All five members of New Mexico’s federal delegation to Congress are joining forces to protect the Caja del Rio outside Santa Fe. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., introduced the Caja del Rio Protection Act on May 8 to permanently safeguard the culturally and ecologically significant Caja del Rio plateau, according to a news release from Heinrich’s office. Unveiled at the La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs, the legislation seeks to establish a new Special Management Area and National Conservation Area near Santa Fe. The bill, co-sponsored by fellow Democrats Rep. Gabe Vasquez and Melanie Stansbury, aims to protect the land from privatization while preserving traditional uses like grazing and hunting.
The act addresses growing threats to the landscape, including illegal dumping, vandalism of petroglyphs, and irresponsible off-roading. By prohibiting new mining and the construction of new roads, the legislation ensures that a planned electrical upgrade for Los Alamos National Laboratory is the last transmission line allowed to cross the plateau. It also mandates coordination with traditional historic communities and consultation with Tribes to protect sacred sites and confidential Indigenous knowledge from desecration or public disclosure.
Supporters of the measure include the All Pueblo Council of Governors and the Santa Fe County Commission. Heinrich emphasized that the Caja del Rio is a “place of memory, identity, ceremony, recreation, and refuge” for northern New Mexico that requires shared responsibility to maintain. The legislation now moves to Congress, where supporters say the bill will secure permanent protections for the wildlife corridors and historical segments of the El Camino Real located within the plateau.
