Steve Pearce
U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., is backing a proposal that would end wilderness-like protections for about 32,700 acres of land in Doña Ana County, the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting.
The lands are currently designated as wilderness study areas and have all the protections for land granted the permanent wilderness designation – the federal government’s most restrictive. Mechanized vehicles aren’t allowed in wilderness areas, which is at the heart of the battle surrounding H.R. 1581.
From the Sun-News:
“No land in the in the Robledo or Sierra de Las Uvas mountains, in the west and northwest Doña Ana County, was recommended suitable for wilderness in 1993. They’re among the temporary wilderness designations that would go by the wayside, if Pearce’s bill were passed. About 8,600 acres in the West Potrillos, located in the southwestern part of the county, also would be removed.
“Both are areas popular among off-road vehicle enthusiasts. But environmentalists contend they’re scenically and ecologically valuable areas that merit wilderness protection.”
There’s been a long battle over wilderness in Doña Ana County. New Mexico’s U.S. senators, both Democrats, have in the past proposed setting aside hundreds of thousands of acres as permanent wilderness. Pearce, on the other hand, has proposed new conservation designations that would be less restrictive.
Pearce has said he wants to preserve land in Doña Ana County. The senators haven’t announced whether they will try again for a wilderness bill during the current Congress.