Friday, March 22, 2013

A Monument

The pending designation of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is a wonderful addition to our Land of Enchantment's protected landscapes.  The 240,000 acre designation is the result of the hard work of many organizations and funders in New Mexico.  Thanks to former Senator Jeff Bingaman.  Martin Heinrich did some hard work on this too prior to being elected to the Senate.  Governor Bill Richardson heavily supported it from the beginning.  The Wilderness Society, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and many other groups worked diligently on this and in a very smart and political way.

This is a magnificent area north and west of Taos.  It includes the Rio Grande Gorge.  Its preservation is a gift to future generations.

2 comments:

Donald F. Schiff said...

Is this a presidential action under the Antiquities Act, or will it require an Act of Congress?

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to them indeed.

I'm just surprised when something like this happens. I always have the feeling all the remaining land has been snatched up by greedy developers. This is the kind of thing you think of Teddy Roosevelt doing so it's pretty amazing when it does happen.

Maybe we can get Jeff Bingaman to coach the Lobos basketball team.