Save La Bajada Mesa from Strip Mining

From Save La Bajada Mesa:
The Railrunner is being used as an excuse to start strip mining historic, scenic La Bajada Mesa. The application (dated Jan. 30, 08) discloses that the operation would not be limited to ballast for the Railrunner (which is expected to be built by the end of 2008). The application has things in common with the last application to mine in 2005. That application was withdrawn. Buildology has become Rockology, same applicant, Steven Hooper. The land owners Peter Naumburg and Hugh Graham of Buena Vista LLC, are the same. This application, submitted by agent James Siebert, is for 50 acres. Water is required by law for dust control. They have proposed trucking 80,000 gallons a month from Cohiba Club LLC (near La Bajada Village). Off site water should not meet the County's standards for a secure source. Their temporary permit only goes until Sep. 6, 2008!

ROCKOLOGY WILL HOLD A PUBLIC MEETING: Monday April 7, 6:00 PM, Turquoise Trail Elementary School, along NM 14. The applicants hope to bring the proposal before “the next available County Development Review Committee meeting”—this could be April 17th.

TAKE ACTION: Contact Gov. Richardson and Santa Fe County Commissioners. Tell them the Railrunner should not be used to jump start the strip-mining of historic, scenic, and culturally significant La Bajada Mesa.

La Bajada Mesa, listed by the NMHPA as a Most Endangered Place, is the gateway to Santa Fe and
needs to be a protected viewscape. www.nmheritage.org/endangered/2003.php?ID=72

We don’t need two gravel operations on Waldo Canyon Rd at the entrance to the Galisteo Basin park
lands. Similar, if not superior construction materials are available within the same “vicinity” from an
established facility (Espanola Mercantile’s Waldo Quarry located in the Cerrillos Hills).

The applicant is seeking to rezone a portion of La Bajada Mesa from agriculture/residential to mining
for its narrowly focused economic interests. Any such large mining zone would likely be subject to
expansion. The whole mesa is capped by basalt. Example: in 2002 JR Hale Contracting proposed a 500
acre strip-mine there.

The current owners have no protected rights to demand a rezoning as they purchased the property with
the current zoning in place. No adverse action has been taken by Santa Fe County that impairs the
economic value of their property (which is also up for sale). The County has no obligation to enhance
the value of the property to the detriment of the County and State as a whole.

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