The U.S. Department of the Interior recently proposed a plan to prevent mineral leasing for 50 years on more than 4,000 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management near Placitas, New Mexico.<\/p>\n
Notably, the land covers a roughly 3,000-acre space known as Buffalo Tract.<\/p>\n
Interior argues that the move would help \u201csafeguard sacred tribal lands, boost important local recreation opportunities, and support wildlife habitat connectivity\u201d by preventing new mineral mining, plus oil and gas leasing, according to the release.<\/p>\n
The Pueblos of San Felipe and Santa Ana consider the land in question sacred. It is also used for hiking, camping, sightseeing and hunting. However, gravel mining companies have expressed interest in using the land.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we\u2019re responding to calls from Tribes, elected leaders, and community members who want to see these public lands protected,\u201d Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a news release. \u201cWe look forward to hearing more from the public to inform decisions about how activities, like gravel mining, may impact these lands, including the important cultural and natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., praised the Biden administration for wanting to protect the land.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Buffalo Tract is clearly the wrong place for a gravel mine,\u201d Heinrich said. \u201cThe environmental impacts on a landscape that many New Mexicans treasure would be irreparable. The Buffalo Tract also serves as a critical wildlife corridor between the Sandia Mountains to the south and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north. \u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am pleased the Biden administration is heeding the calls of New Mexicans who have stood united in defense of the Buffalo Tract for well over a decade,\u201d he continued. \u201cThis public land is intermixed with residential communities and are important landscapes for the Pueblo of Santa Ana, the Pueblo of San Felipe, the people of Placitas, and the Merced De Comunidad De San Antonio De Las Huertas land grant.<\/p>\n
Over the years, New Mexico\u2019s congressional delegation has tried several times to prevent gravel mining in this area.<\/p>\n
The Bureau of Land Management plans to host a public meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 to address the proposal. BLM will release more information on the event at a later date.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comment on the proposal until Dec. 19.<\/p>\n
One can send public comment by mail to \u201cBureau of Land Management Rio Puerco Field Office, Attn: Placitas Withdrawal, 100 Sun Avenue, Suite 330, Albuquerque, NM 87109,\u201d according to NM Political Report.<\/p>\n