Protecting New Mexico’s natural treasures
Whenever I’m traveling through Doña Ana County, I look up at the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and feel proud to come from a state that is home to some of our nation’s most beautiful treasures. I know I share this feeling of serenity with my fellow New Mexicans, and there’s a desire within us all to make sure the Organ Mountains stay preserved for generations to come. Back in 2013, before President Barack Obama created the current monument footprint, I introduced a bill to establish the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks as a national monument.
My bill, House Rule 995, was specifically aimed at making the Organ Mountains, and the surrounding natural treasures, a national monument forever protected in the National Landscape Conservation System. The roughly 60,000-acre monument would have strategically protected the Organ Mountains’ beauty and grandeur for our children and grandchildren. Most importantly, the footprint I suggested was a balance between conserving the Organ Mountains without compromising New Mexico’s economy and the culture of ranching, recreation and multiple uses.
New Mexico’s economy surrounding the monument is supported by local businesses, a convention center, a top-rated farmers market, annual festivals, sporting tournaments and diverse museums — all of which draw people to visit the area. To attempt to calculate, or even establish a range of economic impact that the monument alone has contributed to the community would be misleading. In fact, there is no metric that allows for an accurate or even broad accounting of revenue created by the monument. Recent attempts to define the increased economic benefit have only been able to place it anywhere between $4 million to $11 million.
These numbers come from an analysis done by the Las Cruces Sun-News that used visitation numbers from the Bureau of Land Management for three sites within the monument — Dripping Springs Natural Area, Aguirre Spring Campground and the Soledad Canyon Area. Increased visitation to these sites, along with the estimated tourism dollars they provide, have been used time and again as a way to support the current 500,000-acre footprint. However, all three of these sites would remain protected under the smaller footprint proposed in my bill.
I want to do everything in my power to protect the Organ Mountains without harming the local economy or diminishing the historical multiple uses of the larger area. Some have come to believe that this means I support selling off these lands for private uses. Let me be clear, that is not the case.
The monument equates to a total of 600,000 acres of land because it not only includes the 500,000-acre footprint, which is all federal land, but it land-locks roughly 100,000 acres of state and private lands within it. I’ve spoken with ranchers who live and work in parts of the monument who find it very difficult to stay in business while complying with regulations that accompany the designation. These ranchers contribute to local and state economies, but will not be able to maintain their operations given the restrictions that the monument creates. Some of these ranchers claim they’ve never even seen a car drive through these outer sections of the monument where they work.
Bottom line, the current footprint is not the most effective way to get the maximum economic value out of the land. We can continue to protect the Organ Mountains and the surrounding natural treasures while reaping the benefits of increased tourism and avoiding negative economic outcomes that come with the expansive designation.
The New Mexico environment is everything to us, and the most important component is the people who live in it. Native Americans, ranchers, and many others have been living here for generations, and restrictions to access and use create tremendous negative effects on their livelihoods. A review of the expansive footprint would be a step in the right direction to loosen the bureaucratic grip that Washington has over hundreds of thousands of acres and help put our lands back where they belong — in the hands of New Mexicans.
What Washington doesn’t understand is that there is a significant cross-section of the community that has historically opposed any monument designation. Roughly 800 businesses and ranchers were in favor of a smaller footprint. Ignoring the other half of this debate just because we might not agree with what they have to say is not how we resolve our problems in New Mexico. We must find a compromise to protect our lands while eliminating the uncertainty, access issues and added layers of bureaucracy fostered because of this overly expansive designation.
As New Mexicans, we are protective over our resources and embrace the landscape that we call home, regardless of political party lines. For my entire adult life, I’ve loved the Organ Mountains. By protecting roughly 60,000 acres, the beauty of the Organ Mountains will be preserved forever, the county can continue to benefit from the economic gains associated with the monument, and everyone from ranchers to hikers can continue to access and utilize the area without impediment. With a smaller designation, we can bring back annual events that were chased off — like the chile challenge — which not only, according to local sources, brought in about $5 million to the local economy, but created a spirit of togetherness among the community.
I stand in support of a responsible review of the monument so we can find a local win-win solution that all New Mexicans can support. The Organ Mountains will not lose protection, tnor will they be rescinded; the debate is solely about resizing the designation so we can conserve our resources while expanding economic opportunity. Responsible conservation means taking into consideration the local residents, economies, and communities that are affected by national monument designations. Listening to all voices and working together will allow us to create a lasting designation that protects the Organ Mountains and promotes real economic growth for our great state.
U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce is New Mexico’s only Republican congressman.