On Wednesday, October 26, 2005, President Bush signed the Ojito Wilderness Act into law (Public Law No. 109-94). The measure represents the first new wilderness law enacted during the 109th Congress. The Ojito Wilderness is also the first new wilderness area in New Mexico in 18 years and one of only a handful of wilderness areas designated on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the state.
An October 29 editorial in the Albuquerque Journal titled "Ojito a Win For N.M. Delegation", stated, "Passing of the bill is a mark of success for New Mexico Congressional delegation, some of whom have been working for more than a decade to officially preserve the area." The editorial quoted Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness Chair, Arturo Sandoval saying, " "This law is a testament to what can be accomplished when our leaders work together on behalf of New Mexico's land legacy." The editorial concludes, "Passage of Ojito shows that partisan differences can be put aside for the right issue, and keeping Ojito pristine is one such issue."
A formal celebration of New Mexico's newest wilderness area is expected sometime next year.
Background
The Ojito Wilderness Act was first introduced in 2003 in the first session of the 108th Congress. The House and Senate passed different versions of Ojito Wilderness Act in the 108th Congress, but time ran out before the two bodies could reconcile the different measures and pass identical versions of the bill. In January 2005, Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Representatives Tom Udall (D-NM) and Heather Wilson (R-NM) reintroduced identical versions of the bill. The bill was approved unanimously on the Senate floor in July and the House voted unanimously to support the Senate-passed version of the bill (S. 156) on October 18, 2005.
The measure designates more than 11,000 acres of picturesque public land northwest of Albuquerque as Wilderness. The measure also allows the Pueblo of Zia to purchase certain public lands buffering the area. The lands to be purchased by the Pueblo of Zia will remain open to the general public and will be managed as open, undeveloped space in perpetuity.
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