FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2025
Contacts:
Keegan King, keegan@native-lands.org, 505-910-0712
Paul Reed, preed@archaeologysouthwest.org, 505-486-4107
Sally Paez, sally@nmwild.org, 505-350-0664
Emily Denny, edenny@tws.org, 707-407-6840
Mary Jo Brooks, brooksm@nwf.org, 303-5498351
New Mexicans Applaud the Reintroduction of Legislation to Protect Public Lands Surrounding Chaco Canyon
Indigenous communities, conservationists, preservationists, and other stakeholders in New Mexico urge Congress to pass important bill
(Santa Fe, NM) – New Mexicans are applauding the reintroduction of the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, supported by the entire New Mexico delegation – Senators Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich and Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández, Melanie Stansbury, and Gabe Vasquez. The legislation will permanently protect federal public lands within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park from new oil and gas leasing. Originally introduced and passed with bipartisan support by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019, the legislation would protect nearly 339,000 acres of federal public lands, containing thousands of significant cultural properties and sites. The land that is being considered for withdrawal from future leasing does not include any private lands or Tribal allotments; is historically, spiritually, and ecologically significant to numerous Tribes in the Southwest; and its protection is critical.
The reintroduction comes at a critical time when representatives outside of New Mexico are attempting to reverse the historic 20-year administrative mineral withdrawal of federal lands and minerals surrounding Chaco Canyon from future oil and gas leasing, for which the Bureau of Land Management received over 80,000 public comments in support. Today’s reintroduction further demonstrates the growing momentum behind lasting protections for this significant landscape.
The Greater Chaco Landscape includes Chaco Culture National Historical Park and dozens of ancient villages, roads, and shrines that were built by the ancestors of the Pueblos and other Indigenous Nations which emerged and flourished in Chaco Canyon between 850 and 1250 A.D. Chaco Canyon has also been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on its importance as a center of trade, political activity, and ceremony, as well as its monumental buildings and distinctive architecture. The culture and heritage of the Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest are inextricably linked to lasting protections for the Greater Chaco Landscape.
Over the years, drilling has caused significant harm to the health of Indigenous and other local communities, air quality, and cultural values in the landscape surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Oil and gas wells, roads, pipelines, and other infrastructure have destroyed significant cultural sites and transformed others into industrial parks. To allow more drilling in this area would completely disregard the calls from the Pueblos, Tribes, and other communities who share a deep connection to Chaco Canyon.
New Mexicans from across the state are joining the All Pueblo Council of Governors and others who have advocated for protection of the greater Chaco Canyon landscape to celebrate the reintroduction of the proposed legislation. Passage of the bill would ensure the permanent protection of roughly 339,000 acres of public lands surrounding the park, which contain thousands of archaeological and cultural sites, and would also help protect local communities from the impacts of additional drilling.
Below are several statements supporting increased protections for the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act.
“The Greater Chaco Landscape is a living cultural site that is central to the history of Pueblo people. It is a place of prayer, ceremony, and connection that continues to sustain our people and the world around us,” said Keegan King, Executive Director of Native Lands Institute. “Permanent protection through the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act is not only the right decision, it is an act of deep respect and responsibility. We thank New Mexico’s delegation for standing with Tribal Nations and future generations of New Mexicans.”
“Our Pueblo communities have long advocated for permanent protections of the Greater Chaco landscape. The codification of a buffer zone is only the first of many meaningful steps towards ensuring that Chaco Canyon’s Pueblo descendants continue living in harmony with this living cultural landscape. The attacks on the Greater Chaco landscape can exacerbate under the current political climate so we witness rescindment of environmental justice for minority populations under the second Trump administration. This is a meaningful step to build momentum for strong landscape protections in the future. Pueblo Action Alliance remains committed to working against the violent legacy of extraction as environmental justice initiatives continue to be impacted.” Julia Bernal, Executive Director, Pueblo Action Alliance
“We at Archaeology Southwest are gratified that Senators Luján and Heinrich, and Representatives Leger Fernández, Stansbury, and Vasquez, are once again going to bat for all New Mexicans by reintroducing the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act,” said Paul F. Reed, New Mexico State Director and Preservation Archaeologist for Archaeology Southwest. “Protection for the fragile Indigenous landscapes and sacred sites of Greater Chaco cannot wait a minute longer.”
