Greatest addition to our public lands in a generation

Dear Friend,

Earlier this week, we celebrated the monumental new addition to the Marquez Wildlife Area in New Mexico. The historic L Bar Ranch property is the single greatest addition to protected public land in New Mexico in a generation, and it will make the Marquez Wildlife Area the largest state-owned recreation property in our state.

PHOTO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Tribal leaders, and Trust for Public Land celebrate the expansion of the Marquez Wildlife Area in New Mexico, June 29, 2022.

The high mesas, dramatic volcanic cones, and wide-open valleys of this stunningly beautiful landscape near the iconic Mt. Taylor are home to cultural sites for the Pueblos of Acoma, Laguna, and Zuni, and the Navajo Nation. There is also abundant habitat teeming with wildlife, including large herds of elk that range from its northeastern foothills all the way to the plateau of Mt. Taylor.

I am deeply grateful to all of the partners, including Trust for Public Land, Tribal Nations, and the State of New Mexico, who have made this incredible example of landscape-scale conservation happen. This landscape was also protected for future generations thanks in large part to federal dollars from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act.

I cannot wait for New Mexicans to see just how special this place is.

Sincerely,

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator