New Mexico Wilderness Alliance* The Wilderness Society*
Southwest Environmental Center* New Mexico Wildlife Federation*
National Wildlife Federation* Sierra Club* The Audubon Society*
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership* Restoring Eden*
Environment New Mexico* Apache Advocates for Otero Mesa*

Otero Mesa Targeted by Mining Industry

Hardrock mining considered the “highest and best use” for public lands regardless of impacts on watersheds, wildlife, landscapes or local communities

For nearly a decade, the Coalition for Otero Mesa has worked to safeguard the fragile grasslands, abundant wildlife, and freshwater resources of Otero Mesa from full-scale
oil and gas drilling. Now, a new and more volatile threat has emerged for America’s
largest and wildest grassland – hardrock mining.

During the months of October and November 2010, over 50 new mining claims were
staked in the heart of the Otero Mesa region, by Geovic Mining Corp, based in Denver,
Colorado, and also majority owner of the largest cobalt-producing operation in the
world, based in Cameroon, Africa. The company is seeking to mine for cobalt nickel
magnesium, and has staked claim to a surface area equal to 2,178 football fields.
This type of hardrock mining operation could significantly alter the landscape and have
serious impacts on wildlife habitat, soil composition and underground aquifers in Otero
Mesa.

“Without the permanent protection that it deserves, Otero Mesa is always going to
be one drill bit, one mine shaft, or one spill away from being lost to us,” said Nathan
Newcomer, Associate Director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. “This new
threat of hardrock mining in Otero Mesa, underscores the urgency of providing
permanent protection for this wild and beautiful grassland.”

Hardrock mining on public lands is governed today by the General Mining Act of 1872
– a law that has changed little since it was first signed by President Ulysses S. Grant to
encourage development of the West. Under this Civil War era statute, hardrock mining
is considered the “highest and best use” for public lands, regardless of the impact on

watersheds, wildlife, landscapes or local communities.

“Hardrock mining is a significant cause of water contamination across the West and
New Mexico,” said State Senator Steve Fischmann. “In 1979, 94 million gallons of
radioactive, acidic mine tailings spilled into the Rio Puerco. Thirty years later, the
impacts of that spill still linger. At the very least we must protect habitat and minimize
pollution risks to the Salt Basin Aquifer from hardrock mining activities.”

Otero Mesa is an ecologically rich area home to 1,000 native wildlife species, including
mule deer, mountain lion, black-tailed prairie dogs, golden and bald eagles, over 200
species of migratory songbirds, and boasts the state’s healthiest and only genetically
pure herd of pronghorn antelope. Otero Mesa sits above the Salt Basin Aquifer, which
is suspected to be the largest, untapped, fresh water aquifer left in the state of New
Mexico. The area also has a long history of cultural use and significance, which
includes the estimated 20,000 petroglyphs on Alamo Mountain, historic ruins of the
Butterfield Overland Stagecoach, and numerous archeological sites.

Speaking on behalf of the Apache Advocates for Otero Mesa, Ted Rodriguez said, “To
us Apaches, Otero Mesa is sacred. It holds a very special place in our history and must
be treated as a Holy site, not a mining site. It deserves no less than national monument
status.” Mr. Rodriguez is also the Headman of the Mescalero Apache Traditional Elders
Council.

Protection for Otero Mesa enjoys broad support locally and nationally. Former New
Mexico Governor Bill Richardson previously proposed a more than 600,000-acre
National Conservation Area and has called on the BLM to conduct a new inventory of
the area’s wilderness potential. Resolutions of support have come from the cities of Las
Cruces and El Paso, Dona Ana County, and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribe. Permanent
protection has also been endorsed by former Lt. Governor Diane Denish, former State
Secretary of Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Joanna Prukop, and many state
representatives, state senators, county commissioners, city councilors, archaeological
societies, religious leaders, and local residents. Furthermore, Governor Bill Richardson
asked the Obama administration to designate the area a national monument before
leaving office.

“Sportsmen and their families have a long legacy of using Otero Mesa and every acre
we lose to development, of any kind, robs us of passing on that legacy,” said John
Cornell of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. “The long term values of its cultural,
recreational, hunting, and ranching and water resources far outweigh any short term
benefits of mining.”

