Land including the Organ Mountains, shown here, would be protected under the bill. (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
More than 350,000 acres of land in Doña Ana County — including the Organ Mountains — would be protected under legislation New Mexico’s U.S. senators introduced Thursday.
Specifically, the legislation from Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, D-N.M. — the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Act — would designate 259,000 acres as wilderness and 100,000 acres as national conservation areas, according to a release from the senators. In addition to the Organ Mountains, land on and around the Robledo, Doña Ana and Potrillo mountains would be protected.
“The Organ Mountains are the backdrop for one of the most breathtaking scenic views in our state,” Bingaman said in the release. “Doña Ana County residents have been working for years to develop plans that would ensure these views are protected. I’m very glad that we now have a bill that will do just that, even while ensuring the public continues to have access to this extraordinary space.”
Udall said the bill “will celebrate and preserve a portion of the spectacular landscapes that make southern New Mexico unique.”
“I am proud to join with Senator Bingaman in introducing a bill that protects this precious land for future generations to hunt, fish, hike or just enjoy our state’s incomparable natural environment,” Udall said in the release.
The bill would also release 16,350 acres currently designated as a wilderness study area along the county’s border with Mexico. That’s intended to address concerns that law enforcement patrols are hampered by rules against motorized vehicles entering the protected area.
Legislation has been sought for years
The conservation legislation has been sought for years by the Dona Ana County Wilderness Coalition, which has been led by the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and includes a long list of businesses, local governments and others. In a news release from the coalition, Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said the legislation helps ensure “that more of New Mexico’s spectacular natural lands will be around for our children’s children to use and enjoy.”
“This legislation follows years of discussion and collaboration with community members with many different interests and concerns,” he said.
Sandy Schemnitz, President of the Southwest Consolidated Sportsmen, said in the release that the bill “will ensure that our grandchildren can hunt in and enjoy these areas as we have done.”
“A New Mexico sportsman — Aldo Leopold — first began the idea of wilderness to preserve the hunting he’d come to love in the Gila,” Schemnitz said. “Today, Doña Ana County sportsmen are delighted that this legislation will help us pass down our traditions.”
Not all were happy. In response to the wilderness coalition’s proposal, a smaller group that includes ranchers, four-wheelers, the Village of Hatch and others formed People for Preserving Our Western Heritage, which wanted no wilderness at all and proposed new, less-restrictive designations for the land, in addition to requiring the sale of 65,000 acres owned by the Bureau of Land Management.
A spokesman for the group, Frank DuBois, was quoted by the Las Cruces Sun-News as saying he is “surprised and disappointed” that “the concerns of over 800 businesses and individuals that are part of our organization” were ignored.
‘The right thing to do’
The bill does include fewer acres designated as wilderness than the wilderness coalition had sought, but it’s largely in line with the coalitions’ proposal. Bingaman said the areas that would gain protection “boast caves, limestone cliffs and winding canyons that draw visitors to Doña Ana County.”
“To that end, it is my hope that it will also help promote tourism and economic development in the region,” Bingaman said.
Udall said preservation “is the right thing to do — environmentally and economically. Thanks to the cooperation of a wide range of individuals and groups in developing this legislation, I believe we strike the right balance between preservation and progress in a way that will benefit southern New Mexico for generations to come.”
Bingaman chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and said in the release he will schedule a hearing on the bill this fall.
Bingaman’s office also made available maps of areas that would be protected:
• An overall map of the county
• Desert Peaks National Conservation Area