A new directive from New Mexico’s top public lands official has halted all new mining projects on state-owned land in the Upper Pecos Watershed.
State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard signed the executive order Wednesday.
It immediately blocks any new mineral exploration or development across more than 2,500 acres of state trust land in the Upper Pecos region, long valued for its cultural, environmental, and economic importance.
The ban will remain in effect through the end of 2045, according to yesterday’s announcement from Garcia Richard.
East of Santa Fe, the Upper Pecos is home to historic acequia systems, supports a regional outdoor recreation economy, and holds deep cultural significance for both Indigenous and Hispanic communities.
The Pecos River watershed is considered sacred by the Pueblo of Jemez and Pueblo of Tesuque, and is the ancestral home of the Pueblo of Pecos.
According to a statement from the State Land Office, the order comes amid renewed concerns about mining activity near the village of Tererro.
A subsidiary of an Australian mining company has active claims nearby, stirring local fears of water contamination and environmental damage—memories that recall a major spill in the early 1990s that killed tens of thousands of fish in the Pecos River.
Although the federal government began considering a wider mineral withdrawal for the region late last year, a recent executive order from President Donald Trump could signal a shift in federal policy to encourage mining on public land.
