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| Baca Ranch Bill to be Discussed in May |
April 14, 2000 |
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Purchase moves to the House after approval in the Senate
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Congresswoman Heather Wilson said today that a hearing on purchase of the Baca Ranch could take place in the House in early May. Wilson spoke to the Chairman of the National Parks and Public Lands subcommittee, Jim Hanson (R-UT) and the Chairman of the Subcommittee of Forests and Forest Health, Helen Chenoweth (R-ID) and secured a commitment that the committees will hold a joint hearing shortly after the Congress reconvenes in May. The Senate approved the purchase last night of the $101 million ranch, and the House is now due to consider it.
“We have been working closely with the House Resources Committee laying the groundwork for this bill.. I spoke to Hansen and Chenoweth when it became clear that the Senate was going to approve the purchase before the Easter break. We want to move this bill through the House quickly. They committed to hold a joint hearing on the Baca Ranch sometime in early May,” said Wilson after the Senate approved purchase of the 95,000-acre ranch in Northern New Mexico.
Wilson, who sponsored the Baca authorization bill in the House, believes all needed technical amendments were made in the Senate and hopes to steward the Senate bill through the House, rather than seeking to push her own House bill. “I hope to get the Senate bill through without further amendments. This will save some time and give proper credit to our Senators, without whom this never would have happened.”
The Ranch, currently owned by the Dunigan family, includes a 14 mile-wide collapsed volcano that is more than one million years old. It has fishing streams, hot springs, grassy valleys, and one of the largest elk herds in the country.
“The Baca Ranch is a beautiful piece of property that deserves to be preserved for future generations. It’s New Mexico’s own version of Yellowstone,” said Wilson. “The Dunigan’s have agreed to work through this process and see it through to the end. I’m committed to doing the same.”
“Through the collective hard work of New Mexico`s congressional delegation, and cooperation from the Dunigan family, we are once again on the brink of bringing the Baca Ranch into public ownership,” continued Wilson.
“The Baca authorizing bill takes a unique approach to public lands arrangement. It sets up a special trust with its own board to oversee the ranch. It also directs the federal government to develop a plan to sell surplus lands so that funds can be used to purchase in-holdings--including privately held lands within the Petroglyph National Monument. The President and his administration have agreed to this innovative arrangement, and I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues in the House, including Representatives Skeen and Udall, to make this a reality,” concluded Wilson.
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