The Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument is a local treasure, providing both recreational opportunities and a boost to the economy.
A 2023 story in the Las Cruces Bulletin reported that the monument had produced $35 million in economic development the previous year and visitation had nearly tripled.
A 2023 story in the Las Cruces Bulletin reported that the monument had produced $35 million in economic development the previous year and visitation had nearly tripled.
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Much of that is due to the organized hikes, mountain bike rides and informative nature talks put on by the Bureau of Land Management throughout the year.
Now that the OMDP is so widely appreciated, it’s easy to forget how vociferous the opposition to it was at the time then-President Barack Obama made the designation. We were told it would create a corridor where law enforcement was excluded and drug runners could roam free. Then-U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce was one of the leaders of the opposition. He went so far as to introduce legislation that would have dramatically reduced the size of the monument. After leaving office, Pearce continued calling for the monument’s reduction, and supported a review by the first Trump administration that could have resulted in the designation being removed entirely. And so, the nomination of Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management has supporters of the monument understandably concerned. And they aren’t alone. Conservationists throughout the Rocky Mountain West have also voiced their objection. “His documented history of treating shared landscapes as assets to be liquidated is incompatible with the interests and values of Coloradans,” said Kelly Nordini of Conservation Colorado. “Ninety two percent of Nevadans support keeping national monument protections in place. Yet Steve Pearce spent his entire career pushing federal land selloffs and rolling back those very protections,” said Kristee Watson of the Nevada Conservation League. Here in his home state, Pearce has encouraged county leaders to ignore federal environmental laws, said Dennis Foster of Conservation Voters New Mexico. That allegedly includes cutting unpermitted road crossings over the San Francisco River in the Gila National Forest, Foster said. Pearce is an oil and gas guy. He grew up in Hobbs; got his business degree at NMSU and his masters in Portales; and owned an oilfield services company in Hobbs that he sold for $12 million. His nomination to lead the BLM continues a trend of putting people in charge of government agencies that they have utter contempt for. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who confused artificial intelligence for A-1 steak sauce, wants to abolish the Department of Education. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy has replaced doctors and medical experts with online influencers and conspiracy theorists. And so, we shouldn’t be surprised by the nomination of Pearce. My hope is that the Senate, which has a confirmation vote pending, will look at the BLM differently. Preservation and conservation are the only reason it exists. The BLM’s mission is to, “sustain the health, diversity and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.” That’s it. That’s the entire mission. There’s nothing in there about maximizing profits or boosting our oil supply. It is one thing to tinker with education. It is quite another to allow for the damage, destruction or desecration of natural treasures that can never be replaced. Pearce should not be confirmed. Walter Rubel can be reached at [email protected] |
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