Rep. Tom Udall's Sabinoso Wilderness Bill Passes U.S. House

Yesterday the Sabinoso Wilderness Act of 2008, HR 2632, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on a unanimous voice vote. If the bill is passed by the Senate, it will be the second wilderness bill related to New Mexico to be considered for passage in more than 20 years. The legislation would set aside more than 17,600 pristine acres east of Las Vegas, NM as wilderness, including the majestic canyons and rugged beauty of one of the finest intact Great Plains ecosystems left in New Mexico.

Rep. Tom Udall (D, NM-01), who sponsored the bill, said in a statement, "The House's broad, bipartisan support for my Sabinoso proposal should push the Senate to act on this legislation now. I worked with community groups in New Mexico to make this a plan that everybody, from every part of the political spectrum, can support."

Said Udall, "Sabinoso is more than an incredibly beautiful patch of land -- it is a thriving ecosystem and a piece of New Mexico history. Visitors to the area will find horses, wild turkeys and other birds most people never get a chance to see. They will also find homesteads that go back generations and pristine wilderness that still looks like it did when settlers first came to this part of North America."

"This legislation is the product of a lot of hard work and discussion," said Udall. "I worked with everybody who wanted a say in the bill, and it reflects the interests of everybody who will be impacted."

Please call Congressman Tom Udall at 202-225-6190 and thank him for his leadership and hard work on passing the Sabinoso Wilderness Bill.

The Sabinoso area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the state of New Mexico. If the measure is approved, the area would still be available for grazing, hunting and other recreational uses and landowners would still have access to private land nearby.

The Sabinoso Wilderness Act is widely supported by local governments, business and economic development interests, sportsmen, conservation groups, and state officials. More specifically, the New Mexico State House of Representatives, San Miguel County Commission, Village of Wagon Mound, and the Town of Springer have passed resolutions supporting the designation of the Sabinoso wilderness.

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance has more info on the Sabinoso.

Technorati Tags: