www.nmwild.org OJITO he story of Ojito is a long and circu- T itous one. Today the area is on the brink of becoming the first newly desig- nated wilderness area in New Mexico in eighteen years. The legislation that will accomplish this feat results from bipar- tisanship cooperation, locally-endorsed conservation, the efforts of numerous environmental organizations, and native groups like the Pueblo of Zia who value the Ojito area’s wildlife, rangelands, and religious sites. If this bill succeeds, it will be the result of years of effort, scores of dedicated advocates, and the kind of local organizing that put all of the stake- holders at the table from the beginning. From Wildlands to WILDERNESS The Ojito Wilderness Act was recently passed by the Senate and is waiting to be scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives. From there it will move on to the President’s desk for his signa- ture. If all goes well, the Ojito Wilderness Act could be law as early as October of this year. But how did we get here? The effort to protect Ojito emphasizes the importance of collaborative teamwork to unite very different people for a common and posi- tive goal. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pat Lyons: looked for potential wilderness areas a closer look at New Mexico’s among their land holdings in the state of New Mexico. Ojito was an attractive Land Commissioner piece of land from the beginning due to its unscarred landscape and diverse plant Purchase this beautiful Michelle Chrisman painting and benefit NMWA—see back cover. see WILDLANDS, pg. 12 s t e p h e n c a p r a • e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r Notes from the Executive Director It has been a long wait- 18 years to be exact. But we are perhaps weeks away from making Ojito into New Mexico’s newest wilderness area. This beautiful spot (about an hour northwest of Albuquerque,) will soon become part of the great wilderness tradition, born in New Mexico, that has been a symbol of the importance of land and wildlife to our spirit and sanity. Despite the tough political climate for envi- ronmental issues, this bill was produced in a strong bi-partisan manner and will hopefully open the door to more wilderness in the coming years! Spe- cial thanks need to go to Tribal Administrator Peter Representative Heather Wilson recently toured the Pino and the people of Zia Pueblo, Dave Mielke, Mely- Valle Vidal for a day of hiking. The event was terrific for ssa Watson, Martin Heinrich, Arturo Sandoval and the all involved, including her children, Joshua and Caitlin, staff’s of our congressional delegation who have put and she clearly enjoyed her time hiking near McCrys- countless hours into making this bill a reality. tal Creek. Wilson hiked for about 2 hours taking in the vistas, asking about wildlife and plants and getting a In the past month, Senator Bingaman made a very better understanding of what oil and gas development positive move in the effort to protect Otero Mesa by would look like in this beautiful and wildlife-filled land- asking the United States Geological Survey to conduct scape. It seemed clear that the Congresswoman was a study of the aquifer underneath the mesa. Such a impressed with what she saw and her children were study will likely show a vast amount of fresh water that animated as they crossed streams, collected washed is vulnerable to contamination from oil and gas devel- out elk jaws in an open meadow, and took photos of opment. A USGS study is as conclusive as it comes the many blooming wild flowers. It was indeed a very and will hopefully bolster our efforts to keep this wild good day. grassland protected. It’s a positive first step and we should all thank the Senator for his efforts. After enjoying a great time with Congresswoman Wilson, we returned to Valle Vidal the next weekend to greet Governor Richardson who made an important announcement concerning Valle Vidal. The Governor announced that the state was proposing designating the waters of the Valle Vidal “Outstanding National Resource Waters” to protect the watershed and water 4 White Mountain Wilderness quality of the area. It would not stop development 5 Holding on to Wildness but would create serious barriers to coalbed methane 6 Offroad Vehicle Update development. The Governor spoke strongly of the 7 Otero Mesa Update need to protect Valle Vidal. Here in New Mexico we are fortunate to have such a strong and determined 8 The Roadless Debacle conservationist as our Governor; a politician willing to 9 Update: the Valle Vidal take tough stands on the environment, demand jus- 10 Upcoming Events tice for wildlife and common sense when it comes to 11 NEPA Puts People Before Polluters energy development. Thank you once again Governor 14 NMWA Sponsors Richardson. 