Calls increase for a Caja del Rio national monument

The voices calling on President Joe Biden to designate Caja del Rio Plateau a national monument in the waning days of his presidency have increased.

The 106,000-acre plateau near Santa Fe is made up of state and federal public lands and has long been used for ceremonial and religious practices, hunting and grazing. A 3,400-acre section of the Caja del Rio gained protection from mining after an executive order from State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard last week.

Over 100 tribal and faith leaders in New Mexico sent Biden, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the New Mexico congressional delegation a letter in support of a new national monument.

“National monument status will give the Caja’s land, water, wildlife, cultural, archeological and sacred sites protection while ensuring that traditional New Mexican land uses can be protected for future generations,” it reads.

All five members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation echoed the request Thursday with a letter of their own.

“The absence of adequate stewardship has led to environmental degradation, vandalism, and excessive trash. This threatens the very fabric of this sacred and biodiverse landscape,” it reads.