No place like home
Preserving and protecting the Organ Mountains and their surroundings is important to those who grew up around them
The mountains surrounding the Mesilla Valley, which make up the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument (OMDP) have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I still remember seeing my first rattlesnake, tarantula and coyote in these mountains as a little girl.
When I became a gung-ho, rebellious teenager, I remember climbing to the peaks despite my mother’s disapproval. I remember giving guided tours of the Dripping Springs Natural area as part of my first job. I remember these peaks becoming a national monument in 2014, and watching my hometown celebrate with pride. Finally, this nomination ensured that these mountains’ invaluable contribution to the landscape, history and diverse culture of the United States was protected for future generations.
OMDP is undoubtedly a treasure worth its protected status. Before I called these mountains my home, Clovis people inhabited these lands. Grinding holes, arrowheads and wall art, which can still be found today, pay testimony to their legacy. These mountains hold infinitely priceless geologic and human history, which is why a coalition of local activists successfully urged the Obama administration to protected these lands under the Antiquities Act.
Unfortunately, the Trump administration undermined the dedication of these local advocates by ordering a review of 27 monuments established since 1996. This review undermined local democracy, and constitutes, in the words of a local activist, a “slap in the face” to faith-based groups, environmental groups, and other community members, especially Latina individuals, who made this monument possible in the first place. This review included two sites in New Mexico: OMDP and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
In response, the Hispanic Access Foundation organized a trip to Las Cruces for myself and six other Latinas from across the country to understand what this review would mean for places like OMDP. Sharing my home with other Latinas, many of whom had never been camping, reminded me how our national parks and monuments are places for everyone to enjoy.
We camped under the stars and visited ancient wall paintings and waterfalls. We met with local activists, park rangers, elected officials and residents who explained why these lands are so important to them. Being surrounded by my community, by other young, driven Latinas, and by the mountains that I call home reinvigorated my determination to ensure that everyone, including future generations, have access to such places.
Not long after this trip, news leaked that Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke was recommending both New Mexico monuments undergo management changes, specifically asking that the Pentagon and Homeland Security assess the “border security threat” supposedly posed by the protection of OMDP. Shrinking both of these monuments is still a possibility, similar to what Zinke has proposed for Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, as is opening these monuments up for resource extraction.
As an environmental studies major who has worked for the National Park Service, I believe that reducing the size of these monuments — or any for that matter — or opening them up to extraction interests is callously nearsighted. As a second-generation Mexican immigrant who has experienced firsthand the way Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) racially profiles and creates fear in the Latino community, I think Zinke’s suggestion to address “border security” at my hometown national monument is dangerously misplaced. Instead, those of us who care about the mission of the National Park Service, conservation, and preservation should be asking ourselves “How do we make our public lands more accessible to low-income Latinos and other marginalized communities?”
Overall, this review is an attack not just on the OMDP but on all public lands. If you care about the environment, if you care about your public lands, if you care about making these natural and historical places more equitable, then speak up and share your support for protecting these special places for future generations.
Esperanza Chairez recently went on a trip to OMDP with other Latinas as well as a Teen Vogue reporter. She has participated in the Latino Heritage Internship Program, which placed her as an intern at a National Park Service site.