Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation on Friday celebrated the recent introduction of legislation to protect a 107,000-acre expanse of the Caja del Rio plateau. The public lands spanning volcanic fields west of Santa Fe have historical, ecological, spiritual and cultural significance to pueblos, land grant communities and other advocacy groups.
Lead sponsor U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, along with U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, both New Mexico Democrats, said at a news conference held at La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs trailhead the bill ensures protections for “generations to come.”
In addition to backing from Hispano and environmental groups, the legislation is endorsed by the All Pueblo Council of Governors; along with local governments including Santa Fe and Sandoval county commissions, and Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia.
The legislation — identical in the U.S. Senate and House — bans parceling or selling the land; prohibits new roads, mining and construction; protects traditional uses of herb and mineral gathering, hunting and grazing; and will require federal agencies to manage the land collaboratively with area tribes and historic communities. The bill additionally will prevent disclosure of confidential sacred site locations under federal public records laws.
“The Caja del Rio is not acreage on a map. It is a place of memory, of identity, of ceremony, of recreation and refuge. Its future depends on our ability to embrace this shared responsibility, not just for ourselves, but for everyone who will come after us,” Heinrich said.
Heinrich made the announcement framed by the slope of a mesa sprouting craggy volcanic boulders of basalt; the landscape dotted with twisted juniper and dusty blue sage in La Cienaguilla. He was joined by two dozen advocates from pueblos, Hispano, outdoor recreation, ranchers and environmental groups.
Pueblo of Tesuque Gov. Mark Mitchell celebrated the legislation, saying he and other pueblo leaders will “see it through to the end.”
“It’s a living landscape,” Mitchell said about the Caja del Rio. “It holds the history of our ancestors and our ongoing relationship with the land, water, plants, animals that sustain our ceremonies for our people. This is about protecting the landscape, but also the way of life that we continue today.”
The bill does not change “existing uses” in the Caja del Rio, including the construction of a transmission power line project to power Los Alamos National Laboratory, despite overwhelming public opposition.
“We’re very honest that it does not resolve this, but it sets up a collaborative way of addressing it and ensuring all the players are involved…making sure that pueblos, Hispanos and the end users are talking to each other,” Leger Fernández said.
Both Heinrich and Leger Fernández said that the hard work of getting local support and consensus for the bill clears major hurdles for it to move in Congress.
“It’s impossible to get things done in Washington D.C. until it isn’t,” Heinrich said. “When you have community support and your ducks all in a row…we can push those through.”
