Las Cruces
The Keep Parks Public tour stopped in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to hear from leaders from the business community, local conservation groups, and representatives speaking on behalf of New Mexico congressional members. The team made a visit to Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, enjoyed a special “OMDP” cocktail at nearby Mesilla restaurant, and then got up early to host a sunrise press conference at the national monument.
The press conference, co-hosted by the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the ongoing threats to American public lands, including an attempt to reduce protections for New Mexico’s Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Other risks of these attacks include diminished earnings for local businesses that depend on public lands, offering millions of acres to extractive industries and limiting the public’s access, and selling national public lands to private interests.
We heard from representatives from the offices of U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján, Mesilla Mayor Russell Hernandez, Ángel Peña, Executive Director of Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, Carrie Hamblen, State Senator and CEO of the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce, and Lauren Bogard, Senior Director of Advocacy at the Center for Western Priorities.
“Our public spaces are critical, not only for the conservation and environmental importance, but to our local businesses that depend on tourism dollars from visitors to our community, local residents who like to support businesses with shared values, and the national recognition Las Cruces receives from the out-of-state marketing of our national monument. In a time where our small businesses are struggling with increased tariffs and costs, changing the monument status would severely impact them and our local economy.”
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, designated in 2014 and located east of Las Cruces, attracted over 600,000 visitors in 2022, injecting approximately $35 million into the local economy each year. This revenue boost has supported businesses ranging from hotels and restaurants to outdoor outfitters and art galleries. The monument is one of six national monuments Interior Department officials have identified to lose federal protections. President Trump’s proposed 2026 budget reductions—including cuts to National Park Service operations, Forest Service management, and scientific research—further threaten New Mexico’s rural economies along with New Mexican’s ability to access and enjoy public lands across the state.