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Albuquerque, once again, has a grand opportunity to be a model conservation steward by acquiring a prime natural area east of the city that links the Sandia and Manzano Mountains.

This proposal, however, is not just about acquiring another pretty piece of scenery to expand the city's already impressive green belts of open space.

The primary reason for this $650,000 acquisition of a 67-acre tract in heavily traveled Tijeras Canyon is to preserve a vital strip of ground that still links animal populations in two wild mountain ranges.

Unfortunately, this strip has become a killing zone, as animals risk and often fail to negotiate two major highways safely - either for themselves or for passing motorists traveling at high speeds.

If the city fails to act soon, this important corridor could be lost to development, further isolating wildlife populations north and south of the canyon.

In the grand natural scheme of things, acquisition of this land - for the purpose of preserving and enhancing the movement and genetics of wildlife - may be one of the single most important open space acquisitions in the city's history.

The magnitude of the proposed acquisition was stressed in Reporter Peter Rice's front-page article in Monday's Tribune ("City may provide wildlife corridor"), by Mark Watson, a habitat specialist for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

Development on the tract, Watson warned, "could blow the whole (wildlife eco-) system. In my opinion it's critical."

City acquisition offers an unusual opportunity to provide wildlife - from deer and bear to coyotes and cougars - a strip of safe passage along their natural but now heavily obstructed migration path to feeding, watering and mating grounds on either side of Interstate 40 and N.M. 333.

The acquisition could be the start of a multi-government project, involving state and federal transportation and wildlife officials, to improve wildlife and human safety through the corridor using highway under- and overpasses, high fencing, motion sensors and motorist warning signals. The basic idea is to try to funnel wildlife and humans through safe passage zones and reduce road kills and collisions as much as possible.

It is a praiseworthy endeavor, and the City Council, which is expected to take up the measure next week, should not hesitate. It should do its part to counteract the negative effects of a large metropolitan area on nearby wildlife and natural areas by minimizing obstructions that isolate wildlife. It should press state and federal authorities to seize this opportunity to provide wildlife with the equivalent of a safety bridge. It should urge the Legislature and New Mexico's congressional delegation to investigate ways that jurisdictions might collaborate and fund this corridor.

In recent years, biologists and ecologists have recognized that from a wildlife perspective, it may not be enough to preserve even large, isolated tracts of land. They say wild animals need corridors that link these tracts and allow populations to migrate and mingle for food, water and mating.

Highways, interstates, fences (including the 700-mile one Congress just approved for the Mexican border) and sprawling residential and commercial developments may severely impede wildlife's movements. They not only may alter species' normal ecology but also may threaten their long-term health and existence.

As a city, Albuquerque now has a wonderful chance to play a leadership role in experimenting with this bold and emerging conservation idea to keep our wildlife wild.