Editor,
From Rio Grande del Norte to Otero Mesa, we all have our favorite places that make New Mexico what it is. With so many special places to enjoy outdoors, I am not surprised that, according to a recent Colorado College poll, two-thirds of us in New Mexico consider ourselves conservationists, and more than 90 percent of us are concerned about the water in our state’s rivers.
Unfortunately, many of our parks, forests and open spaces in New Mexico are at risk from overdevelopment and pollution from increased mining and drilling. President Obama has the opportunity to slow this trend and preserve one of our most special places in the state by designating Rio Grande del Norte a national monument, which will permanently protect the area from development.
Rio Grande del Norte is a spectacular example of all the things we love about New Mexico: incredible diversity and abundance of wildlife, majestic mountains and the meandering Rio Grande. It is one of the reasons a majority of New Mexicans agree that our public lands enhance our quality of life. It is up to our generation to permanently protect the parks, forests and special places we love, thereby giving our children the opportunity to enjoy them as much as we do.
Nina Gillespie
UNM student
