World News | Groups push U.S. land managers for durable Chaco conservation

ALBUQUERO (USA), April 21 (AP) — Native American activists and environmentalists are pushing the U.S. Department of the Interior to follow through on its pledge to make important moves that could affect Chaco Culture National Historic Park beyond its boundaries. Incorporating tribal perspectives when making management decisions in areas of cultural significance.

A coalition of more than 20 groups and individuals sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Halland on Wednesday saying oil and gas development in northwest New Mexico remains a threat and they want the agency to stop leasing until there are concerns about cultural resources and the environment. Cumulative impacts can be eliminated and resolved.

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The letter includes proposals that supporters say will ensure lasting protection of the vast area surrounding the national park. One of these includes the creation of a Tribal Advisory Council and an Environmental Justice Advisory Council, which are empowered to inform resource development on federal lands.

Harland, from Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency, traveled to New Mexico in 2021 to announce the Chaco in Remembrance initiative.

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Since then, interviews, planning sessions, and conferences have been conducted with historic preservation experts and others. Now, the groups want to know when the next phase will start and when they will start making changes.

“In order to continue to build trust and confidence that this initiative indeed represents a new direction in the management of cultural landscapes in the region, the Home Office must demonstrate its willingness to avoid choices that could irreparably damage the landscape and impact the conservation of land and resources,” the letter said wrote.

The groups say the development moratorium falls within the agency’s purview and is consistent with the Biden administration’s policy mandate.

The Interior Department confirmed its commitment to the Chaco initiative Thursday, saying leaders from the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs have been working with tribal conservation officials and tribal groups.

The agency released a report in November detailing its work so far, saying the idea is to create a new tribal-led approach to best identify ways to preserve tribal and pueblo cultures across the region, And consider strategies to ensure a sustainable economic future for residents and workers.

Arguments over the closure of a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius around the park have pitted the Navajo Nation against other tribes in the area. Some Navajos have called for protection of smaller areas to protect royalties and other income on which some families depend.

If approved by the Interior Department, the withdrawal would only affect federal lands, but critics argue that the checkerboard nature of land titles in the area will limit interest in Navajo-controlled lands and lands that Navajos personally own.

Federal officials are calling the Chaco initiative a new effort that could provide a road map and lessons learned for future work with tribes.

Still, some activists who have been pushing to protect the Chaco say they feel momentum has stalled and they have invited federal officials to visit the area again.

Pueblo conservation experts are also working to complete the first ethnographic study of the area, which they hope will be used as part of the initiative and in future decision-making. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)