New Mexico Wild is celebrating the reintroduction of legislation to establish the approximately 13,000-acre Cerro de la Olla Wilderness within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
Introduced on March 2nd, 2023, the legislation is sponsored by Senator Martin Heinrich Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez. Senator Ben Ray Luján and Representative Melanie Stansbury are original cosponsors.
Senator Heinrich first introduced the legislation in 2020 with then-U.S. Senator Tom Udall. Representative Leger Fernández began leading the House version in 2021. Senator Heinrich advanced the Senate version out of committee in 2022.
If passed, this new wilderness area would “preserve traditional uses and provide sanctuary to a wide range of wildlife species, while maintaining current access routes.”
“From discovered prehistoric artifacts, we know that humans have visited and used Cerro de la Olla for thousands of years. Today, New Mexicans and others visit this rugged mountain to enjoy solitude and expansive vistas, to recreate, and to appreciate its natural splendor. This bill recognizes the importance of saving this special place for tomorrow’s visitors, human and wildlife alike, that they may have the same opportunities that we are fortunate enough to have today. Senator Heinrich knows the value of ‘Pot Mountain’ personally, and so do we. We thank Sen. Heinrich, Rep. Leger Fernández, Sen. Luján and Rep. Stansbury for their continued foresight,” said Mark Allison, Executive Director of New Mexico Wild.
Read the full press release here.
