Ranchers in Rio Arriba County are skeptical of a pending federal bill that would create a combination of wilderness and conservation areas totaling 235,980 acres in Rio Arriba and Taos counties. The measure was introduced April 23 by United States Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and is being cosponsored by Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM). If it passes, the majority of the public land in question — over 214,000 acres — would be managed as a conservation area for the protection of elk, peregrine falcons, bald eagles and other species.
The more restricted wilderness areas would include the Cerro del Yuta area of 13,420 acres in Taos County and the 8,000-acre Rio San Antonio area, northwest of San Antonio Mountain, in Rio Arriba County.
Much of the land is now managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and part of it is already included in the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River area.
Bingaman’s release states that because of local input, earlier drafts of the bill were revised to specifically permit the collection of piñon nuts and firewood within the conservation area. In addition, existing grazing would be preserved consistent with current management practices.
But many in Rio Arriba aren’t buying it. County Commissioner Felipe Martinez said support for the bill is less than unanimous.
“People have expressed to me that they don’t want to see another wilderness or conservation area created,” Martinez said. “Although they state grazing will continue, what I hear from some of the stockmen is that these designations extinguish some of those uses.”
Carlos Salazar, president of the Northern New Mexico Stockman’s Association, questioned the need for wilderness areas.
“Why do we want wilderness?,” Salazar said. “What’s wrong with the way it is now?”
Salazar said contrary to official assertions, legislators did not listen to the local community.
“Bingaman and Udall not once were at any of the meetings, they sent their staff,” Salazar said. “They refused to hear the truth. We were adamantly opposed to it.”
Bingaman spokeswoman Jude McCartin said there was enthusiastic support for the bill among many groups. When asked Monday for more detailed information, McCartin said she could provide a list of supporters. The list was not provided by deadline on Monday night.
“They want us off the land,” Salazar said. “They have to close access before they can designate it a wilderness area. They want to close two major roads and that would make it hard for ranchers to check on their cattle.”
County Commissioner Alfredo Montoya, a member of the New Mexico State Game Commission, said he has mixed feelings about the bill.
“On the positive side, it’s a good thing to protect areas that are sensitive to overexposure,” Montoya said. “The flip side is stockmen are against it, and there’s concern that there is already too much public land and that limits economic development.”
Carl Smith, who grazes cattle and lives at No Agua, north of Tres Piedras, said designating an area as wilderness may actually increase pressure on the land and wildlife. He cites as an example the nearby Cruces Basin Wilderness, created in 1980.
“Before it became a wilderness area, the Cruces Basin was kind of out of the way and untouched,” Smith said. “Since it became a wilderness area, there’s been a huge increase in public use. By making them wilderness areas, you’d see a lot more public use that would probably be detrimental.”
Smith said despite repeated promises, stockmen have seen what actually happens to grazing practices when land comes under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
“It’s been our experience that grazers would lose,” Smith said. “We were opposed to the conservation area.”
According to Martinez, there is a deep mistrust of government among some locals, who feel that there will be more control over traditional uses, rather than the protection of them.
“The land is already available for traditional uses,” Martinez said. “Some of those traditional uses would be taken away.”
Rudy Pacheco, of Taos, who ranches and grazes cattle in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado, said the government makes promises it doesn’t keep.
“Look at what happened to the Valles Caldera,” he said. “It was supposed to remain a working ranch so that local stockmen could continue to use it, but that never happened. Even though they say it’s not going to change, it ends up being a rotten apple for locals.”
This story required a correction: The article incorrectly stated that “No list had been provided as of Tuesday afternoon.” A list of supporters of a bill introduced April 23 by United States Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and cosponsored by Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) had actually been sent that Tuesday morning but after deadline.