Sponsors (3)
Official title: To establish the Caja del Rio Special Management Area and Caja del Rio National Conservation Area in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 30, 2026 by Teresa Leger Fernandez · Last progress April 30, 2026
The bill secures long-term conservation, tribal participation, and watershed protections across thousands of acres while improving planning and restoration capacity — but it does so by restricting motorized and extractive uses and imposing administrative costs that will limit local access and economic opportunities for some communities.
Residents, visitors, and wildlife on roughly the designated federal lands will see long-term protection of scenic, ecological, and cultural values as large tracts are conserved and new withdrawals prevent extractive development.
Indigenous and tribal communities gain formal management roles, the ability to be named cooperating agencies, and greater recognition of Indigenous knowledge and protected cultural access.
Rural residents, recreationists, and resource managers will experience reduced unauthorized motorized use and fewer undesignated roads through limits and decommissioning, improving public safety, habitat protection, and recreation quality.
Rural residents, private landowners, and motorized recreation users will face restricted vehicle access and decommissioned roads, limiting travel, access to traditional sites, and some recreational uses.
Prospective miners, energy developers, and local/state governments may lose economic opportunities, jobs, and revenue because of withdrawals and bans on new mining, mineral, and geothermal leasing and limits on commercial uses.
Federal agencies, partners, and taxpayers will incur increased administrative, implementation, and monitoring costs (plans, surveys, appraisals, stewardship agreements) that may require appropriations or divert agency resources.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Designates Caja del Rio NCA and SMA, withdraws mapped lands from many new mining and disposal uses, restricts roads/motorized use, requires management plans with tribal consultation.
Designates roughly 17,800 acres as the Caja del Rio National Conservation Area (BLM) and about 67,200 acres as the Caja del Rio Special Management Area (managed by the Forest Service) in New Mexico, withdraws the mapped lands from many forms of new mineral and public-land disposal, restricts new road construction and most motorized uses, and requires management plans with tribal consultation and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge. It preserves existing valid rights (including grazing) while directing federal agencies to decommission undesignated roads, allow limited administrative and tribal access, carry out ecological restoration, and coordinate land stewardship with tribes, state and local governments, and other federal agencies.