(New Mexico's) Organs Play on Capitol Hill Today
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July 21, 2010
LAS CRUCES, N. M. - Both the sounds and sights of Organs - not to mention their economic value to southern New Mexico - will be heard and debated in a U.S. Senate committee today (WEDNESDAY). The Organ Mountains are part of a wilderness bill that would preserve the pristine state of the iconic spires and some surrounding areas. Jud Wright is a Las Cruces small business owner, who says these mountains are part of what draw people to the area.
"We kind-of live in a Shangri-la. It's a unique place, so I think we have to take care of that, you don't want to see it grow in an improper way. You have to be concerned about the wilderness."
Early on, the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Act was met with some opposition, but nearly all concerns over such issues as border security and recreational access have been worked out through compromises. Jim Bates is New Mexico president of the National Wild Turkey Federation; he participated in the compromise process.
"These areas are all relatively fragile desert and desert mountain ecosystems that need some sort of protection, and the wilderness protection through the compromise that has occurred is the best way to do that."
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is expected to approve the bill today and send it to the full Senate for action. The legislation would create more than 300,000 acres of Wilderness and National Conservation Area, including the Organ and Robledo Mountains, and parts of Broad Canyon.