Jim Baca’s view: ‘We must protect this spectacular natural treasure,’ the Otero Mesa

Note: This is a guest column that was solicited from both candidates in the land commissioner race.

By Jim Baca
Democratic candidate for commissioner of public lands, and a former holder of that office

How valuable is the Otero Mesa to New Mexico’s heritage?

Otero Mesa is extremely valuable not only to New Mexico’s natural heritage but also to America’s.

Otero Mesa represents the largest and wildest Chihuahuan desert grassland left on public lands in the United States. At 1.2 million acres in size, this vast landscape sustains the life of over 1,000 native wildlife species. Thousands of ancient archeological sites can also be found throughout the volcanic Cornudas Mountains in Otero Mesa as well as across the rolling hills and grasslands.

We must protect this spectacular natural treasure for future generations and to enhance our quality of life in New Mexico.

For families, hunting, hiking and camping is part of our quality of life in New Mexico. Protected, Otero Mesa provides hundreds of thousands of wilderness-quality acres for people to explore, discover and pass traditions from generation to generation.

Beyond its vast ecological importance, Otero Mesa holds the largest remaining fresh-water aquifer left in the state. This is a resource much more valuable to our future than oil and gas. Without water, we will have no future to look forward to.

How valuable is it to the economy?

In 2005, the Department of Tourism reported that the outdoor tourism industry generated $5 billion to state coffers.

It remains evident that more and more people are coming to the “Land of Enchantment” to experience our wild public lands. If we protect Otero Mesa we can then begin to promote its importance, much like we’ve done with White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns national monuments, which Otero Mesa happens to be in the middle of.

New businesses in Alamogordo could benefit from a protected Otero Mesa. Hunting, hiking, camping, horse backing trips, birding, petroglyph sight-seeing and numerous other recreational endeavors could produce sustainable revenue for local communities, whereas oil and gas lasts at best 40 years, leaves the landscape ravaged and results in minimal economic gain for local economies.

Otero Mesa is invaluable to the economy of New Mexico, as it is now recognized across the country and around the world for its ecological value.

What should be done with the Otero Mesa? Is it a place to preserve or drill, or can both be done at once?

We must protect Otero Mesa for its natural character, abundant wildlife, fresh water, and for the economic benefits it has to offer to surrounding communities.

Drilling for oil and gas in Otero Mesa cannot be done in an environmentally sound manner, period.

In 2001, the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department found that out of 734 cases of soil and groundwater contamination, oil and gas operations were responsible for 444, almost 60 percent. Furthermore, the Oil Conservation Division recently published a report, which shows a staggering 1,400 additional cases of groundwater contamination due to oil and gas operations.

Some irresponsible aspects of the Bureau of Land Management’s plan for Otero Mesa include:

• Relying on an unproven eye-in-the-sky pilot program to monitor Otero Mesa drilling from outer space.

• Not having the manpower on the ground to enforce regulations.

• Not considering geophysical/seismic activities “surface disturbing” even though such activities use heavy machinery and dynamite blasting.

• Having no clear definition for restoration and using non-native Otero Mesa species to reclaim disturbed areas.

Across our state ranchers and other users of public lands have seen the impacts and heavy hand of the oil and gas industry: groundwater contamination, air pollution and most dramatically, fragmentation of the landscape. In Southern New Mexico, rain is scant and restoration of lands takes generations, not years. The BLM, the agency in charge of monitoring drilling, has increased staff to give permits to oil companies, but has few people on the ground to enforce regulations.

Otero Mesa should be declared a national conservation area, which will not allow oil and gas development. Protected long-term, this area can be a magnet for wildlife, recreation, water and tourism and be a gift to generations yet to come.