[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 303 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 303

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should declare 
  Kneeling Nun Mountain in Grant County, New Mexico, to be a national 
                   monument, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 20, 1998

   Mr. Torres (for himself, Mr. Pastor, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Becerra, Mr. 
 Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Towns, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. 
    Frost, Mr. Filner, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. 
    Velazquez, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Romero-Barcelo, Mr. Underwood, Mr. 
 Hinojosa, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Serrano, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Sanchez, and 
Mr. Martinez) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
                 referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should declare 
  Kneeling Nun Mountain in Grant County, New Mexico, to be a national 
                   monument, and for other purposes.

Whereas Kneeling Nun Mountain is one of southwest New Mexico's most identifiable 
        landmarks with a distinctive profile that can be seen for miles;
Whereas Kneeling Nun Mountain is and has been a culturally significant source of 
        centuries-old legends and beliefs among Native Americans, Hispanics, and 
        other residents of the area;
Whereas the National Congress of American Indians adopted a resolution 
        describing Kneeling Nun Mountain as ``sacred to the native Indian 
        population of southwestern New Mexico for many centuries'' and calling 
        for its permanent protection as ``a national monument dedicated to 
        preserving the history and cultural heritage of the great Mimbres and 
        Mogollon cultures'';
Whereas part of Kneeling Nun Mountain is owned by the Federal Government and is 
        managed by the Bureau of Land Management of the Department of the 
        Interior;
Whereas Kneeling Nun Mountain is threatened environmentally by the plans of the 
        Phelps Dodge Corporation to expand mining activities in the area;
Whereas the environmental threat to Kneeling Nun Mountain from mining activity 
        would be intensified by a land trade being contemplated by the Phelps 
        Dodge Corporation and the Bureau of Land Management;
Whereas expanding mining activities on and around Kneeling Nun Mountain will not 
        significantly add to the ore reserves of the Phelps Dodge Corporation or 
        provide a significant number of jobs for residents of communities near 
        the mountain; and
Whereas thousands of citizens of southwest New Mexico have joined with 
        representatives of various community groups in signing a petition urging 
        that Kneeling Nun Mountain be declared a national monument: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) Kneeling Nun Mountain in Grant County, New Mexico, is 
        historically and culturally significant;
            (2) the President should declare the Federal land on and 
        around Kneeling Nun Mountain to be a national monument in 
        accordance with section 2 of the Act entitled ``An Act for the 
        preservation of American antiquities'', enacted June 8, 1906 
        (16 U.S.C. 431; commonly known as the Antiquities Act of 1906); 
        and
            (3) until such time as the President acts as described in 
        paragraph (2), the Secretary of the Interior should act to 
        protect and preserve the Federal land on and around Kneeling 
        Nun Mountain from private encroachment and environmental 
        damage.
                                 <all>