New Mexico, BLM swap land, raise school revenues

The state of New Mexico and the Bureau of Land Management have officially exchanged deeds for nearly 100,000 acres of land in Socorro and Catron counties. This transaction, completed in August, brought to a close more than a year of consultation and negotiation between the parties and is expected to lead to future land exchanges.

"This puts the state land trust in a better position to generate revenues for our schoolchildren," said New Mexico State Land Commissioner Ray Powell. "And in terms of our management of wildlife and flora, this is the right thing to do."

The checkerboard pattern of current state and federal land ownership in Socorro and Catron counties includes prime New Mexico habitat areas for elk and bighorn sheep. The land exchange opens former state lands to public access for hunting, hiking and other recreational uses.

Another goal of this and future exchanges is to consolidate holdings of isolated tracts of land.

Bill Calkins, BLM New Mexico State Director, said, "This exchange will provide for better utilization and public access to public lands and improve both agencies' ability to manage natural resources in New Mexico."

Benefits to the public include more logical ownership boundaries for three special management areas, two areas of critical environmental concern and four wilderness study areas.

Additional benefits are continued protection of significant habitat for elk and sheep, and improved management and public access to the western BLM Socorro Resource Area.

Powell and BLM officials said the New Mexico swap sets the tone for future cooperation between state and federal agencies in exchanges of land for the public good. He said future land exchanges with the federal government would involve state lands within Petroglyph National Monument, near Albuquerque, and in Chaco Canyon, a site of ancient Indian ruins in northwestern New Mexico.

Van Perkins of the Sierra Club said his group was pleased with the land exchange because it consolidated ownership and management of environmentally important areas that might receive federal wilderness designations in the future.