U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member on the U.S. Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has issued a warning about the potential sale of public lands in New Mexico if the Republican reconciliation package becomes law.
According to Heinrich, the bill mandates the sale of two to three million acres of public land nationwide, including lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.
“Our public lands hold our shared identity: they are where we gather, fish, hunt and hike. These lands house our collective history, support jobs, and sustain our rural economies,” Heinrich said in a press release. “From the hiking trails near the Sandia Crest to the biking trails of the Monumental Loop to the lands surrounding the Santuario de Chimayo, these places are the anvil on which our identities are forged. We can’t let Republicans take them from us.”
Senator Heinrich criticized the Republican proposal, arguing that it has “nothing to do with affordable housing or lowering costs for families” and is instead an attack on New Mexicans.
“Republicans can’t fool us: their scheme to sell public lands has nothing to do with affordable housing or lowering costs for families. It’s a direct attack on every New Mexican, whether you have an elk tag, a fishing license, a backpack, a tent, a mountain bike, or a soft spot, special memory, or sacred connection to a particular place important to you, your family, and your ancestors,” Heinrich said. ““Now is the time to raise your voices and join our fight to keep public lands in public hands – before we lose these lands forever.”
Heinrich’s office provided the following list, which includes many, but not all, of the places in New Mexico at risk of being sold off if Senate Republicans’ reconciliation bill becomes law:
BERNALILLO COUNTY
- Manzanita Mountains Recreation Zone
- Oak Flat
- Pine Flat
- Tunnel Canyon
- Cedro Trailheads
- Sandia Mountains
- Forest Service Lands East of Sandia Crest
- 10K Trail
CHAVES COUNTY
- BLM Land Surrounding Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge
CIBOLA COUNTY
- Mount Taylor (Except Mines)
- Lobo Canyon
- La Jara Mesa
- Zuni Canyon
- Quartz Hill
DOÑA ANA COUNTY
- BLM Land Northeast of Las Cruces
- Monumental Loop Mountain Biking Route
EDDY COUNTY
- La Cueva Trail System
GRANT COUNTY
- Fort Bayard Trail System
- Little Walnut Trail
- Dragonfly Trail
LINCOLN COUNTY
- Grindstone Canyon Loop Trail
- Ski Run Road
LOS ALAMOS COUNTY
- St. Peter’s Dome Trail
- Forest Service Land and Trails Around Pajarito Ski Area
- Hiking Trails North and East of Los Alamos
LUNA COUNTY
- Little Florida Mountains, via Rockhound State Park
- Florida Mountains Wilderness Study Area
- Access to Cooke’s Peak WSA
MCKINLEY COUNTY
- Quaking Aspen Campground
- Sixmile Canyon
- The Hogback
- Jagged Edge
- Zuni Mountain Trail System
OTERO COUNTY
- Alamo Canyon trail
- Dog Canyon Trail
- Lower Karr Campground
RIO ARRIBA COUNTY
- Sombrillo Area of Critical Environmental Concern
SAN JUAN COUNTY
- Glade Run Recreation Area
SAN MIGUEL COUNTY
- Skyline Trailhead
- Access to Pecos Wilderness
SANDOVAL COUNTY
- Ball Ranch/Espinosa Ridge Area of Critical Environmental Concern
- Placitas Trailhead
- Crest of Montezuma
- Buffalo Tract
- Strip Mine Trailhead
SANTA FE COUNTY
- Lands Between Santuario de Chimayo and Santa Cruz Lake
- Diablo Canyon
- Caja del Rio
- Atalaya Trail
- La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Site
- Borrego Mesa Trailhead and Campground
SIERRA COUNTY
- East Side of Caballo Lake
SOCORRO COUNTY
- The Box Recreation Area
- San Lorenzo Canyon
- Quebradas Backcountry Byway
- Socorro Nature Area
TAOS COUNTY
- Lands Surrounding Historic High Road to Taos
- Recreation Areas on Highway 64 Towards Angel Fire
- Cabresto Lake and Access to the Latir Peak Wilderness
- NMDGF Unit 49 Hunting Area
VALENCIA COUNTY
- Manzano Wilderness Study Area
- Encino Trailhead
- Trigo Canyon Trailhead