Call of the Wild The Newsletter of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance Vol. VI No. 1 Spring 2002 Honoring Wilderness Heroes Otero Mesa - New Mexicos Endangered Grassland New Mexico Wilderness Alliance Spring 2002 1 New Mexico A Note from the Director Wilderness Alliance Main Office 2001The Year in Review 505/843-8696 fax 505/843-8697 n the Wilderness-protection business, victories are Congress Supports Roadless Policy [email protected] www.nmwild.org too few and much too far between. We often have Although the Bush administration has put the brakes to look deep to gauge our progress. In looking back on implementation of the policy, our sharp work with P.O. Box 25464 over the past year, I am blown away to see our list of the papers and your letters of support brought both Albuquerque, NM 87125 Iaccomplishments. Its true that ours is a long-term Congressman Udall and Senator Bingaman out to 202 Central Avenue, SE Suite 101 effort, but it is important that we celebrate our progress support the policy in Congress. Albuquerque, NM 87102 as it comes. Thank you for being committed for the long haul. With your continued support and our Las Cruces Field Office continued progress, comprehensive protection for New Mexico Wilderness Goes Prime Time our proposed Wilderness areas is on the horizon. Through a special grant from the Pew Wilderness 101 N. Alameda #8G Center, we produced and aired television ads aimed Las Cruces, NM 88005 at dispelling the myths that Wilderness areas were 505/527-9962 Forest Roadless Policy Editorial Support off-limits to people. Over the course of the four- In January 2001, and again a number of times month run in the Fall, hits on our web site went up Mission Statement throughout the Spring, at our urging, the Albuquerque over 500% to more than 5,000/month, and it seemed The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance is Journal editorialized in favor of the National Forest like every person we met had seen the ad. dedicated to the protection, restoration, and Roadless Policythe policy that was set to protect continued enjoyment of New Mexicos wild lands 1.2 million acres of wild forests here in New Mexico and Wildernes areas. and more than 58 million nationwide. Wilderness Protection Program Takes Off Since hiring our staff attorney Mike Robinson, our NMWA Staff ability to provide interim protection for our proposed Tisha Broska, Membership Coordinator Ridin for Roadless Sweeps New Mexico Wilderness areas has greatly increased. Although still Steve Capra, Communications Coordinator Over the summer months, we sponsored volunteer in play, the Alliance has been involved in two lawsuits Garrick Delzell, Grassroots Outreach Brett Myrick who pedaled his bike throughout the state to actually help the agencies protect existing and Coordinator to educate local communities and media outlets about proposed Wilderness areas. Greg Magee, Southern Field Coordinator the importance of protecting our wild forests. His Roxanne Pacheco, Bookkeeper Michael Robinson, Wilderness Protection Ridin for Roadless tour generated hundreds of letters of support for the policy statewide and got the issue in Otero Mesa Campaign Gets National Attention Coordinator Similarly, the effort to protect Otero Mesa is becom- Sean Saville, Grassroots Organizer nearly every newspaper and radio station in the state! ing a national issue, with mentions in the LA Times, Jim Scanlon, Grassroots Organizer s Michael Scialdone, Northern Field Coordinator Rolling Stone Magazine, and national reports from Edward Sullivan, Executive Director The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club and Defenders of Kathy Wimmer, Development Assistant Wildlife. After assembling a diverse local coalition to All fight to protect the area in the Fall, the Alliance has Board of Directors Table of Contents worked to educate our Congressional delegation Randall Gray, Chair Lake Valley, NM and the general public about the importance of this Wilderness Updates 3 Todd Schulke, V. Chair Silver City, NM Serengeti of the West. Dave Parsons, Treasurer Albuquerque, NM Oil & Gas Industry Closes in on Otero Mesa Nancy Morton, Secretary Albuquerque, NM Wilderness Spotlight 4 BLM Wilderness Inventory Completed Jim Baca Albuquerque, NM Alamo Hueco WSA Thanks to the thousands of hours of time in the field Greta Balderrama Carlsbad, NM Coalition for NM Wilderness New Members Pam Eaton Denver, CO logged by our dedicated volunteers, we were able to Dave Foreman Albuquerque, NM Perspectives 5 inventory more than five million acres of BLM land Bob Howard Santa Fe, NM Nature Calls Us Home over the past three yearsyes, 5,000,000 acres. Of Wes Leonard El Paso, TX Settle Sandia Land Claim that, we are currently reviewing almost 3.5 million Arian Pregenzer Albuquerque, NM acres for Wilderness potential (see page 6). Bob Tafanelli Las Cruces, NM Inventory Update 6 s Steve West Carlsbad, NM BLM Inventory Is Complete Wild Science 7 Cabezon Campaign Overcoming Local Opposition