In the wake of Barack Obama last week designating a big chunk of Route 66 in the Mojave Desert as the Mojave Trails National Monument, pressure is building on the president to designate La Bajada Hill in New Mexico as a national monument, as well.
The Christian Science Monitor, in a story Saturday about Obama’s executive actions, reported this little fact:
Obama is under pressure to use his executive power to protect La Bajada Mesa in New Mexico and the Bears Ears area in San Juan County, Utah, both of which have also seen local opposition worried about more strictures on the land use.
A bit of surfing on the Internet reveals the pressure to name La Bajada Hill as a national monument stems from a long dispute between a mining company that wants to build a gravel pit there. Santa Fe County officials in October rejected the mine, prompting the company to file a lawsuit.
The company owns more than 1,300 acres of La Bajada Hill and wants to use 50 of it for mining, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper. Residents oppose the mine, saying it would ruin its scenic views and generate dust and noise.
The Santa Fe Reporter reported in late January the county had a resolution on the table that would urge Obama to make La Bajada Hill a national monument. But the county postponed the vote after getting divided opinions from residents. The proposal includes 128,000 acres of the mesa.
La Bajada Mesa, also known as La Bajada Hill, south of Santa Fe, is the site of one of the oldest alignments of Route 66. The path up the side of the mountain was part of El Camino Real dating to the 1600s.
During the early 20th century, the trail became New Mexico Highway 1. It became Route 66 in 1926 until 1932. The path up La Bajada Hill is notorious for its 23 hairpin turns. It’s so eroded in spots, only a four-wheel drive vehicle can traverse it. Nowadays, it’s better to hike up the mesa.
(Old postcard of La Bajada Hill via 66postcards.com)
Who owns the land now? If it is private, state or county it can not become a National Monument. I think the land has to belong to the American people or to some folks that means the Feds.
For sure this could be and should be a National Monument or some speical designation.
First the preserve, now the hill. Where does it stop. 50 acres out of 1300, that they own is what they want for mining, and this proposal would be 128,000 more acres for what? This is getting out of hand. Period.
Last time I was at La Bajada, in July 2010, a native American cut me off with his pickup truck and demanded that I cease taking pictures of him, despite the fact that I was doing nothing of the sort. I wonder if the proposed designation would make La Bajada a friendlier place…
a big private project is underway right on the edge of the escarpment adjacent to the county ownded land what is up?