Monday, August 21, 2017

New Mexico delegates make plea to keep monuments intact

Democratic members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation on Monday issued a last-ditch plea to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to keep intact two national monuments on a list of sites being reviewed by the Trump administration. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Reps. Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan Grisham sent a letter to Zinke, saying thousands of New Mexicans support the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces and the Rio Grande del Norte monument outside of Taos. They pointed to the monuments as drivers for local economies on each end of the state. “The voices of New Mexicans could not be clearer — our national monuments are vitally important to our history and are part of the living culture of local tribes and pueblos,” the letter states. “Our local communities worked for decades to ensure that permanent protections for our national monuments would be in place for the use and enjoyment of future generations.” But not all New Mexicans have embraced the designations made under the Obama administration. Opponents, like some Hispanic ranchers with ties to the land that go back generations, say the designations are another attempt by the federal government to attack grazing rights and water access while discounting their historical connections. The ranchers also have voiced opposition to any new wilderness designations as minority farm and ranching groups continue to push the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address decades of discrimination and civil rights violations, particularly against Hispanic ranchers and land grant heirs in New Mexico. Zinke visited the state last month and held a series of private stakeholder meetings. It’s not clear when he will issue recommendations on the two New Mexico monuments. The deadline is Thursday. Supporters of the monuments say the designations have helped to protect some of the state’s most iconic landscapes and that tourism and economic development related to the sites are on the rise...more

1 comment:

Hemingway said...

Congressman Steve Pearce and Landmark Estates plan to sell our National Monument after the Zinke decision. "If you want your own little pocket of solitude in the Chihuahuan Desert, look no further than Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks. Here, rugged mountain peaks, colorful plant-life and archaeological sites lie relatively undisturbed--until you come along and raise the bar with a luxury spa or private airstrip!" This could actually happen! It is a parody at this time. By the way the ranchers will be pushed out for developers!!!!!!

http://parksforsale.com/properties/organ-mountains-desert/