Advocates for protecting the Pecos watershed from mining worried after public meeting is postponed

PECOS — Advocates are worried about a federal proposal to protect the Upper Pecos Watershed from mining for the next 20 years after the Bureau of Land Management postponed a public meeting meant to collect feedback on the proposal.

More than 50 people gathered in the Pecos Village Hall on Wednesday night. They were supposed to attend a meeting hosted by the Bureau of Land Management about potentially withdrawing mineral rights from 164,000 National Forest lands and 1,330 acres of BLM-managed lands near the Pecos River headwaters. When the BLM meeting was postponed, advocacy group New Mexico Wild held a community meeting instead to gather letters in support of the mineral withdrawal.

“We want our future generations to continue to thrive here. Pecos is very special, not just for us, but for Jemez Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo, who have been doing their own work behind the scenes to say that this place is special to them as well,” said Ralph Vigil, a northern organizer for NM Wild and a Pecos farmer.

BLM postponed the meeting a week before it was set to take place and has not set a new date yet. The agency is still encouraging the public to submit comments on the proposal until March 17. The two-year process for deciding if mining should not be allowed on the land was started by former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and former President Joe Biden in December.

The people in Pecos Village know how a mine can leave a legacy of contamination long after closing. The Tererro Mine operated from 1926 to 1939, mining lead and zinc north of Pecos Village. After the mine closed, mine and mill waste was used to fill campgrounds, trailheads and at the Lisboa Springs Fish Hatchery. The mine waste led to water contamination, which in 1991 killed off more than 90,000 trout at the hatchery.

A different mining company, Comexico LLC, applied for exploratory drilling permits in 2019 to look for gold, copper, zinc, lead and silver, and has acquired mining claims throughout the Pecos headwaters.

Pecos Mayor Ted Benavidez said he is concerned about the long-term health and economic impacts of mining near the Pecos River. Camping and fishing near the river are significant economic drivers for the village.

“I believe that we all need to work together to keep the Pecos River,” he said. “It’s one of the best fishing areas around. People love it.”

Representatives from both of the state’s U.S. senators and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández attended the community meeting. The three sponsored legislation in the last session of Congress, the Pecos Watershed Protection Act, to grant permanent protection for the watershed. The entire delegation advocated for the mineral withdrawal.

“New Mexicans who have been united for years in calling for protections for this cherished watershed deserve to have their voices heard. The withdrawal process would protect clean water and safeguard this region from harmful mining pollution,” Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said in a statement.

Cathy Cook is a news reporter for the Albuquerque Journal. Reach her via email at ccook@abqjournal.com.