The Bureau of Land Management is proposing to protect 4,213 acres within the Placitas area from new mining claims and mineral activity. BLM wants the public to give their feedback on the environmental assessment of the proposal, which officials say is intended to conserve sacred Tribal land, boost important local recreation opportunities and support wildlife habitat connectivity.
The Pueblos of San Felipe and Santa Ana have long sought protections for the Placitas area, which they consider ancestral and sacred lands. The site contains significant cultural ties to neighboring Pueblos. BLM says the proposal will help protect, preserve, and promote the scenic integrity, cultural significance, recreational values and ecosystem in the area.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep Melanie Stansbury introduced the Buffalo Tract Protection Act last fall to withdraw four parcels of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in southern Sandoval County, including the Buffalo Tract and the Crest of Montezuma, from any mineral development, including gravel mining. U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján and U.S. Reps Teresa Leger Fernández and Jared Huffman are original cosponsors.
BLM held a 90-day public comment period to accept input from interested parties and affected stakeholders. The agency says that comments received during that period have been considered, and, when appropriate, will be incorporated into the BLM’s draft environmental assessment for the withdrawal.
This new public comment period on the environmental assessment is intended to ensure BLM considers all important resources and issues involved.
“These public lands hold cultural and natural importance to Tribal Nations and the local community who value this area for the benefit of future generations,” said BLM New Mexico’s Albuquerque District Manager Sabrina Flores. “We look forward to receiving the public’s feedback regarding the analysis of the proposed withdrawal.”
The proposed protections would prevent location and entry under United States mining laws; leasing under the mineral leasing laws, and disposal under mineral materials disposal laws, subject to valid existing rights, for up to 50 years.
Comments can be submitted by selecting the “Participate Now” option at the BLM National NEPA Register website https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2026585/595/8020179/comment
until March 15.