We support shift of White Sands to national park

We join with the Las Cruces City Council in requesting the federal government to upgrade White Sands National Monument to a national park, and encourage the County Commission to do the same.

Such an upgrade would require an act of Congress. The City Council voted unanimously to request that Congress pass the White Sands National Park Establishment Act. Dara Parker, a field representative for U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, said the bill had not been introduced yet, but they hoped to do so soon.

White Sands National Monument is already managed by the National Park Service in much the same way as a national park, with an entrance gate charging admission and a visitor’s center/gift shop. It also has a backcountry campground with 10 sites, three picnic areas and eight structures including the visitors center.

By comparison, the more recently designated Organ Mountains/Desert Peaks National Monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and lacks those facilities.

“National parks are perceived to be more prestigious by the traveling public,” she said.

There are just 61 national parks in the country, and only one in New Mexico – Carlsbad Caverns.

The large gypsum dunes between Las Cruces and Alamogordo were designated as White Sands National Monument in 1933, and have long been one of the top local destinations for curious travelers. A National Park Service report showed that the monument attracted more than 555,000 visitors in 2016, generating an estimated $29.3 million and supporting an estimated 437 jobs in nearby communities.

Along with the white dunes that the monument is famous for, the site also has prehistoric tracks of dire wolf, mammoth, sabre tooth cat and other animals from the Cenozoic era. There are also hundreds of species of plant, bird and animal life, sparking the interests of scientists and researchers from throughout the world.

Designation as a national park would take what is already an important asset and would dramatically increase its value.

The proposed legislation would also include a land swap with White Sands Missile Range, and would clarify issues between the monument and the missile range created by previous congressional action.

Parker said that WSMR officials are aware of the proposed legislation, and have been cooperating with them. And, she said the Department of Defense seems supportive based an initial report.

The Doña Ana County Board of County Commissioners had passed a similar resolution in December 2016, but then rescinded the decision in January, 2017 after a new board was sworn into office. We encourage the commission to take a second look. Local support will be important once the bill is introduced in Congress.