Newsletter Restoring the Wild in the Wilderness With the roll-out of the Cabezon campaign, more Tisha Broska, Managing Editor than 100 volunteers came out to help us gather peti- Feature 8-9 Marty Peale, Editor, Design & Layout tion signatures, get letters written on behalf of the Honoring Our Wilderness Heroes: proposal, and generally bring more folks into the tent The Artists: Cover photo by S. Capra (edited by L.M. Bob Langsenkamp, La Donna Kutz, of Wilderness protection. Through their work, we Ambrose, Desert Dolphin); p. 3 photos by S. Capra; Jay Sorenson and Edward Abbey p. 4 photos by J. Walton; p. 5 cartoon by J. Jonik and gathered more than 2,000 letters and signatures. Wilderness News 10 r- Quail by N. Moore-Craig; p. 7 Bighorn drawing by We continue to work to inform and involve members N. Moore-Craig and photo by J. Klingel; p. 8 photo of Udalls Constituents for Wilderness of the local ranching community and to dispel local Bob and Jay by D. Foreman, of La Donna by J Kutz; p. Homeland Security Is About Our Land misunderstandings about Wilderness protection. 9 drawing by J. Knighton; p. 10 lizard by V. Cohen; p. Cabezon Campaign Grows 11 photo by L. Colwell and Marten drawing by E. Can- NM Senators & Representatives Scorecard tor; p. 12 Pronhorn by E. Cantor and Piñon by E. Can- Las Cruces Field Office Opens Flora and Fauna 11 ard tor; p. 13 photo by G. Balderrama and Cottonwood Finally, the opening of our new Las Cruces field drawing by E. Cantor; p. 15 photo of Greta by L. Irby, The Threatened American Marten office caused many of our southern members to jump Scrubland Vegetation of Bob by E. Sullivan, of Kathy by S. Saville; p. 16 D.G. for joy. A full-time staff presence in the South has Quintet photo by J. Chase. Get Involved 12 dramatically increased volunteerism in the area, giving many of our previously orphan proposed Gettin Out There 13 Wilderness Wilderness areas new adopters. The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the Finding the Wild in My Own Backyard Finlands Wilderness Protects the Sami National Wilderness Preservation System to preserve n sum, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance has the last remaining wild lands in America. The Book Reviews 14 been working hard this last year to build upon our Wilderness Act, as federal policy, secures an enduring Edward AbbeyTwo Ways In resource of wilderness for the people. Wilderness is Isuccess of the past. Wilderness protection is a long- Frank Craighead Moves On defined as an area that has primarily been affected by term commitment. Through our continued dedication the forces of nature with the imprint of humans Staff/Volunteer Profiles 15 and success, permanent protection for our endangered substantially unnoticeable. It is an area that offers Welcome Two New Board Members canyons, deserts and mesas will be a question not of outstanding opportunity for solitude or a primitive or Calendar of Events ifbut when. unconfined type of recreation, and an area that New Development Assistant Thank you for your continued support and contains ecological, geological, or other features of involvement. scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value. For the Wild, Printed on Recycled Paper Edward Sullivan, Executive Director 2 Spring 2002 New Mexico Wilderness Alliance Oil and Gas Industry Closes in Wildernesson Otero Mesa UpdatesArea New Mexicos Wildest Grassland ocated in the south-central portion While reclamation of the drilled about the potential of New Mexico on the Texas areas is supposed to be a component, impacts. In nearby border lies one of the wildest parts the BLM has no real standards or scien- Carlsbad, one such person of our state. Just look on a road map tific data to predict how successful rec- is Roy Dearing. Least of the Macgregor Range, and you lamation may be in this dry and grazed For 40 years, Roy worked will find the largest empty spot on the landscape. The reality is that industry as a roughneck in the oil New Mexico state map. In this blank will do as it has in the Carlsbad area and gas industry, enjoying spot are the rolling hills, mountains and plow the ground, drop seed and move his free time hunting in the grassland flats that comprise the Greater on to its next 5%. nearby Guadalupe and Otero Mesa Area. If this plan were to proceed, Otero Sacramento Mountains. For the New Mexico Wilderness Mesa could become a landscape Now retired, Roy woke up Alliance, this wild part of New Mexico dramatically fragmented by roads, several years ago to the has come to symbolize the heart and pipelines, power lines and toxic-waste sounds of Duke Energy soul of what our organization is based holding ponds. In the recently com- installing a 1,200 horse- onthe protection of our states pleted 2002 state legislative session, power natural gas com- remaining wildlands and the modern there was even a proposal to build a pressor 500 feet from his day threat to their integrity that the oil power plant at taxpayers expense on front door.