Breaking News-Organs, et al to be National Mounument

[JFWRC]

LAS CRUCES >> For generations, the Organ Mountains have been an iconic part of the Mesilla Valley.
Soon they will be part of a national monument.
President Obama is planning to sign a proclamation Wednesday establishing the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, according to a White House official.
The proclamation is expected follow a bill introduced last December by U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, Both D-NM, in covering about 450,000 acres in southern New Mexico. About half of that land ? approximately 350 square miles ? likely will be designated a wilderness area, the highest level of protection that can be imposed by Congress.
That includes the Organ Mountains; the Robledo Mountains northwest of Las Cruces, the Do?a Ana Mountains north of Las Cruces; the Potrillo Mountains in the southwestern part of the county; and the Sierra de Las Uvas Mountains in the Hatch region.
Obama's proclamation represents a victory for monument supporters, a group working for much of the past decade to get such a designation. Recently it has been contentious.
Opponents have said a national monument designation could hurt ranching, flood control and expose the area, some of which is close to the Mexican border, to more criminal activity.

What hunting just got lost here???

 

[hank4elk]

If it gets set up like the Malpais then we have a chance,on some of it. Otherwise, forget it.

 

[JFWRC]

hank4elk-

How does the Malpais work? I know there is a conservation area and then there is monument. The conservation area is huntable....the monument is not?

Jim

 

[JFWRC]

I remember hunting the Organs for deer years ago. I loved it. Some good bucks. I wonder if the desert bighorns just went bye bye.

 

[wildfin]

in ca. the monuments changed by a lot more visitors more rules and ranger patrol. the areas i hunted i never saw any one for years,now a parade of photographers,bird watchers,tickets for no helmet,camping in certain areas only.

 

[hank4elk]

LAST EDITED ON May-19-14 AT 08:18PM (MST)[p]Correct Jim. The Malpais Ntl. Monument. Mainly the lava/badlands/sensitive and Narrows/Arch areas are closed to hunting.
The Wilderness and conservation areas are open.About half.Mostly accessable only on foot. The few roads are bad and there's hardly anyone anyway....'cept a few spots.

 

[abqbw]

I hope they allow hunting. I don't like it. Udall and Heinrich have never seen a piece of dirt that they don't think the Feds should own.

It seems to be hit or miss on hunting in nat'l monuments. I hunted the Paunsagaunt in UT and a huge part of the unit is the Grand Staircase Escalante Nat'l monument and it was wide open for hunting. I spent a large portion of my hunt in the monument.

On the flip side I had an Elk tag in Colorado unit 10 in about 2002 which includes part of Dinosaur Natl Monument and you could barely step on the monument. It really sucked following screaming bulls up to the fence. I couldn't even cut across the monument with my bow in my hand. There was absolutely no one for miles in the monument where I was hunting. It was ridiculous.

After that experience I have always been anti-monument and natl park. Nothing good will happen with regards to hunting. Valles Caldera comes to mind.

 

[abqbw]

There is an article in the Albuquerque Journal today about the new Monument. Heinrich and Udall introduced a bill in congress to create the Monument that couldn't get passed so Obama just created it by executive order. Same as the Rio Grande del Norte.

An amazing comment in the article is that one of the Senators that introduced the monument bill says that he has not seen the White House's monument proclamation and its associated maps but expects it to be close to the Heinrich-Udall Bill. He says "It sounds like it is very similar -- at least at first blush". If the Senators from the state where the monument is located don't even know what Obama is going to sign, who the hell decided what is in the monument proclamation? Some Obama staffers or Dept of Interior staffers? Not a very representative process. Unfortunately maybe it is representative because NM did after all help elect Obama.

The article does not say if hunting will be allowed. John Cornell of the NM Wildlife Federation is quoted in the article that "We'll be assured that future generations will have these places and good hunting grounds". Maybe he knows that hunting will be allowed. I certainly hope so. But if the Senators haven't seen the proclamation I don't see how he could know....

 

[hank4elk]

We can only hope. It is Fed. land that will be included,but how they do it is another thing. Same with Caldera. If it's like Bandoleir and Yellowstone,no hunting. If it's like the Malpais,some.

 

[Reuben_Soady]

The Sheriff of Dona Ana County is not happy.
A Congressman from Utah isn't happy.
The Border Patrol is not happy. "the biggest breach of border security I have seen in the last 20 years"

Here's a compilation of articles.
http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/search/label/Monuments

 

[hank4elk]

LAST EDITED ON May-21-14 AT 12:22PM (MST)[p]No mention in the press about signing.
Still can find no map of propossed monument.
Found crude one with no detail,just 3 seperate areas around Cruces.
Maybe Tejana can get one while she's back there "Fund" raizin'

 

[smarba]

We must just not understand all the details.

Because everything else that Obama stands for and has ramrodded through has DEFINITELY been for the good of our nation...

 

[Reuben_Soady]

Map from ABQ journal.
Notice how the lables obscure a bunch of the white sections, which although not called out in the legend, are private property.

Picture properties link back to the ABQ J page.
You'll prolly have to tell them what kind of beer you like to see it there.

 

[EVILNR]

LOL!
Ohhhhhhh, the IRONY, the KARMA.
Could not be happening to a more deserving state.
Reap'n it I'd say!
Ha!

 

[Cookie2]

You're still not gonna draw a tag evil.....

 

[jamaro]

The document is on my website but here is a quote from the proc if you are interested...

?Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge or diminish the jurisdiction of the State of New Mexico, including its jurisdiction and authority with respect to fish and wildlife management.?


J-

 

[abqbw]

Here is the language from the presidential proclamation that created the grand staircase-escalante national monument in Utah:

"Nothing in this proclamation shall be
deemed to diminish the responsibility and
authority of the State of Utah for management
of fish and wildlife, including regulation
of hunting and fishing, on Federal lands
within the monument."

Notice that "regulation of hunting and fishing" is specifically left out of the Organ mountains proclamation and specifically include in the grand staircase proclamation.

Hunting is not mentioned on the organ mountains proclamation. The word "hunt" or words containing "hunt" are mentioned twice in the organ mountains proclamation. Once with respect to archaic hunting and once as part of the name of a place (Hunt's Hole).

Maybe hunting will be allowed but the proclamation certainly does not say it will or require it to be allowed. Monument proponents keep telling me not to worry. That makes me worry.

 

[NMdoghunter]

I saw this coming, with the left wing movement going on Las Cruces. That's a shame, the areas on that map were the best areas to hunt during my college years. Great quail and decent deer populations.

 

[Sierra]

If Jamaro and his NMWF organization are for it, then IMO it won't end well for hunters.

 

[WapitiBob]

Jason and I don't see the NMWF in the same light but he hunts and fishes as much as anybody. He certainly isn't anti hunting. Wanting to keep a few areas "like they are" really isn't a bad thing.
I used to make my living killing trees and even I realize you can't cut every tree out there. At some point along this ride we're on, we need to step back and look at where we're going.

 

[mcloakey]

The government does not step back and look ahead, only goes ahead and looks back!

 

[BuzzH]

NM had 30-40 years to get this issue solved.

Sitting on your hands, and then wringing same, when your complacency finally came home to roost, is YOUR problem.