[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 129 (Sunday, October 10, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  LINCOLN COUNTY CONSERVATION, RECREATION, AND DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 4, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. I rise today to encourage my colleagues to 
vote for passage of H.R. 4593. Title II of this legislation is the 
Ojito Wilderness Act. The Ojito Wilderness Study Area consists of about 
11,000 acres of BLM land characterized by pristine and dramatic 
landforms and rock structures, and by several rare plant populations 
that are indigenous to the area. Title II of H.R. 4593 designates this 
area as permanent wilderness and enables the Pueblo of Zia to buy land 
to unite the disparate pieces of their tribal lands. I sincerely 
appreciate the effort of Representative Heather Wilson, my New Mexico 
colleague and the cosponsor of H.R. 3176, The Ojito Wilderness Act, 
which was introduced last year and is being voted on today as part of 
Mr. Gibbons' wilderness bill.
  I am honored on many levels to have helped get this bill to the floor 
of the House of Representatives. Forty years ago last month, while my 
father Stewart Udall was Secretary of the Interior, President Johnson 
signed into law the Wilderness Act, written to assure that some lands 
of the United States were left in the natural state in which humans 
found them. I am proud to follow in my father's footsteps by doing my 
part to help create the first new wilderness designation in New Mexico 
in over 25 years. But even more so, I am humbled by the hard work of so 
many New Mexico residents who have come together and fought for years 
to make this a reality. The cooperation exhibited among the Pueblo of 
Zia, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, private landholders adjacent 
to the lands, corporations operating in this area, and government, 
state and local officials has been phenomenal, and all of New Mexico 
should be proud.
  This proposal has been under consideration for many years, and I am 
pleased we have the opportunity today to take an important step toward 
making it law. In 1991, Manuel Lujan, the Secretary of the Interior in 
the former President Bush's cabinet, recommended the Ojito area to 
Congress for wilderness designation. The BLM has evaluated this area 
and found it qualifies for full wilderness status and protection.
  The legislation has the explicit support of the Governor of New 
Mexico, the counties of Sandoval and Bernalillo, individual members of 
State government including our State Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons, 
the Pueblo of Zia and its members, the adjacent private land owners and 
individuals who graze their cattle on the land, numerous environmental 
groups, mineral extraction companies in the region, and business owners 
and private citizens living and working nearby.
  Beyond its scenic and natural beauty, the Ojito Wilderness Study Area 
and the surrounding lands are also recognized for their high density of 
cultural and archeological sites, including sites that have religious 
significance to Pueblo Indians.
  This legislation is extremely important to the Pueblo of Zia. The 
Pueblo's reservation lands currently lie in two noncontiguous sections. 
Zia has made a concerted effort over many years to adjoin its 
reservation lands. This legislation will help make this long-standing 
goal a reality. The Pueblo has consistently and openly worked in 
cooperation with other interested parties to reach a mutually 
satisfactory arrangement for the protection of these important lands as 
undeveloped open space with continued public access.
  The Wilderness Act is one of the most poetic laws ever written, 
defining wilderness as ``an area where the earth and its community of 
life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does 
not remain'. The ability to experience our country's ``untrammeled'' 
natural beauty and to learn and teach our children about nature on 
publicly owned lands is one of the most important reasons for 
wilderness designations. I thank my cosponsor in the House Heather 
Wilson, Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall of the Resources 
Committee, their staff and all of the people who worked on this 
legislation for helping us move one step closer to giving our children 
and grandchildren the legacy of nature's gifts.
  I urge my fellow Members to support this legislation.

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