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Las Cruces area conservation groups raise concerns about proposed 4WD/ATV/UTV rallies

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  Commentary: Three local conservation groups have sent a nine-point letter to US International Boundary & Water Commissioner Jayne Harkins stating significant concerns regarding two planned off-road vehicle rallies to take place in the bed and along the banks of the Rio Grande in Las Cruces. The rallies appear to be attracting many hundreds of local and out-of-state participants.

 

The International Boundary & Water Commission (IBWC) manages the Rio Grande, including permitting river access for approved reasons. The conservation groups are the Las Cruces Chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico (NPSNM), the Mesilla Valley Audubon Society (MVAS) and the Southwest Environmental Center (SWEC).

 

The letter raises concerns about the impact of the events on the river’s environment, especially streamside vegetation, birds, fish and other aquatic organisms. The letter notes that the river is especially important for migratory waterfowl and wading birds such as sandhill cranes that are passing through the area right now and utilize pools in the river for foraging and roosting.

 

The letter also underscores the reasons that the events are at odds with IBWC’s mission, including impacts to recent costly levee reconstruction that provides flood control for the region, impacts to ecological restoration projects required, and increased erosion and sediment deposits, which are costly for the IBWC to remove.

 

The proposed off-road vehicle rallies are also in conflict with citizen-approved priorities, such as habitat restoration, recreational walking and biking trail development, and the development of the statewide Rio Grande Trail.

 

Further, the events directly violate the Governor’s public health mandates regarding mass meetings and self-quarantine. These events encourage people to congregate, including participants from out-of-state who will not be self-quarantining for the required length of time, creating an unacceptable risk of COVID-19 transmission.

 

All three groups are 501(c)(3) organizations dedicated to education, conservation and advocacy with regard to wildlife, native plants and the environment. You can learn more about them online. Find NMPSNM at npsnm.org, MVAS at mvasaudubon.org and SWEC at wildmesquite.org.