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| Bill to Protect N.M. Land Goes to Bush |
October 19, 2005 |
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By Michael Coleman
Journal Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Almost 11,000 acres of New Mexico wild lands will get permanent federal protection from development under a bill headed to President Bush`s desk today.
The U.S. House voted unanimously Tuesday to designate the land, commonly referred to as "Ojito" and located just south of San Ysidro, as a federal protected wilderness. The Senate approved an identical measure earlier this year.
"It means the area will stay like it is; it won`t be carved up and it won`t be developed," said Martin Heinrich, an Albuquerque city councilor and spokesman for the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness. "It will remain the same place as it is today."
The bill — the first federal wilderness designation in New Mexico in 18 years — recognizes in writing that Ojito`s dramatic landforms, multicolored badlands and rare plants are worthy of federal protection. The public will continue to have largely unfettered access to the land for hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, horseback riding and other uses, including education.
The Ojito land is owned by the Bureau of Land Management, which will eventually erect signs marking the area`s newly protected status.
In a display of bipartisanship in a politically divided Congress, members of New Mexico`s congressional delegation were unanimous in their support of the federal protection.
Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., said a lot of the credit should go to local groups who helped negotiate some tricky issues regarding access for livestock grazing, water and other issues.
"They worked out the nitty-gritty details," Wilson said.
Zia Pueblo, as well as local ranchers and environmental groups, supported the designation.
The bill allows Zia Pueblo to buy some additional BLM land that buffers the area, which will allow the tribe to reconnect its pueblo with some land it previously owned.
The Ojito area has been preserved as a wilderness study area since 1991.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat, said the designation is especially significant because the Bush administration hasn`t been known for wilderness protections.
Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., also advocated for the Ojito wilderness designation.
Click here to read a statement about the Ojito Wilderness Act. |
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