press releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Friday, May 15, and tomorrow, Saturday, May 16, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will attend events in Doña Ana County to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Tonight, Senator Heinrich will help kick-off the celebration at an event sponsored by the Las Cruces...

More than 100 years ago, a New Mexican named Edgar Lee Hewett drafted a piece of legislation that would become known as the Antiquities Act. Many know that Republican Congressman John F. Lacey sponsored and passed this legislation and that President Teddy Roosevelt signed it and put it to great effect. Nearly every president since then, on both...

Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and hundreds of Doña Ana County advocates gathered at Oñate High School to celebrate the proclamation designating the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.  The Senators issued the following statements: Udall: "This is a great day for New...

(From left: U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Congressman Ben Ray Luján, President Barack Obama, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich and U.S. Senator Tom Udall. Photo courtesy from the U.S. Department of the Interior) WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, New Mexicans celebrated the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Proclamation that...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will join President Barack Obama, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, and community leaders from New Mexico today, Wednesday, May 21, at approximately 4 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. MT at the Department of Interior for a historic proclamation signing ceremony establishing the...

President Obama's plan to designate a 500,000-acre national monument in southern New Mexico today will not impede the government's ability to secure the Mexican border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The CBP statement refutes claims by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and a local New Mexican sheriff that the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statements today after the White House announced President Obama's plan to sign a proclamation on Wednesday designating the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks in southern New Mexico as a national monument: "The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National...

This is a press release from the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks Coalition.  Leaders from five Native American tribes—Ysleta de Sur Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo and the Fort Sill Apache Tribe—recently toured several sacred sites in the proposed Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in New Mexico. The...

The Obama administration is preparing to designate areas in New Mexico and California off-limits to development under its executive authority, according to individuals familiar with the matter, a move that signals a bolder public-lands policy in the president’s second term. The individuals, who asked not to be identified because a final...

Down in Las Cruces, excitement is growing. Years of work to preserve the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak region are almost completed, with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell visiting Friday to listen to the community and hear their views on what should be done to protect the majestic country. Her visit is likely one of the last steps before action is...

They do a lot of things well in New Mexico. It is truly a Land of Enchantment. However, one area to address is the protection of significant historical sites and artifacts within the state's borders. This is a shame, considering the wealth of history that can be found in all corners of the state -- but especially within the borders of the proposed...

The Organ Mountains and surrounding area form a beautiful and iconic backdrop for Las Cruces and are beloved by New Mexicans who visit Doña Ana County to hunt, picnic, hike, and explore. This month, we were proud to introduce legislation to ensure that future generations of New Mexicans can continue those traditions, while boosting tourism...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich introduced legislation to preserve some of Doña Ana County’s most iconic landscapes, while boosting the region’s tourism and outdoor economy, creating jobs and improving hunting and hiking opportunities. The Organ...