Uncertain Future For National Monuments In New Mexico

July 7, 2017 – President Donald Trump issued an executive order in April calling on the Interior Secretary to review more than two dozen national monuments that are more than 100,000 acres in size and were created since 1996. That includes two in New Mexico – the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks monument near Las Cruces and the Rio Grande del Norte Monument near Taos.  Environmentalists and other supporters say the monuments protect important ecosystems and they also boost rural economies because they increase the number of visitors to communities. But others say more federal control of the land will hurt those who make their living from the land, including ranchers. Also at issue is how much public input went into the creation of these monuments. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has already recommended that the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah be reduced in size. The Interior Department is accepting public comment on the other monuments through July 10.

Correspondent Megan Kamerick and her two guests, Michael Casaus, the state director in New Mexico for The Wilderness Society and Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, look at this debate.

Resources:
Presidential Executive Order on the Review of Designations Under the Antiquities Act – Trump Administration
Portal to Submit Comments to Interior Department
New Mexico Monuments Could Keep Status Zinke Suggests – Santa Fe New Mexican
Udall Questions Interior Secretary On Future of NM’s National Monuments – New Mexico Political Report
Economic Importance of National Monuments To Communities – Headwaters Economics
Local Business Owners Say Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Has Inspired Opportunity – KRWG
Monument Size A Concern As Feds Review Status – Las Cruces Sun-News
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument A Geological Wonder – Albuquerque Journal
This NM National Monument Has Brought Millions To The Local Economy Since Its Designation – Albuquerque Business First
New Mexico Business Owners Weigh In On Trump’s Latest Executive Order – Albuquerque Business First
Can Trump Really Eliminate National Monuments in NM And Elsewhere? – NMPolitics.net
Will Bears Ears Be The Next Standing Rock? New York Times
Comments of Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Tribe and Zuni Pueblo on Bears Ears
This Is Our Land: New Mexico Tribal Groups Gear Up To Fight For Their Home – The Guardian
Feds Call Off Public Meetings Amid Trump Review – Santa Fe New Mexican
Rio Grande Del Norte Dragged Into Monument Debate – Taos News
Cattle Growers Push For Monument Elimination – New Mexico Cattle Growers Association