Federal official to visit northern New Mexico area being considered for wilderness protection

An official with the U.S. Interior Department will visit northern New Mexico to tour an area being considered as a candidate for wilderness protection. The department says Deputy Secretary David Hayes will make a stop at the Rio Grande Gorge northwest of Taos on Thursday afternoon. Conservationists have been pushing officials to protect the upper reaches of the Rio Grande Gorge and the Taos Plateau. In June, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar directed Hayes to solicit input from members of Congress, state and local officials, tribes and federal land managers to identify lands that may be appropriate candidates for Congressional protection under the Wilderness Act. Hayes plans to deliver a report to Salazar and Congress on the areas the agency believes can be the basis for bipartisan wilderness legislation. AP

According to this press release he visited the area on the 15th and then headed to California.