Breaking: Obama to make Organ Mountains national monument

For generations, the Organ Mountains have been an iconic part of the Mesilla Valley. Soon they will be part of a national monument. President Obama is planning to sign a proclamation Wednesday establishing the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, according to a White House official. The proclamation is expected follow a bill introduced last December by U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, Both D-NM, in covering about 450,000 acres in southern New Mexico. About half of that land — approximately 350 square miles — likely will be designated a wilderness area, the highest level of protection that can be imposed by Congress. That includes the Organ Mountains; the Robledo Mountains northwest of Las Cruces, the Doña Ana Mountains north of Las Cruces; the Potrillo Mountains in the southwestern part of the county; and the Sierra de Las Uvas Mountains in the Hatch region...more