Heinrich celebrates land protection in Placitas

A large crowd gathered at Placitas Winery on May 6 to celebrate the withdrawal of more than 4,000 acres of land from mineral leasing.

During a community event in Sandoval County in April, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order 7940, protecting more than 4,200 acres of Bureau of Land Management-managed public lands in the Placitas area.

The final mineral withdrawal protects, preserves and promotes the scenic integrity, cultural importance, recreational values and wildlife habitat connectivity of the lands and the surrounding area. The lands will be closed to new mining claims, mineral sales and oil and gas leases for the next 50 years, subject to valid existing rights.

“Indigenous communities have called the Placitas area home since time immemorial, with evidence of their presence found from nearly every settlement period of the past 10,000 years,” Haaland said. “The site contains significant cultural ties to neighboring pueblos and provides outdoor recreation opportunities to the local community. I appreciate the work of so many people who came together to ensure that future generations will be able to continue to enjoy the beauty and unique values of these special lands.”

On May 6, more than 100 people, including U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, celebrated the withdrawal.

“For over a decade, I’ve fought alongside New Mexicans to protect the Buffalo Tract from mining. Today, our hard work has paid off. The Biden Administration has listened to our calls and recognized that the Buffalo Tract is clearly the wrong place for a gravel mine,” Heinrich said. “The Buffalo Tract is a landscape that New Mexicans treasure. The environmental impact of mining it would be irreparable — to the pueblos of Santa Ana, the pueblo of San Felipe, the people of Placitas, and the Merced De Comunidad De San Antonio De Las Huertas land grant, and the wildlife that depend on the Crest of Montezuma corridor between the Sandia Mountains to the south and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north.

“This finalized proposal by the administration will provide key protections for the Buffalo Tract for 50 years. Next, it’s time for Congress to pass my Buffalo Tract Protection Act to make these protections permanent.”

U.S. Bureau of Land Management State Director Melanie Barnes praised the Placitas community for supporting and protecting the Buffalo Tract and Crest of Montezuma.

“Often it’s difficult to make everyone happy, really difficult,” Barnes said. “So this is one of the few times that I’ve seen almost unanimous support.”

The pueblos of San Felipe and Santa Ana have long sought protections for the Placitas area, which they consider ancestral and sacred lands. The site also provides close-to-home outdoor recreation opportunities and is popular for hiking, camping, sightseeing and hunting.

Heinrich said he was pleased to see the entire community come together to seek protections for Buffalo Tract.

“It was impressive to me. I’ve never seen such a diverse community unite so quickly,” Heinrich said.