Some New Mexico ranchers are worried they could lose their way of life as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management revises its resource management plan.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports land could be subject to wilderness characterizations, which ranchers worry could restrict their land from commercial uses such as farming or ranching.
The Bureau of Land Management hosted a public meeting last week in Hope to solicit feedback from the public on the resource management plan’s revision.
The resource management plan when finalized directs the bureau’s Pecos District’s management of federal lands in the region, which contains Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties.
In total, the resource management plan would affect nearly 3,300 square miles (about 8,600 square kilometers) of federally-managed surface, considering the needs of numerous industries, while balancing the need to conserve resources and wildlife.
