Tuesday is the last day in a public comment period on the Bureau of Land Management's plans to open up a buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park to mining and oil and gas drilling.
New Mexico's Democratic Congressional Delegation, as well as some Pueblo governors and environmental groups have denounced both the plan and the length of the comment period, which is just one week. Acoma Pueblo Gov. Charles Riley told Source NM the requirement to submit public comment through an online portal also presents a “substantial barrier” to members of his community.
University of New Mexico researcher Patricia L. Crown has found evidence of sacred objects like cacao, seashells and tropical bird feathers being brought to Chaco from as far away as Central America around three thousand years ago. In a recent PBS documentary, Crown said the findings point to evidence of shared spiritual beliefs and cultural practices that spanned continents long before the arrival of Europeans in the Western Hemisphere. Members of some Pueblo groups still use Chaco as a ceremonial site to this day.
You can visit the BLM's website to comment on the bureau's plans to remove protections around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