16 Land Commissioner Pat Lyons Though I’d love to continue on with the good news, 18 Hike! the truth is that our public lands are under attack. In 19 People in Wilderness this issue we report on several of the challenges we face and how they could impact our wild landscapes 20 Bringing Back the Jaguar forever. We must continue to hold the line against the 20 NMWA Helping Schools Understand “Oil and Gas Revolution” and protect what is left of our new mexico 21 Letters to NMWA wildest public lands. Our voice remains our power! We 22 Get Involved proudly continue to work for wilderness everyday and we thank all of our 4,200 members for their support 23 Government Contacts, Membership Form and for working with us to protect New Mexico’s wild- WILD! 24 NMWA Products life and wildest public lands. SPRING 2005 New Mexico WILD! Page 3 New Energy Bill Offers a Great Mix of Corporate Welfare and Renewable Starvation by Stephen Capra American cars more fuel effi- Main Office 505/843-8696 • fax 505/843-8697 cient in this bill or give real [email protected] • www.nmwild.org years of incentives for conservation. P.O. Box 25464 After the Bush There was lots of talk about Albuquerque, NM 87125 Administration pushing for a a future hydrogen economy, Las Cruces Field Office 275 N. Downtown Mall new energy bill, they were but what was ignored was Las Cruces, NM 88001 able to successfully pull it that current technology 505/527-9962 off just before the August allows for plug-in versions of Mission Statement Congressional recess. What hybrid cars (like the Toyota Prius) that, once modified, The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance is many did not expect was dedicated to the protection, restoration, that our entire New Mexico can achieve up to 250 miles and continued enjoyment of New Mexico’s Congressional Delegation per gallon. But Congress did wildlands and Wilderness areas. see wisdom in putting about would support the multi-bil- NMWA Staff lion dollar giveaway to the 90% of alternative energy Las Cruces Office GOP’s staunchest corporate spending into nuclear, rather Jeff Steinborn, Southern NM Director supporters. The bill gives bil- than wind or solar power, Alberto Zavala, Grassroots Organizer even though today wind Albuquerque Office lions to some of our nation’s Tisha Broska, Membership Coordinator wealthiest corporations - the energy comes cheaper than Stephen Capra, Executive Director oil and gas industry. These nuclear and is also free of Tripp Killin, Associate Director that messy storage and ter- Nathan Newcomer, Grassroots Organizer companies are currently Roxanne Pacheco, Finance Manager enjoying record profits. In rorist problem. Michael Scialdone, Director of Wilderness fact, they are having trouble Protection Democrats deserve as Trisha London, Membership & Grassroots spending all their money. much scorn as Republicans Assistant The numbers for the second when it comes to the energy Board of Directors quarter this year show bill. While they offered some Exxon-Mobil enjoying a 32% Wes Leonard, El Paso, TX (Chair) solid amendments (that Bob Howard, Santa Fe, NM (V.Chair) increase in earnings over this were mostly voted down), Tom Mouck, Albuquerque, NM (Treasurer) time last year. That translates Kathy Love, Albuquerque, NM (Secretary) their strategy seemed more Pam Eaton, Denver, CO into $7.6 billion dollars. BP geared at not being viewed Dave Foreman, Albuquerque, NM enjoyed a 38% increase, Todd Hotchkiss, Albuquerque, NM as obstructionists and taking Greg Kroll, El Rito, NM while ConocoPhillips enjoyed a slice of the pie, rather than Carlos Provencio, Bayard, NM a whopping 56% increase in Melissa Savage, Santa Fe, NM stopping a bad bill. Todd Schulke, Silver City, NM profits. But for consum- William Stone, Albuquerque, NM ers the price at the pump By promoting more drilling, we accept a Bob Tafanelli, Las Cruces, NM For some time now the Bush Adminis- Rick Wiedenmann, Carlsbad, NM has risen 36% in the last 12 months. net loss of species, and thus diversity. tration has said that we can have a clean Newsletter Staff By comparison, college tuition has risen Our connection to the land is increasingly environment and develop our domestic more industrial rather than respectful. Tisha Broska, Managing Editor 11% and health care 41% over the past oil and gas reserves. Since the passing of Joe Adair, Design Editor three years respectively. It’s not just gas at That we are therefore experiencing a tre- the energy bill, the rhetoric has changed. James Broska, Contributing Editor mendous outpouring of violence should the pump; energy prices are affecting the Now they are telling us “people in the The Artists surprise no one.