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Interior Secretary Deb Haaland went to her home state of New Mexico over the weekend to accept the largest-ever wilderness donation in the agency's history. The donation of 9,617 acres from the Trust for Public Land expands the Sabinoso Wilderness Area by nearly 50 percent.
The Sabinoso, a piñon and juniper forest in northern New Mexico, is a model for how America can protect 30% of its land and water by the end of the decade while also increasing public access to the outdoors. Although the Sabinoso was designated as wilderness in 2009, it was inaccessible to the public until 2017, when an access point was established through a donation from The Wilderness Land Trust.
This weekend's donation creates a second public access point to the wilderness area, which Senator Martin Heinrich mentioned at an event celebrating the expansion.
“Increasing access to the Sabinoso is an important economic opportunity for Las Vegas and surrounding communities in San Miguel County,” Heinrich said. “And it couldn’t come at a better time as we rebuild our tourism and outdoor recreation industries in New Mexico.”
Biden’s environmental record, 6 months in
As President Biden marks 6 months in office this week, the New York Times editorial board takes stock of his administration's environmental record so far, writing that the president "has accomplished a good deal more than his chattering critics on the left wing of his party give him credit for, but still well short of his own hopes.”
The editorial closes by encouraging President Biden to use the Antiquities Act to restore Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah. Noting that “the act will be important in meeting the conservation goals of the 30x30 preservation effort,” the editorial says that restoring the monuments will create an opportunity “to educate the public about its importance and legitimacy.”
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Areas like the Sabinoso Wilderness are an important piece of the puzzle as we work together to conserve, connect, and restore 30% of our land and water by 2030 through the president’s America The Beautiful implementation. This kind of collaboration that you see today is how we will reach that target over the next decade.”
