Public Lands

New Mexico’s Otero Mesa is the largest and wildest Chihuahuan Desert grassland left on public lands in America. The area is located southeast of Alamogordo, west of Carlsbad and straddles the Texas border.

Here in New Mexico we too share in notable landscapes, rich in history and opportunity. Otero Mesa is an irreplaceable natural treasure, our nation’s last intact Chihuahuan Grassland. Unfortunately, today Otero Mesa is under increasing threat from mining operations and the landscape scale molestation they would bring. Better protections are needed before this unique place is lost to us.

October 6 Op-ed in the ABQ Journal by Kathy Holian / Santa Fe County Commissioner, District 4

New Mexicans have a deep love of their land. They also have a rich and lengthy history with the land that has fed and nurtured people living here for thousands of years. It is vital that we respect that relationship and that we protect and pass this bounty on to our children and grandchildren.

By Dr. Charles Keller

This year has been real wakeup call about the future of mega-fires in the Rocky Mountains. New Mexico had its two largest-ever fires, and Arizona suffered much larger ones.
Over the 10 years since the Cerro Grande Fire, the number and size of these fires has increased. We are being shown that the future will bring many more and perhaps even larger wildfires. In addition, the destruction of our forests and the resulting huge floods will irreversibly change our canyons and stream courses.

By Kristina Ortez de Jones, Southwest Youth Representative

By the time you read this, Sierra Club delegates from the Mission Outdoors Program will already have clicked their way down the halls of Congress to let their elected leaders know the importance of protecting public lands and providing opportunities for young people, veterans and their families to connect with the outdoors.

By Norma McCallan, Chapter Vice Chair

We are still awaiting publication of the new Resource Management Plan (RMP) from the Bureau of Land Management’s Rio Puerco office, which we expect will provide some protections for unique Badlands landscapes. It was first delayed last winter to incorporate Secretary Salazar’s Dec. 23, 2010, Order 3310. The order initiated a new wildlands policy for the BLM, whose ability to designate wilderness areas had been severely curtailed by an under-the-table deal during the Bush administration.

One of the reasons I love New Mexico is the combination of cultural diversity and beautiful places. The proximity of many wild outdoor opportunities close to cities allows a nearby respite—most of the time.

In mid-June, my wife, Linda, and I took a short backpack up to La Vega, in the Pecos Wilderness. Our starting point was the base of the Santa Fe ski basin, which at over 10,000 feet is very cool compared to the city heat of pre-monsoon June.

Comment from Norma McCallan, RG Chapter Public Lands Co-Chair

"It is great news that the BLM's new secretarial order restores protections for the many wild lands that the BLM administers and will once again allow the BLM to inventory for and designate appropriate areas with wilderness characteristics under its jurisdiction as "Wild Lands" and to manage them to protect their wilderness values.

By bestowing National Monument status to Otero Mesa, President Obama can ensure permanence to this unique landscape and habitat.

Thank you for your help on this issue. Sierra Club members and supporters sent more than 600 e-mails to President Obama in support of making Otero Mesa a National Monument.