{"id":6397,"date":"2009-09-18T08:28:25","date_gmt":"2009-09-18T14:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=6397"},"modified":"2009-10-05T10:10:45","modified_gmt":"2009-10-05T16:10:45","slug":"senators-introduce-dona-ana-county-wilderness-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2009\/09\/senators-introduce-dona-ana-county-wilderness-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators unveil Do\u00f1a Ana County wilderness bill"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Land

Land including the Organ Mountains, shown here, would be protected under the bill. (Photo by Heath Haussamen)<\/p><\/div>\n

More than 350,000 acres of land in Do\u00f1a Ana County — including the Organ Mountains — would be protected under legislation New Mexico\u2019s U.S. senators introduced Thursday.<\/p>\n

Specifically, the legislation from Sens. Jeff Bingaman<\/a> and Tom Udall<\/a>, D-N.M. — the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Act — would designate 259,000 acres as wilderness<\/a> and 100,000 acres as national conservation areas<\/a>, according to a release from the senators. In addition to the Organ Mountains, land on and around the Robledo, Do\u00f1a Ana and Potrillo mountains would be protected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Organ Mountains are the backdrop for one of the most breathtaking scenic views in our state,\u201d Bingaman said in the release. \u201cDo\u00f1a Ana County residents have been working for years to develop plans that would ensure these views are protected. I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Udall said the bill \u201cwill celebrate and preserve a portion of the spectacular landscapes that make southern New Mexico unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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\u2019s incomparable natural environment,\u201d Udall said in the release.<\/p>\n

The bill would also release 16,350 acres currently designated as a wilderness study area along the county\u2019s border with Mexico. That\u2019s intended to address concerns that law enforcement patrols are hampered by rules against motorized vehicles entering the protected area.<\/p>\n

Legislation has been sought for years<\/h3>\n

The conservation legislation has been sought for years by the Dona Ana County Wilderness Coalition<\/a>, which has been led by the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance<\/a> and includes a long list<\/a> of businesses, local governments and others. In a news release from the coalition, Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima<\/a> said the legislation helps ensure \u201cthat more of New Mexico\u2019s spectacular natural lands will be around for our children\u2019s children to use and enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis legislation follows years of discussion and collaboration with community members with many different interests and concerns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sandy Schemnitz, President of the Southwest Consolidated Sportsmen, said in the release that the bill \u201cwill ensure that our grandchildren can hunt in and enjoy these areas as we have done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA New Mexico sportsman — Aldo Leopold<\/a> — first began the idea of wilderness to preserve the hunting he\u2019d come to love in the Gila,\u201d Schemnitz said. \u201cToday, Do\u00f1a Ana County sportsmen are delighted that this legislation will help us pass down our traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not all were happy. In response to the wilderness coalition\u2019s proposal, a smaller group that includes ranchers, four-wheelers, the Village of Hatch and others formed People for Preserving Our Western Heritage<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

A spokesman for the group, Frank DuBois, was quoted by the Las Cruces Sun-News<\/a> as saying he is \u201csurprised and disappointed\u201d that \u201cthe concerns of over 800 businesses and individuals that are part of our organization\u201d were ignored.<\/p>\n

\u2018The right thing to do\u2019<\/h3>\n

The bill does include fewer acres designated as wilderness than the wilderness coalition had sought, but it\u2019s largely in line with the coalitions\u2019 proposal. Bingaman said the areas that would gain protection \u201cboast caves, limestone cliffs and winding canyons that draw visitors to Do\u00f1a Ana County.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo that end, it is my hope that it will also help promote tourism and economic development in the region,\u201d Bingaman said.<\/p>\n

Udall said preservation \u201cis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bingaman chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and said in the release he will schedule a hearing on the bill this fall.<\/p>\n

Bingaman\u2019s office also made available maps of areas that would be protected:<\/p>\n

\u2022 An overall map of the county<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 Desert Peaks National Conservation Area<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 Organ Mountain National Conservation Area<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 Potrillo Mountains Complex<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 Prehistoric Trackways National Monument<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than 350,000 acres of land in Do\u00f1a Ana County — including the Organ Mountains — would be protected under legislation New Mexico\u2019s U.S. senators introduced Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1],"tags":[115,147,116],"class_list":["post-6397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","category-uncategorized","tag-dona-ana-county","tag-environment","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6397\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}