Luna County mountains could become a national monument. But how would it affect ranchers?

Lori Coleman said she could be put out of business if about 245,000 acres of public land in Luna County became a national monument.

The land near Deming, amid the Floridian and Goodsight mountains, Cookes Range and Tres Hermanas was proposed to be designated as Mimbres Peaks National Monument by a group of state lawmakers and conservation groups this week.

Part of the land is Rockhound State Park, but Coleman worried that if it was set aside by the federal government for uses like camping and hiking, it could put a stranglehold on her small mining business.

Rockhound was established in 1965, and spans about 1,100 acres in the Florida Mountains of southwest New Mexico.

Coleman owns Spanish Stirrup Rock Shop about 180 miles away, in Alto, but sources her wares — a variety of agates, jaspers and other minerals that can be collected or used for jewelry — from the historical area.

Coleman said she currently operates a dig within the area under permit from the federal Bureau of Land Management. Her claim would be grandfathered in any designation change she said, but she would be blocked from opening any future claims.

“You never know when your deposit is going to run out,” Coleman said. “This monument designation would put me out of business. We’ve been blindsided by this.”

The campaign to see the area become a national monument was announced Wednesday during a press conference near the land proposed for the listing, led by Democrat New Mexico Sen. Carrie Hamblen of Las Cruces.

The group touted the economic stimulation they said was brought on by the 2014 designation of an area in Doña Ana County as Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, boosting local tourism and outdoor recreation.

A study from the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce, of which Hamblen is the chief executive officer, showed that since 2012 visitation tripled from 183,900 that year to 612,781 in 2022.

Supporters of the proposal hoped to bring the same economic benefits to the more rural Luna County.

“The community in Deming is excited about those opportunities to be replicated with the designation of the Mimbres Peaks National Monument,” Hamblen said. “This is an exciting opportunity for the residents of Deming to not only embrace their incredible public lands but also show they are welcoming the tourism dollars that will uplift this area.”

Agriculture industry leaders said they opposed the designation as it could impede their industry by adding more government regulation to farming and ranching operations in the area.

"Our ranchers, many of whom have been working on the land for generations, know far too well the challenges of managing a viable business while navigating multiple federal agencies," said Larry Reagan, president of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau.

"As good stewards of these lands and major contributors to the economy in Luna County and the state, we are disappointed that the agricultural community was not included in these conversations."

The project does have the backing of Luna County Commissioner Ray Trejo who said it would leverage the historical significance of the area to create a stronger economy for the local community.

He said the success of Organ Mountains in neighboring Doña Ana County was proof that it could also work for Rockhound's surrounding communities.

“We need to look no further than neighboring counties to know that protected public lands are good for our local economies and the people who call New Mexico home,” Trejo said. “That’s why over the past year the city and county have been looking at the opportunities, the process, and the concept of a new national monument.”

But Coleman was unconvinced.

She said her and a group of land users including local farmers and ranchers planned to attend the Luna County Commission meeting on Thursday, calling for a resolution to oppose designating the land as a monument.

“They have no intention to speak with the local community,” Coleman said. “They need to stay in Las Cruces and mind their own business.”

She said Luna County is much different than the more urban Doña Ana County, which contains New Mexico’s second-biggest city in Las Cruces and home to New Mexico State University.

What worked there, might not in Luna County, Coleman said, where she estimated 70 percent of the land is already government-owned.

“We’ve got other problems in Luna County besides needing all this tourism,” she said. “The ranchers and miners are doing just fine taking care of that mountain. We don’t need more government.”

To see the designation come to fruition, supporters must petition Congress to pass a bill or seek for the U.S. President to issue it via the Antiquities Act. Organ Mountains was designated this way by President Barrack Obama in 2014.

If it happened in Luna County, supporters said the monument would create a boon for multiple segments of the economy, including retail, dining and the hotel industry.

It could also protect sensitive wildlife like Persian Ibex, pronghorn, mountain lion or mule deer.

“That is why protecting these outdoor spaces is essential,” said Kyla Navarro, outreach coordinator with the Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. "There are many reasons for protecting our natural resources. But throughout southern New Mexico there is a recognition that our natural landscape contributes to the identity and shape of our communities.”

Coleman argued industries like mining and agriculture already served as good stewards of the land without what she called government “land grabs.”

“Our ranchers are the ones who care for our wildlife,” she said. “The constituents of Luna County do not want this.”

New Mexico Rep. Jenifer Jones (R-32) of Luna County doesn't want it either.

She said the proposed national monument would restrict access to the lands for the local community and industries Jones said support the economy of the region.

"Unfortunately, federal control results in loss of public access to community open space, potentially places limits on farming and ranching and will prohibit extraction industries which contribute real economic growth to our communities," Jones said.

"I am just as interested in how this impacts farmers and ranchers as I am about the purported benefits of yet another federal land grab."

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Industry concerns arise amid national monument proposal in Luna County