For more information on the values of Otero Mesa and efforts to ensure its protection
for future generations, visit www.oteromesa.org

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Secretary Salazar Establishes New Directorate For National Landscape Conservation System

Elevated management focus for 27 million acres of nationally significant public lands

LAS VEGAS, NV – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today issued a Secretarial Order elevating the Office of the National Landscape Conservation System and Community Partnerships in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to the level of a directorate within BLM.

“This action reflects the growing importance of the 27-million acre National Landscape Conservation System to local economies, to the health of communities, and to the conservation of some of America’s greatest landscapes,” Salazar said at the National Landscape Conservation System Summit in Las Vegas. “The BLM plays a special role in protecting America’s great outdoors for the benefit of all Americans – for it is the national conservation lands that contain the forests and canyons that families love to explore, the backcountry where children learn to hunt and fish, and the places that tell the story of our history and our cultures. Each of these places within the National Landscape Conservation System holds special meaning to the American people and is an engine for jobs and economic growth in local communities.”

This National Landscape Conservation System was established as an integral part of the Bureau of Land Management by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, a bipartisan initiative that responded to the critical need, as the population of the West increases, to conserve open spaces that are a unique part of America’s heritage. As an integral part of the BLM’s multiple-use mission, conservation is a long-term investment that provides quality of life and economic benefits for current and future generations.

The system contains many of our Nation’s most treasured landscapes, including scientific, historic and cultural resources, wilderness and wilderness study areas, wild and scenic rivers, national monuments, national conservation areas, and scenic and historic trails, among others.

These lands are managed as an integral part of the larger landscape, in collaboration with the neighboring landowners and surrounding communities. The management objectives are to maintain biodiversity and promote ecological connectivity and resilience in the face of climate change. When consistent with the values for which they were designated, lands in the system may allow appropriate multiple uses, such as grazing, energy development and tourism.

Managers of the system recognize the importance of a diversity of viewpoints when considering management options. These nationally important landscapes are managed from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing upon the expertise of specialists throughout the BLM, and in coordination with the tribes, other Federal, state, and local government agencies, interested local landowners, adjacent communities, and other public and private interests.

The directorate will be called the National Landscape Conservation System and Community Partnerships. The Assistant Secretary – Land and Minerals Management is responsible for ensuring implementation of this Order within 120 days. This responsibility may be delegated, as appropriate.

The signing of the Secretarial Order followed Salazar’s remarks to a summit of the National Landscape Conservation System, attended by several hundred BLM officials and employees as well as non-government stakeholders and state and local representatives.

The Secretarial Order is available HERE.

The Secretary’s remarks are available HERE.

New Mexico Wilderness Alliance Awards First Conservation Wolf Stamp Grant to Conservationist Elke Duerr of Wild Wolf Film

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA) is excited to announce that it has awarded its first-ever Conservation Wolf Stamp Grant to film maker and conservationist Elke Duerr for her Wild Wolf Film project.

The grant of $2,500 supports Ms. Duerr’s Wild Wolf Film, a multi-year outreach effort educating the public on Mexican Gray Wolf reintroduction, and “advancing the coexistence of wilderness and civilization.”

“Ms. Duerr has shown the heart and passion needed by us all if we are to save this magnificent creature,” said NMWA Executive Director Stephen Capra. “The present political climate only amplifies the need for people like Elke to help spread the word on the value of protecting species like the Mexican wolf to maintain a healthy ecosystem.”

Upon receiving the award, Duerr commented: “Thank you to the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance for acknowledging my efforts to aid in the recovery of the Mexican Gray Wolves by awarding me a grant. It is my heart’s desire to create awareness for the interconnectedness and beauty of all life on this planet and to help implement creative solutions to a healthy coexistence between wolves and humans. We all belong in the web of life.”

The grant is the first to be awarded from NMWA’s Conservation Wolf Stamp Fund, generated from the sale of NMWA’s first-ever Conservation Wolf Stamp. NMWA’s Conservation Wolf Stamp is similar to the Duck Stamp sold by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, except no hunting is related to the sale of the Wolf Stamp. All proceeds go into the Conservation Wolf Stamp Fund, administered by NMWA and distributed directly to projects and organizations working for Mexican Gray Wolf recovery.

NMWA will award further grants to worthy projects in the coming months, and looks forward to releasing a new Wolf Stamp for sale each year to support the Conservation Wolf Stamp Fund. To learn more about the Conservation Wolf Stamp, visit the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance website.

Read about Elke Duerr’s Wild Wolf Film project on the artist’s website, http://www.wildwolffilm.com/