BYTODD G. DICKSON

The Las Cruces Bulletin

Late last week, U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall introduced the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Act to gain permanent federal protection for 359,000 acres in Doña Ana County.

The bill creates wilderness and conservation areas, with the Organ Mountainsbeing given a combination of wilderness and National Conservation Area (NCA) designations. Other areas in the county that the bill seeks to give either wilderness or NCA designations include Broad Canyon, the Robledo Mountains, Whitehorn, Cinder Cone, Aden Lava Flow, the Potrillo Mountains and Sierra de las Uvas.

The legislation creates 259,000 acres of wilderness and 100,000 acres of NCAs.

The announcement was quickly followed by a County Commission resolution passed Tuesday, Sept. 22, in support of the legislation.

A number of wilderness supporters spoke in favor of the resolution, saying the designations will preserve these scenic surroundings and protect them from encroachment by growth.

Several speakers primarily from the ranching community, however, also voiced their opposition to what they see as a federal land grab that will make it more difficult for them to continue ranching on federal land.

Originally, the resolution had been put on the meeting’s consent agenda, which was pulled for a separate vote because of those wanting to urge the commission to approve its support or to urge commissioners not to pass it.

Commissioner Oscar Vasquez Butler said he put the resolution on the consent agenda because a similar resolution had been passed twice before by the commission.

“We’ve had this discussion for at least three-and-a-half years,” said Butler, who noted that there also had been many community meetings on the proposal.

Butler said the introduced bill appeared to have adequate compromises, but representatives for a group called People for Preserving Our Western Heritage noted that a previous effort by former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici failed to broker a compromise with the various groups for and against establishing permanent wilderness designations.

The group’s official comments state the legislation calls for nearly five times more wilderness areas than that what the previous stakeholders effort could agree upon. Ranchers alsohave concerns about road access and want language added to protect grazing.

Dara Parker, representing Bingaman, pointed out that the original wilderness proposal – called the Citizen’s Proposal because federal wilderness law allows citizens to nominate wilderness areas – called for 307,900 acres to become wilderness.

Parker said the bill seeks to provide compromises in a number of areas. For example, much of the Broad Canyon area would become a NCA instead of wilderness to allow more flexibility for existing uses, such as ranching and flood control. In that same general area, Faulkner Canyon is being left open, she said.

Parker also noted that 16,350acres of proposed wilderness along the U.S.-Mexico border was removed in response to border security concerns, even though there is an existing agreement among federal agencies to allow the Border Patrol to engage in off-road pursuits in wilderness areas. Previously, that land had long been held in the status of a Wilderness Study Area.

About the only area of relative agreement in the whole wilderness debate is the Organ Mountains.

“The Organ Mountains are the backdrop for one of the most breathtaking scenic views in our state,” Bingaman said in his announcement on the bill. “Doña Ana County residents have been working for years to develop plans that would ensure theseviews are protected. I’m very glad that we now have a bill that will do just that even while ensuring the public continues to have access to this extraordinary space.

“The areas we’re trying to protect through this legislation boast caves, limestone cliffs and winding canyons that draw visitors to Doña Ana County. To that end, it is my hope that it will also help promote tourism and economic development in the region.”

The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Act has been referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which Bingaman chairs. Bingaman plans to schedule a hearing on the bill this fall.

Every day valley residents enjoy this kind of view of the Organ Mountains, and U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall have introduced legislation to establish wilderness and other protections for this and other scenic areas in Doña Ana County.

STEVE MACINTYRE | The Las Cruces Bulletin