Udall's Sabinoso Wilderness Bill Headed for Full House Vote

Bill to Create Wilderness Area Unanimously Passes House Natural Resources Committee

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Tom Udall, D-N.M., today announced that legislation he authored to create the Sabinoso Wilderness Area has unanimously cleared the House Natural Resources Committee. Udall's proposal, which he has secured vast community support for, will now advance for a vote before the full House.

"I am pleased the Natural Resources Committee showed such broad, bipartisan support for the Sabinoso proposal," said Udall. "I have worked to ensure this bill has extensive support, and I hope it will soon have its day on the floor of the House so we can swiftly send it to the Senate."

Udall's bill will designate as wilderness 17,638 acres of pristine land managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the state of New Mexico. The land will be available for grazing, hunting and other recreational uses.

The area's scenic landscape is home to a rich diversity of wildlife, including red-tailed hawks, mountain chickadees, American kestrels, western scrub-jays, broad-tailed hummingbirds, mule deer, bobcats, and gray foxes. Canyon vistas overlay thick sections of multicolored sedimentary rocks, typical of desert rock formations found throughout the West.

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."

The bulk of the land that will be included in the Sabinoso Wilderness Area is currently part of the Sabinoso Wilderness Study Area. Final plans for the wilderness area were developed by Udall in consultation with the BLM and local land owners. The plans protect the rights of local landowners and ensure access to private properties near the proposed wilderness area. They also keep the land available for grazing and other economically important uses.

"We worked hard to make sure that everybody who will be impacted by the creation of Sabinoso will be better off," said Udall. "Everybody had a seat at the table, and everybody's interests are reflected in this plan."

Udall's bill is supported by the New Mexico State Legislature. The legislature has unanimously passed a resolution, proposed by State Representative Thomas Garcia, which calls on the N.M. Congressional delegation to support the establishment of the Sabinoso Wilderness Area.

H.R. 2632 is also supported by a variety of New Mexico organizations, including:

* Campaign for America's Wilderness
* Center of Southwest Culture
* Latino Sustainability Institute
* Las Vegas/San Miguel County Economic Development Corporation
* New Mexico Wilderness Alliance
* The San Miguel County Commission
* The Springer Town Council
* The Wagon Mound Town Council
* Wind River Ranch.