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| Tuesday Is Last Legislative Step for Ojito Wilderness Bill |
October 17, 2005 |
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| WASHINGTON - Representatives Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Heather Wilson, R-N.M., today announced the Ojito Wilderness Act is scheduled for consideration by the full House tomorrow.
The House will consider the Senate-passed bill, S. 156, a companion to the House version sponsored by Udall and Wilson. If passed, it will be sent to the president to be signed into law.
The New Mexico representatives envision the Ojito Wilderness Study Area, nearly 11,000 acres, as a permanent wilderness area to be protected under the 1964 Wilderness Act. The bill also provides for the purchase and transfer of adjacent ancestral lands, now under the Bureau of Land Management, to the Pueblo of Zia. The public would have continued access but the lands would be preserved as open space, and unite two areas of the reservation.
“With no remaining impediments to the permanent protection of this fantastic landscape, the Ojito Wilderness Act will become law within days,” Udall said. “Once places like the Ojito are gone, they are gone forever. That is why this legislation is supported by the surrounding community, outdoor enthusiasts, and local and tribal officials. I appreciate the efforts of everyone who worked so hard to bring the dream of Ojito closer to reality.”
"This is the last legislative hurdle," Wilson said. "I`ll be very pleased to see this important bill become law. It is a balanced approach - locally developed and locally supported - that provides the long-sought transfer of important ancestral lands to the Pueblo."
The legislation, developed locally with broad support, has had input from the Pueblo of Zia, the county, the Bureau of Land Management and the state land office. In addition to Reps. Udall and Wilson, the effort has the support of Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, Governor Richardson, State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons, all 20 Pueblos of New Mexico, Bernalillo and Sandoval county commissions, the city of Albuquerque, adjacent landowners and grazing permit holders.
The Ojito Wilderness is home to many animal and plant species; known for dramatic land and rock formations, badlands, plateaus and mesas; contains a wealth of cultural, archeological and paleontological sites; is the 1978 discovery site of a large dinosaur skeleton, a 110-foot Seismosaurus, among the world`s longest dinosaurs; and many historic sites of petroglyphs and multi-room pueblos of the Zia ancestors.
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