The New Mexico State Land Office, joined by members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, held a public meeting to discuss a possible land swap between the two parties out by the fairgrounds.
The meeting was attended by around 150 people and representatives from the state and the tribe went over the new plans.
Originally, the parcels in question were located south of A Mountain leaving many residents in the area concerned about increased traffic through their neighborhoods. Due to public concern and other reasons, the tribe and the state settled on a location out by The Doña Ana Fairgrounds.
The tribe says that they do not have any final plans on what to do with the land but talks of amphitheater and other entertainment have been brought up.
As for the original parcel by A Mountain, the tribe still wants access to that area for cultural activities though the specifics are still under negotiation.
State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, said that this access permit will be similar to one needed for people to hike or walk their dog on similar land.
“This is very similar. We do thousands of access permits throughout the state for state land. If you want to come on state land, even just to walk, you need permission and you need to pay for it,” TK said.
Las Cruces resident Patty Hughs said that she understood why the tribe wants to have access to the land but wants to be clear on what that means.
“The way that the commissioner explained it as an access permit is understandable because you can get an access permit for recreation so that in itself didn't raise any alarms,” Hughs said.
Hughs also said that while she is happy with the decision to move away from the A Mountain location, she still feels like she has not been given all of the information she wants and still has concerns about how the process took place.
“Our alarm has been so heightened by the way that this has all gone down and by the unwillingness of the tribe to be clear on what is happening so we find out what is happening by getting minutes of NMSU Board of Regents meetings, talking to county staff that's how we find out,” Hughs said.
