TRUTH IN POLITICS

Truth About Wilderness Area
For months now, the Wilderness Alliance and the Progressive Democrats have been lying to the people of Dona Ana county bout what a Wilderness Area would mean to the people. It is a commendable thing to create a Wilderness Area if it benefits the wild life and the people as well, but the area of the Potrillos is not one of these areas.

To begin with the area Bingaman, Jeff Steinborn, Fischman and other who are pushing to make the area of the Potrillos into a Wilderness Area do not conform to the guidelines or intent of such an area, according to the 1964 Wilderness Bill. Part of the designation for a Wilderness Area is that it must be remote and must have no maintained roads in the area. The area Bingaman is trying to bring into a Wilderness Protection Area has not only maintained roads, but county roads that cut through the area, and though it is considered remote by someone from the city, there are ranchers who live and maintain ranches adjacent to the area in question.

An abstract of the definition of this bill is ‘A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.’

A further definition  of wilderness is: “An area of wilderness defined in this Act is an area of undeveloped Federal land, retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed to preserve its natural conditions of which;
(1) It generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable;
(2) Has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation;
(3) Has at least five thousand (5,000) acres of land, or is of a sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition;
(4) And may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic or historical value.”

Man has been in this valley for thousands of years from nomadic Indians to Onate settlements from 1598 and Anglo settlements following. Their imprint is seen in all of the proposed wilderness areas. And as stated before there are many roads in the Potrillos, rancher improvements, such as fences, windmills, roads and trails, buildings, corrals and other improvements.

Food Water Control
If the problems of the run off in the Organ Mountains/Desert Peaks Wilderness Act are not addressed to accommodate flood waters with dikes, dams, diversion maintenance or such diversion construction, and also included in the proposed National Conservation area for protection against flooding, it will cause more flooding of homes in Hatch, Vado and Anthony as well as parts of El Paso in Texas and Tijuana, such as occurred in 2006.

The ranchers are the best conservators of the land since the Indians roamed the United states and do more to protect the land than anyone. It is a misguided conception that they are money hungry individuals, interested in only making a fortune at the expense of the land. If they were not to conserve the land, it would become useless and untenable for their cattle.

Limited Access
Currently 54% of lands in Dona Ana County, due to restrictions put on the land by U S Department of Fish and wildlife, U S Department of Agriculture, State of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, private land owners and the U S National Park Services. but most people currently have good access approximately 46%, to land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management. The proposed Wilderness Area would limit access to over 400 square miles of BLM land, or over ¼ (26%) of all BLM acres in Dona Ana County.

Rhetoric Spread by Bingaman
Bingaman, the Wilderness Alliance and Jeff Steinborn are telling the people that the Border Patrol has a handle on the drugs and illegal immigration in this area and there is no problem with drug interdiction if the proposed Wilderness Area is enacted. This is an out and out lie. If the Organ and Potrillos are allowed to be designated as Wilderness Area, there can be no mechanical or motor driven devices in the area, According to the rules of the Wilderness Act of 1964. Bingaman will try to attach an addendum to the bill that will allow horses to be brought up by the (Border Patrol (ICE) and the County Sherriff’s office) for pursuit of criminals, drug smugglers and illegals crossing into our country from Mexico, (all of which are not just Mexican Nationals looking for work but also terrorists form the middle east as well) with pursuit of these criminals on horseback, who are driving motorized vehicles on the land in violation of the Wilderness area and evading the law.

What will this mean to the citizens of this state and county? You will see more drugs available to your children and the communities of the state; it will open a veritable safe conduit for all types of illegal activities, such as illegal aliens and drug smuggling. This will make it unsafe for the ranchers in the area of the Potrillos and the many county roads in the area are perfect for bypassing the border checkpoint on I-10.

Another problem that will develop is the same thing that has happened in southwestern Arizona, with the illegals and drug smugglers crossing into this country via the for pursuit of criminals, drug smugglers and illegals na O’Odham reservation. This large area cannot be effectively patrolled by either the ICE or the local Sherriff’s office because of its vast size and lack of roads and sheer desolation. It has become a favorite conduit for illegals and drug smuggling despite the many dangers involved. Backpacking drug smugglers (mules) and people (coyotes) leading unsuspecting illegals across this area is virtually uncontrolled. This not only lets many illegals into our country, but now is open season for the (mules) that bring in drugs.

There are literally hundreds of illegals that are left by the (coyotes) to die in the desert when they think there is a chance of getting caught by patrolling planes or Border Patrol on horseback or in four-wheel drive vehicles. Trash from water bottles to cast off clothing, diapers, etc. litter the land in places like arroyos, where these people either rest, or wait for a more opportune time to continue their trek into Tucson or towns further north. Mexican women are raped and killed; babies die and even some of the more hardy men. This is what could and probably would happen if this Wilderness bill passes.

Do not believe the lies of Bingaman and remember that Jeff Steinborn draws a salary from the Wilderness Alliance, so how can he represent your interests. Look at the truth and be informed. Let your voice be heard by your state and Federal representatives that you don’t wan this kind of thing happening in your area. Stop the Wilderness act before it is passed. It is harder to repeal a law, than to enact one.

Take a drive into this area and see what good the ranchers do as stewards of the land. See the problems that would arise with a Wilderness designation of this area. See the damage it would do to a working rancher if he could not use mechanized equipment or mechanized devices, to repair and maintain the land. It is a beautiful drive and well worth your time, (if it isn’t raining) and you can see the difference in land that has had no cattle on it for 20 years or more and then look at the difference where the ranchers have maintained the growth of native vegetation by rotating their pastures, much as a farmer would rotate crops to get the best yield.