ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico Wild Executive Director Mark Allison today released the following statement regarding Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s tour of Chaco Culture National Historical Park with Senator Martin Heinrich:
“We are grateful to Senator Martin Heinrich for inviting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to tour Chaco Culture National Historical Park and for securing his commitment to place a moratorium on new leasing on BLM lands within 10 miles of Chaco for the next year. This affords some critical breathing room to get the best result possible in BLM’s Resource Management Plan and to advance permanent protections through passage of the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act. Secretary Bernhardt’s visit and commitment are a welcome step and we thank Senator Heinrich for his leadership creating this opportunity.”
###
ABOUT THE NEW MEXICO WILDERNESS ALLIANCE: The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance or “New Mexico Wild” is a non-profit 501 (C)(3), independent, homegrown, grassroots, conservation organization dedicated to the protection, restoration and continued respect of New Mexico’s wildlands and Wilderness areas. With staff and thousands of supporters throughout the state, New Mexico Wild is dedicated to the rights and the value of citizen involvement in protecting increasingly rare wild places within public lands. Just as freedom is every American’s birthright so too is Wilderness.
