BorderWest

Overstatements and Mythical Ranchers

By Rebecca Powell, 6-20-08

	Random Photo: Pecan Grove in Mesilla

An article in the New Mexico Independent by John Arnold details the thus far unsuccessful attempt to designate wilderness in Taos County.

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA) presented the proposal to Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), claiming, “"wide-ranging support on this effort from the ranching community, the local elected officials, the acequias [associations], the sportsmen community, the boaters and the biologists.” The support was mythical. The ranchers were unaware of the proposal and became suspicious. 

The scenario sounds eerily familiar.  NMWA presented the Dona Ana County wilderness proposal to local governments, claiming wide-spread support from area ranchers.  In reality, the ranchers had no input on the proposal and were unaware that government entities were passing resolutions of support.

What mythical ranching community does NMWA consult?

Addendum: I regret this post. While all of this happened, see City of Las Cruces Meeting, February 6, 2007, I think my language in this post is slanted.  It was a poor choice of words and posted too quickly. 

For more on the Dona Ana County Wilderness Debate, see BorderWest

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