By Hannah Grover, NM Political Report
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, withdrew the Pecos River watershed from mining claims for two years on Thursday, and paved the way for a 20-year withdrawal.
The mineral withdrawal applies to 165,000 acres of public lands in the Upper Pecos watershed near Santa Fe, much of which is national forest lands. This includes multiple tributaries of the Pecos River including Dalton Canyon, Macho Canyon, Wild Horse Creek, Indian Creek and Doctor Creek.
Haaland has directed the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to begin a process that could lead to a 20-year pause on new mining claims.
Community members have been pushing for the end of new mining in the Pecos watershed for decades out of concerns that future mines may harm the riparian ecosystem by degrading water quality.
“While mining will continue to play a role in New Mexico’s economy, this announcement is a recognition that some places are simply too special to mine. Pecos Canyon and the headwaters of the Pecos River is one such place,” Dan Roper, New Mexico state lead for Trout Unlimited, said in a press release. “This area is one of the state’s most popular fishing destinations, and the watershed is an important water source for downstream communities and irrigators.”
These concerns are not unfounded. In 1991, a spill from a closed mine killed fish in an 11-mile stretch of the Pecos River. In recent years, a company acquired mining claims in the area.
The Pecos River’s tributaries and nearby wetlands were added to New Mexico’s list of Outstanding National Resource Waters in 2022 and members of the state’s congressional delegation introduced legislation in the past that would lead to a permanent withdrawal from mineral leasing. Only Congress can permanently stop mining in the area.
Earlier this month, all five members of the congressional delegation requested that the U.S. Forest Service take steps to prevent future mining in the Upper Pecos River watershed.
“The Pecos River is not only an essential source of water for communities throughout New Mexico but is also deeply tied to our state’s cultural heritage,” they wrote in a letter to Randy Moore, the Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. “Traditional acequias — community-operated irrigation canals — rely on the river for water, supporting agriculture that sustains families and livelihoods. Pueblos use the land for fishing and hunting as well as ceremonial purposes. Any contamination of the watershed from mining would directly harm water quality, threatening local economies, fish and wildlife, and the health of the people living along the Pecos. These rural communities have made it clear: they do not want mining operations that could endanger the environment, their way of life, and the long-term sustainability of the region.”