Today, a new national monument will be established in New Mexico:
On Wednesday, President Obama will create his second national monument of the year, designating the Organ Mountains in New Mexico a protected area.
The Organ Mountains, located at the southern end of New Mexico, will be the 11th and largest national monument of Obama’s presidency. The White House says that the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument will create $7.4 million in new annual economic activity in the region, a finding that first appeared in a 2013 report. That report also found the monument would double the number of outdoor recreation and tourism jobs in the region and contribute $560,000 in state and local tax revenue.
The monument encompasses a total of 496,000 acres, land which contains Native American petroglyphs in its canyons and is one of the most botanically diverse mountain ranges in New Mexico, home to about 870 vascular (i.e. plants with roots, stems, and leaves) plant species and a recorded 210 species of birds. The monument’s designation will “preserve the prehistoric, historic and scientific values of the area for the benefit of all Americans,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. Cattle ranchers who grazed the land before it was designated a monument will still be able to graze there – a rule that’s typical of new monuments – but all drilling and fracking will be prohibited. The area may have some mineral resources, yet new mining is not allowed in areas designated as national monuments.
“This is land that is home to pronghorn and deer, as well as rare plants and animals – some found nowhere else in the world, including the Organ Mountains pincushion cactus,” New Mexico Senator Tom Udall (D) said in December.
From Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument
Las Cruces has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect some of our area’s most beautiful and significant public lands. These lands possess unique Pre-American, New Mexican, and American history including training sites for the Apollo Space Mission, the Butterfield Stagecoach Trail, Billy the Kid’s Outlaw Rock, Geronimo’s Cave, World War II Aerial Targets, and thousands of Native American Petroglyph’s and Pictographs. Protection of these lands will preserve natural treasures like the Organ Mountains and bring jobs and economic development to our region far into the future.
More good government …
From the Department of the Interior @Interior:
Nice catch by this great egret in Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in #NewYork. @USFWSNortheast pic.twitter.com/T8Cyw3Moas
— US Dept of Interior (@Interior) May 20, 2014
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Spring is spectacular on America's public lands – especially in places like @YellowstoneNPS. pic.twitter.com/FBXvA3wn4z
— US Dept of Interior (@Interior) May 20, 2014
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Stunning sunrise and fog over @ShenandoahNPS. Photo: Ed Knepley #Virginia pic.twitter.com/8hnoVSOmap
— US Dept of Interior (@Interior) May 18, 2014
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Beautiful view of the moon over Mabius Arch in the Alabama Hills Recreation Area. #California @BLMca pic.twitter.com/u0KYyJ6p0S
— US Dept of Interior (@Interior) May 15, 2014
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It doesn't get much more spring-like than this photo by Sam Hobbs in Great Smoky Mnts. National Park. pic.twitter.com/DDoC3lb9s5
— US Dept of Interior (@Interior) May 10, 2014
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You can see why the #California Coastal National Monument is considered one of the prettiest parts of the state. pic.twitter.com/BTBc54yyzP
— US Dept of Interior (@Interior) May 17, 2014
Good government? I say “Good … government”.
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