LAS CRUCES, N.M. – On Friday, May 23, 2014, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will join the local community and other federal, state, tribal and local leaders to celebrate President Obama's designation today of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.
White House Council on Environmental Quality Acting Chair Mike Boots, Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, and other local leaders will join Jewell.
The President's action honors years of work from the local community and businesses to conserve, protect and enhance some of the public lands located in Doña Ana County in south-central New Mexico.
The Organ Mountains stand just east of Las Cruces, extending for 20 miles and rising to nearly 9,000 feet in elevation. The area is home to a diversity of wildlife, including peregrine falcons and other raptors, as well as mountain lions and other mammals.
The BLM currently manages all of the public lands within this new national monument for a range of multiple uses, which will continue, including grazing, conservation of natural and archeological resources and outdoor recreation, such as hunting, hiking, biking, and camping. The area also hosts significant cultural and historic sites.
WHO:
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Mike Boots, Acting Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Neil Kornze, Director of the Bureau of Land Management
Tom Udall, U.S. Senator from New Mexico
Martin Heinrich, U.S. Senator from New Mexico
Local leaders and community members
WHEN:
Friday, May 23, 2014
1:30 p.m. MDT – Media check-in
2:00 pm MDT – Community celebration
WHERE:
Onate High School
5700 Mesa Grande Drive
Las Cruces, NM 88012
MEDIA:
Members of the media interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP HERE by 10:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, May 23, 2014. Additional logistical details will be provided to confirmed reporters.
Source: Department of Interior
