The Hill News

For more than a century, the Antiquities Act has given American presidents the authority to protect some of our nation’s most important and threatened places. Across my home state of New Mexico, we see the benefit of the Antiquities Actâ€"Bandelier National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, White Sands National Monument, and El Morro National Monument to name just a few. Research done late last year by the Green Chamber of Commerce shows that New Mexico's 10 national monuments established through the Antiquities Act account for 1.3 million annual tourist visits and $54 million in annual tourist spending that supports 1,061 New Mexico jobs.

One place in New Mexico deserving of such protection is the proposed Organ Mountainsâ€"Desert Peaks National Monument in Doña Ana County. For months now, I have heard from residents and elected officials in the city of Las Cruces and Dona Ana County asking for help with their efforts to protect these southwestern natura! l treasures. City councilors, county commissioners, and the Mayor of Las Cruces, Ken Miyagishima, have implored me to seek permanent protection. In addition, organizations as diverse as the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces, the League of Women Voters, and the Southwest Consolidated Sportsmen all support a comprehensive approach to preserving Dona Ana County’s wild lands.

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