From www.nmwild.org:

You have often heard that the idea of wilderness needs no defense, but that it only needs more defenders.

Such is the case today, when we find ourselves humbled by the passing of Stewart Udall.

Stewart Udall, former Secretary of the Department of Interior during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, passed away peacefully with his children by his side on March 20, 2010.

Mr. Udall was a driving force in helping to define and cultivate a conservation ethic amongst the modern day American consciousness. He was a consistent advocate for the preservation of wilderness and a leader that stood up for the land; recognizing that future generations can only inherit what we pass on to them.

Stewart Udall lived a life dedicated to public service. From 1955-1961 he was a Congressman from Arizona. During his tenure at the Department of Interior, the Wilderness Act was passed and signed into law. New Mexico’s Gila was the first wilderness placed into the new National Wilderness Preservation System. Mr. Udall played a central role in establishing the National Trails System, the Endangered Species Act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Wild and Scenic River System.

During his time as Interior Secretary he also developed the National Seashores and Lakeshores as part of the National Park System.  He and his son, New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, took an epic raft trip through Glen Canyon just before a dam was constructed, decimating an iconic American river.

In 1963, Stewart Udall wrote a landmark book, “The Quiet Crisis,” which studied the history of our nation’s tortuous relationship between man and the land.

Mr. Udall retired to Santa Fe and remained active in many conservation efforts, including writing editorials of support for Otero Mesa, the opening introduction to our 2009 Wild Guide, and helping numerous conservation groups with fundraising efforts.

Please join us in sending our condolences to Senator Tom Udall, and to saying thank you for his father’s remarkable and selfless career in fighting for the land.

Senator Tom Udall
(202) 224-6621

We may have lost a defender of wilderness, but the idea lives on, and the spirit for wild lands protection will be forever indebted to the perseverance demonstrated by Secretary Stewart Udall.

For Wilderness,

Stephen Capra
Executive Director
New Mexico Wilderness Alliance

Dear Friends of the Monticello Box,

New Mexico Mining and Minerals has announced the public meeting and comment period on the proposed Beryllium exploration permit near the Monticello Box and Warm Springs.

[See mjh’s slides: the Monticello Box in New Mexico]

The question at hand is whether to allow drilling of more bore holes above the beautiful Monticello Box, to a depth of 2000 ft in order to further establish the extent of the Beryllium containing deposit.

What is at stake is the unacceptable risk to the abundant perennial Alamosa River and geothermal warm springs. As we know, impact to the water could devastate wildlife including the federally endangered Alamosa Springsnail which occurs no where else on earth and the federally threatened Chiricahua Leopard Frog. Two others species, the Ovate Vertigo snail and Wright’s Marsh Thistle are critically imperiled. Knowing the extent of the ore deposit only serves to strengthen the sense of entitlement the mining corporation will have to open a full bore mine which will change forever the character of this area. The farming community downstream, the riparian corridor the stream supports and the vibrant and diverse wildlife that depend on it could all be lost to say nothing of the breathtaking beauty.

Please mark your calendar and show with your presence this place is too special to degrade for the sake of profit. We need to fill the room!

Hearing Date: December 1, 2009

Place: Civic Center, 400 W. 4^th Street, Truth or Consequences, NM

Time: 6PM

Written comments are also needed by December 1, 2009. Please edit the letter below to add your personal stories and send by US Mail to:

Bill Brancard, Director
Mining and Minerals Division
NM Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department
1220 south St. Francis Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87505

Or by e-mail to:

joe.vinson@state.nm.us Remember to include your name and physical address.

Deadline for written comments is also December 1, 2009

For the Box,
Mary Katherine Ray
Wildlife Chair
Rio Grande Chapter Sierra Club

Sample letter:

Dear Mr. Brancard,

I am opposed to the drilling of additional test holes to search for Beryllium adjacent to Monticello Box, the Alamosa River and the historic Warm Springs. Questions regarding the appropriateness of any mining activity in this location are profound and serious. Even exploratory holes to the depths indicated in the application threaten the functioning of the springs. The hydrology of the area is not well-understood and placing it at risk is foolhardy. The vibrant riparian habitat supports a diverse wildlife community which all depends on the water in what is otherwise very a dry surrounding. Moreover, the federally endangered Alamosa Springsnail is perfectly adapted to the water temperature and chemistry of the Warm Springs which could be altered by drilling. It occurs nowhere else on earth and it imperiled status reflects how easily it could be lost. Evidence of human occupation goes back over a millennium.

The Monticello box and warm springs complex are treasures for their beauty, abundant water and natural and cultural uniqueness. Please don’t allow them to be despoiled. Put a stop to beryllium exploration.

Sincerely,

Don’t forget to include your name and address.

New Mexico’s most recent Wilderness designation was the Ojito, northwest of Albuquerque. Ojito was the first Wilderness in over 20 years. It’s wonderful we might not have to wait so long for another.

» Doña Ana County Wilderness Bill Introduced! — New Mexico Wilderness Alliance » 

Sportsmen, business owners, conservationists, local elected officials and other community members hailed the introduction today of The Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks Wilderness Act, by Senator Jeff Bingaman and Senator Tom Udall. The measure will protect nearly 400,000 acres of public land in Dona Ana County, by designating 271,050 acres as wilderness and creating a 109,600-acre National Conservation Area around the Organ and Doña Ana Mountains and parts of Broad Canyon.

» Doña Ana County Wilderness Bill Introduced! — New Mexico Wilderness Alliance »

Senators unveil Doña Ana County wilderness bill | NMPolitics.net – Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics 

The bill does include fewer acres designated as wilderness than the wilderness coalition had sought, but it’s largely in line with the coalitions’ proposal. Bingaman said the areas that would gain protection “boast caves, limestone cliffs and winding canyons that draw visitors to Doña Ana County.”

“To that end, it is my hope that it will also help promote tourism and economic development in the region,” Bingaman said.

Udall said preservation “is the right thing to do — environmentally and economically. Thanks to the cooperation of a wide range of individuals and groups in developing this legislation, I believe we strike the right balance between preservation and progress in a way that will benefit southern New Mexico for generations to come.”

Bingaman chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and said in the release he will schedule a hearing on the bill this fall.

Bingaman’s office also made available maps of areas that would be protected:

• An overall map of the county

• Desert Peaks National Conservation Area

• Organ Mountain National Conservation Area

• Potrillo Mountains Complex

• Prehistoric Trackways National Monument

Senators unveil Doña Ana County wilderness bill | NMPolitics.net – Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics