FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHAT: The U.S. Forest Service is moving to rescind the 25-year-old Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which has kept mining, oil and gas drilling, and industrial logging out of 45 million acres of National Forest System lands nationwide, including 1.6 million acres right here in New Mexico. The agency recently opened a 33-day public comment period on the rescission, but is not holding a single public meeting, gutting the community engagement opportunities that shaped the original rule — which was developed following 600 public meetings and 1.6 million public comments in 2001. In response to this and the fact that the public overwhelmingly opposes the effort to rescind the rule, New Mexico Wild is partnering with organizations across the state to host six People’s Public Hearings, giving New Mexicans a chance to learn what’s at stake, speak out in favor of protecting our roadless forests, and submit verbal comments before the comment period closes on September 21st.
WHO: New Mexico Wild, joined by local partner organizations, elected officials, and community members at each location.
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Senator Martin Heinrich will be a guest speaker at the Albuquerque event.
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Representative Teresa Leger Fernández and Santa Fe County Commissioner Lisa Cacari Stone will be guest speakers at the Santa Fe event.
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Grant County Commissioner Nancy Stephens will be a guest speaker at the Silver City event.
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State Sen. Jeff Steinborn and State Rep. Angelica Rubio will be guest speakers at the Las Cruces event.
WHEN & WHERE (6 events statewide):
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Santa Fe — Tuesday, Sept. 8th from 6:00-7:30 pm at Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, 2791 Agua Fria St., Santa Fe, 87507. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández and Santa Fe County Commissioner Lisa Cacari Stone will be guest speakers at this event.
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Albuquerque — Wednesday, September 9th from 6:00-7:30 pm at Barelas Community Center, 801 Barelas Rd SW, Albuquerque, 87102. Senator Martin Heinrich will be a guest speaker at this event.
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Silver City — Tuesday, September 15th, doors open at 5:30 pm, live testimony begins at 6:30 pm at the Besse Forward Global Resource Center, 805 W 12th St, Silver City, 88061. Grant County Commissioner Nancy Stephens will be a guest speaker at this event.
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Las Cruces — Tuesday, September 15th from 6:00-7:30 pm at the WIA Building, 340 N. Reymond St., Las Cruces, 88001. State Sen. Jeff Steinborn and State Rep. Angelica Rubio will be guest speakers at this event.
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Pecos — Wednesday, September 16th from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Pecos Municipal Building, 92 S Main St., Pecos, 87552.
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Virtual — Wednesday, September 16th from 6:00-7:30 pm on Zoom. Please reach out to info@nmwild.org for the link.
VISUALS: Community members submitting written and verbal comments live; maps of New Mexico’s Inventoried Roadless Areas at risk.
For more information about all of the events, please visit nmwild.org/roadless. All events are open to the press and cameras and recording are welcome. Spokespeople will be available for onsite interviews.
More background HERE.
New Mexico Wild is hosting these hearings in partnership with a statewide coalition of organizations, including: The Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, Semilla Project, Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, Heart of the Gila, Upper Gila Watershed Alliance (UGWA), Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP), Gila Native Plant Society, Nuestra Tierra, Environment New Mexico, Bird Alliance of Southwestern New Mexico, Advocates for Snake Preservation, and Great Old Broads for Wilderness.
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