HECHO Supports the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act

Rep. Theresa Leger Fernández from New Mexico and Senator Ben Ray Luján introduced the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, which will permanently protect Chaco Canyon and the greater landscape surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP).

"Protecting the lands around Chaco Canyon from oil and gas development will safeguard the network of ancient roads, villages, and shrines that surround Chaco Culture National Historical Park and will ensure clean air and water for local communities," said Camilla Simon, executive director of Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO). "In 2021, President Biden prohibited oil and gas development in this area with a 20-year ban, but we must do more to preserve this irreplaceable treasure for future generations. HECHO applauds and supports Senator Ben Ray Luján and Representative Theresa Leger Fernández for introducing the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, which will permanently protect Chaco Canyon and the greater landscape surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP) by preventing future leasing of oil, gas, and minerals extraction in federal lands located within a 10-mile buffer zone around the CCNHP."

The Chaco Canyon is home to some of our country's oldest and most well-preserved ancient dwellings, shrines, and artifacts of the ancestral Puebloans, who lived in the area from 850-1250 A.D.