National monuments key to Hispanic culture
Efforts to reduce Organ Mountains and Rio Grande del Norte are completely misguided
New Mexico’s Hispano and Latino leaders worked fervently for many years, forging important partnerships, to ensure that Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte in our state were preserved as national monuments. The recent executive order by President Trump calling for a review of national monuments designated since 1996, including these two, is a huge threat to our culture.
Leading state-based Latino and Hispano organizations have submitted public input to the Department of Interior to voice our support for these monuments and ask that they remain untouched. The fact that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is planning to visit New Mexico as part of this “review” is causing us concern.
These monuments protect dramatic landscapes used for centuries by our ancestors, recognizing our traditional land uses of hunting, grazing and collection of firewood and piñon nuts and ensuring these activities will continue. The names of the monuments’ geographic features are indicative of the cultural ties of Hispanic people to these lands: Cerro de la Olla; Cerro San Antonio, the Robledo and Doña Ana Mountains, Sierra de Las Uvas, and, of course, Rio Grande del Norte itself.
These protected public lands contain a rich array of archaeological resources that span thousands of years and represent our state’s and nation’s diverse cultural traditions. Their geography encompasses the iconic Rio Grande Gorge, sweeping mesas, and of course the majestic Organ Mountains that leave indelible impressions on visitors and residents. The Potrillo and Robledo Mountains in the south and the Taos Mesa in the north offer prized opportunities for hunting, exploring, camping and learning about history. These areas are of critical importance to many plants and wildlife, including bighorn sheep, river otter, pronghorn antelope, and birds of prey.
There was a long and open public process that led to the establishment of these national monuments. After years of gridlock in Congress, President Obama used the Antiquities Act, as 16 presidents —eight Republicans and eight Democrats — have done since 1906, to designate these important cultural centerpieces. It was finally settled — so we thought.
However, Interior Secretary Zinke appears to be ready to swoop in to stir things up, even though local businesses and municipalities are benefiting greatly from their efforts to promote the monuments, with visitation to Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte up over 100 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
Fortunately, our community leaders are standing up for our monuments and our natural and cultural heritage, economic growth and way of life. The Taos and Doña Ana county commissions and the municipalities of Taos, Las Cruces, Mesilla and Anthony have all passed strong resolutions restating their support for our monuments and urging Secretary Zinke and President Trump to not alter them. Additionally, on July 8, the membership of the League of United Latin American Citizens, our nation’s oldest and largest Hispano/Latino civil rights organization, unanimously passed a resolution, 651-0, at our national convention urging the Trump administration and U.S. Department of Interior to maintain our national monuments’ existing boundaries and not alter them in any way. LULAC has joined with the Hispano Round Table of New Mexico, MANA de Albuquerque, New Mexico ENLACE, and other statebased Latino and Hispano organizations on behalf of these public lands to emphatically request that Secretary Zinke not alter our monuments’ boundaries.
The Democratic members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation — Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Reps. Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan Grisham — have also been standing up strongly for our public lands and representing our communities’ wishes.
The threat posed to our national monuments couldn’t be more clear. Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte national monuments recognize the history and contributions of Latino and Hispanic Americans as a valued part of our nation’s heritage. Any reduction in size of these monuments would be a step backward in preserving our cultural heritage.