“New Mexico Wild stands united with Pueblo leadership in calling upon our elected officials to seize this moment and pass legislation that will forever safeguard the Greater Chaco Landscape. This action is crucial to protect its cultural heritage, ecological importance, and sacred sites, many of which lie outside the Park’s boundaries, where oil and gas development threatens to destroy artifacts, history, wildlands, habitat, and dark skies,” said Mark Allison, Executive Director of New Mexico Wild. “Furthermore, prohibiting new leasing is vital for combating climate change, improving air quality, and enhancing public health. We are grateful to our full congressional delegation for standing in solidarity with local communities and all those who have advocated for these vital protections through a robust stakeholder engagement process.”
“The Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act is an important measure needed to provide permanent protection for the cultural and historical resources sacred to surrounding communities, Pueblos, and Tribes throughout New Mexico,” said Ángel Peña, Executive Director of Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project. “The 10-mile protective buffer zone encompasses rare and irreplaceable spiritual, archaeological, scientific treasures, and there are undoubtedly thousands more that have yet to be identified or disclosed since less than 20 percent of the lands lying within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park have been archaeologically surveyed. We urge Congress to follow the lead of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation and act quickly to safeguard this sacred landscape from the extreme attacks on public lands.”
“Thank you Senators Ben Ray Luján and Heinrich and Representatives Teresa Leger Fernandez, Stansbury, and Vasquez for championing legislation that will dramatically reduce the threat that expanded oil and gas drilling poses to Chaco Canyon,” said Jesse Deubel, Executive Director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. “It is more important than ever to safeguard the irreplaceable values of this sacred landscape as our public lands face unprecedented threats. We look forward to working with Congress to move this bill forward and safeguard Chaco Canyon once and for all.”
“We thank the New Mexico Congressional Delegation for reintroducing the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act—an essential step to protect the culture, heritage, and health of our communities” said Gabrielle Uballez, Executive Director of New Mexico Voices for Children. “This bill helps safeguard families from the dangers of unchecked oil and gas drilling and preserves Chaco Canyon for future generations. With 2023’s widely supported protections now at risk, we urge swift action in Washington to pass this critical legislation.”
“Today, we celebrate the introduction of necessary legislation that would permanently protect the Greater Chaco Canyon landscape from more drilling, putting the interests of thousands of Indigenous Peoples and others in the region first over the interests of extractive and dangerous industries.” said Michael Casaus, New Mexico State Director of The Wilderness Society. “We know the Chaco Cultural Heritage Protection Act is needed as a permanent reprieve from the imminent threats facing these culturally important lands and the communities living here today. We thank Senators Luján and Heinrich and Representatives Leger Fernández, Stansbury and Vasquez for their work to introduce this critical legislation.”
“We deeply appreciate New Mexico Senators Luján and Heinrich, as well as Representatives Leger Fernández, Stansbury, and Vasquez, for respecting the concerns of local communities and reintroducing the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, which will protect valuable and vulnerable public lands surrounding Chaco Canyon from harmful extractive uses. We call on Congress to swiftly pass this crucial legislation,” said Romir Lahiri, New Mexico and Arizona Associate Program Director for Conservation Lands Foundation. “The greater Chaco Canyon landscape—sacred to numerous Pueblo and Diné people across the Southwest and treasured by local communities—has faced the persistent threat of fragmentation from oil and gas leasing for far too long. The time to protect this cultural heritage is now.”
“Already 90% of the Greater Chaco Landscape has been leased to oil development, and more than 37,000 wells have been drilled, some near schools and people’s homes. We celebrated the BLM’s actions in 2023 as a much-needed step to protect Chaco Canyon but permanent protections are necessary. Enacting the Greater Chaco Protection Act would safeguard the region’s biological marvels, cultural resources, sacred sites and scientific values and protect the health and well-being of local communities. We want future generations of New Mexicans and visitors from around the world to enjoy Chaco Canyon’s history, beauty and dark skies.” Ellen Montgomery, Environment New Mexico’s public lands campaign director
“Chaco Canyon is home to diverse wildlife populations and significant Indigenous sites. The Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act will safeguard these lands from oil and gas development so that future generations will be able to experience the cultural, spiritual, and recreational opportunities that these lands offer,” said Andrew Black, public lands field director at the National Wildlife Federation. “The National Wildlife Federation applauds the leadership of the entire New Mexico Congressional delegation for continuing to collaborate closely with Indigenous communities about how to best protect and manage these sacred lands.”
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