New Mexico Could Lose 4,000 Acres In Proposed Land Office Deal

Governor Bill Richardson today released the following statement regarding the State Land Office’s proposed deal to swap state trust land in the Whites Peaks area.

“I’m extremely concerned about proposed land swaps between the State Land Office and private land owners in the Whites Peak area.

I am told the swaps would result in a net loss of almost 4,000 acres to the state, much of it pristine mountain, alpine meadow, lake and riparian territory. These are some of the finest public hunting and sporting grounds in the state.

I’m particularly concerned about the process by which this swap apparently has been arranged – namely, a behind-the-scenes deal with virtually no public input or notification, sealed bids, and inadequate opportunity for examination.

This should not be acceptable for any major transaction involving public trust lands, much less lands that for centuries have been used for traditional purposes such as hunting, trapping and recreation.

There are many questions surrounding this deal including fair value exchange, land use patterns, public access, and the ultimate effect on public trust beneficiaries. I’m also concerned about what covenants are in place, if any, with the private land owners to allow continued public access to the wilderness and to prevent subdivision and development of consolidated private lands, which could be devastating to adjoining wilderness areas.

I have heard from dozens of private citizens as well as members of our congressional delegation and local legislators echoing similar concerns. And contrary to statements from the Land Office, my Department of Game and Fish and the Game Commission were not consulted on this particular proposal.

While I understand potential benefits of land consolidation in a checkerboard region, consolidation for consolidation’s sake cannot justify moving forward with a deal that may not be in the best interest of our citizens or results in an inequitable deal for the state.

Until such time as the concerns expressed above are adequately addressed, neither I nor my departments and commissions can support this ill-conceived deal.”

Topics: conservation, environment, fair value, Governance, hunting, Land Deal, Land Office, Land Swap, New Mexico, notification, public input, public land, sealed bids, society, sporting, state trust land, transparency, U.S., United States, White Peaks

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