Interstate 40 over the hilly topography.

N.M. 333 is a different story. Motorists had about 10 collisions with animals there in the past few years, and it's possible many more went unreported.

Concerns over human safety on the east-west road and the long-term mobility of animal populations in the two mountain ranges are spurring a series of government-spending initiatives to fix the situation. The action is scheduled to start a week from tonight, when the Albuquerque City Council takes up a proposal to buy a 67-acre parcel of land just north of Deadman's Curve, turning it into open space for the price of $650,000.

If developed, the land would effectively sever the critical wildlife bridge, according to Mark Watson, a habitat specialist with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

"It could blow the whole system," he said. "In my opinion, it's critical" to prevent development.

If the city buys the land, only the adjacent highways would separate the two stretches of open land. That's when the New Mexico Department of Transportation would take over.

A three-phase plan drafted by the department calls for erecting high fences around the roads in a bid to funnel the wildlife toward one crossing point.

Then, if a deer or bear happened by, automatic motion sensors would trigger a flashing light mounted on an animal crossing sign along the road, warning motorists to ease off the gas and watch out.

The system "will be the first that's been implemented within the Albuquerque area," said Jeff Fredine, an environmental analyst with NMDOT.

Based on how effective that proves, the state will consider installing an underpass below N.M. 333, and possibly even an overpass above it.

That, Watson said, would help preserve the health of cougars, deer and bears that call the land on both sides home.

"For populations to basically remain viable, they need to be able to expand," he said. "They need to be able to disperse into surrounding mountain ranges."

Albuquerque will have to get the ball rolling by buying land that is actually outside the city limits. That's not unprecedented: Much of the city's open space, including a piece that would border the new acquisition, is beyond city limits, too.

State government is taking a big interest in the welfare of the animals that cross state highways. But the point is to connect two pieces of federal land, and the connection runs under a federal highway as well.

City residents, meanwhile, use the road heavily and would benefit most from any additional recreation opportunities, such as more convenient trail heads, that the acquisition might bring.

In the end, however, it might come down to this: The federal government is fighting a war; the state has no dedicated budget for such purchases; and the city does. Plus, as sponsoring Councilor Martin Heinrich points out, the option to buy the land expires next July.

"We need to move quickly," he said. "I think it's a really good deal."

Whoever ends up with the check, the measure promises to both promote safety and animal welfare, said Kurt Menke, the co-chairman of the Tijeras Canyon Safe Passage Coalition.

"Animals are fairly resilient and adaptable," he said, "if you give them a chance."