Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument
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The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument is an American national monument in Doña Ana County around the city of Las Cruces in New Mexico . The protected area consists of four separate areas. A partial area extends several times to the Rio Grande . It is located in the northern tip of the Chihuahua Desert . It was designated by President Barack Obama by a Presidential Proclamation as part of the National Landscape Conservation System on May 21, 2014 with an area of 496,330 acres (200,860 hectares ). The reserve was designated because of its landscape and importance for science, history and prehistoric finds. The northwestern part of the reserve borders directly on the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument . The area goes at one point almost to the border with the Mexican state of Chihuahua .
administration
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument is under the management of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The entire area is federally owned and was looked after by the BLM even before it was designated. Land within the boundaries of the reserve that is not owned or controlled by the United States becomes part of the reserve upon acquisition of ownership or control by the United States.
Hiking, hunting, camping, bird watching, climbing, mountain biking, horse riding and other recreational uses are permitted in the reserve.
Except for emergency or approved administrative purposes, the use of motor vehicles and bicycles in the protected area is only permitted on designated roads and paths. No additional roads or paths for the use of motor vehicles or non-motorized vehicles may be created, unless this is necessary for public safety or the protection of the protected area.
Animal and plant species
There are fossil sites such as the Shelter Cave and the Conkling Cavern .
Wildlife species in the desert include the coyote , puma mule deer , Audubon cottontail rabbit , rattlesnake species, some bird species, and numerous species of lizards. There are species of birds of prey such as aplomado falcon , red-tailed buzzard and golden eagle . The bighorn sheep is now extinct.
The plant species or genera Fouquieria splendens , mesquite trees , creosote bush , opuntia , yucca faxoniana , barrel cactus, dasylirion , agaves and Gutierrezia occur.
People in the area
The American Indians have inhabited this area for over 10,000 years. Hundreds of petroglyphs are carved into the rocks and cliffs . Various rock art and ceramic fragments show that the early inhabitants of the region evolved from wandering hunters to semi-permanent villagers over time. 243 archaeological sites were discovered. The El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail is reminiscent of an early trade route that connected numerous existing Indian hiking trails. In the 1800s, the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area was central to several battles between the Apaches, Spaniards, Mexicans, and Americans. During the Civil War from 1861 to 1865, between Union and Confederate troops, the first fighting in New Mexico took place here. According to legend, the famous Apache leader Geronimo used a cave in the Robledo Mountains to hide from US soldiers. While the soldiers stood guard at the only entrance to today's Geronimo's Cave , the Apache leader mysteriously disappeared without a trace. A US military heliograph station from the 1880s, the remains of which still stand on Lookout Peak in the Robledo Mountains , transmitted Morse code during the army's western campaigns against Indian tribes. Twenty miles of the Butterfield Overland Mail ran through the area. Billy the Kid has crossed this area repeatedly. While he was hiding in the Robledo Mountains, he is said to have left the writing the Kid on Outlaw Rock , which is still visible today . During the Second World War, the United States Army Corps of Engineers built bomb targets on 18 acres, the remains of which still characterize the landscape today. Bombers launched from nearby airfields dropped bombs during training flights. In Kilbourne Hole practiced astronauts of the Apollo program .
While The Designation of National Monuments was often criticized by the local population, 60 percent of the Doña Ana County electorate voted for the designation
Web links
- New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources : Map of Prehistoric Trackways National Monument and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument (official site )
- Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument (English)
- National Geographic : New National Monument Created in New Mexico (English)
Coordinates: 32 ° 19 ′ 33.6 ″ N , 106 ° 36 ′ 0 ″ W.