Establishment of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, 30431-30436 [X14-10528]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 102 (Wednesday, May 28, 2014)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 30431-30436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: X14-10528]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 102 / Wednesday, May 28, 2014 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 30431]]

                Proclamation 9131 of May 21, 2014

                
Establishment of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks 
                National Monument

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In southern New Mexico, surrounding the city of Las 
                Cruces in the R[iacute]o Grande's fertile Mesilla 
                Valley, five iconic mountain ranges rise above 
                Chihuahuan Desert grasslands: the Robledo, Sierra de 
                las Uvas, Do[ntilde]a Ana, Organ, and Potrillo 
                Mountains. These mountain ranges and lowlands form the 
                Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area.

                The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area is important for 
                its ruggedly beautiful landscape and the significant 
                scientific, historic, and prehistoric resources found 
                there. The abundant resources testify to over 10,000 
                years of vibrant and diverse human history of many 
                peoples. Objects left behind by this multi-layered 
                history and spread throughout this geologically and 
                ecologically diverse landscape enhance the experience 
                of visitors to the area and represent a vital resource 
                for paleontologists, archaeologists, geologists, 
                biologists, and historians.

                Archaeologically rich, the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks 
                area features hundreds of artifacts, rock art, 
                dwellings, and other evidence of the Native peoples of 
                the area. Three of the many rock art areas are in the 
                Las Valles Canyon in the Sierra de las Uvas, the 
                Providence Cone area in the Potrillo Mountains, and the 
                Do[ntilde]a Ana Mountains. Scattered Paleo Indian 
                artifacts, including those from the Folsom and Clovis 
                cultures, represent the first people who lived in 
                southern New Mexico and have been found in the Robledo 
                and Potrillo Mountains as well as the Las Uvas Valley. 
                The majority of the cultural items known to be in the 
                Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area are from the 
                Chihuahuan Archaic period between 8,000 and 2,000 years 
                ago. Diverse rock art images, along with ceramic 
                fragments, demonstrate that the area was the scene of 
                many cross-cultural interactions as the region's early 
                occupants transitioned over time from roaming hunters 
                to semi-permanent villagers.

                The deeply creviced peaks of the Organ Mountains, named 
                in 1682 by early European explorers for their 
                resemblance to organ pipes, conceal numerous ancient 
                dwellings, including La Cueva, and other caves where 
                smoke-blackened ceilings evidence long-extinguished 
                campfires. The Native people of these mountains used 
                natural overhangs for shelter and food storage, and 
                their obsidian points, basket fragments, and food 
                remains are still present. Small caves and pit-house 
                villages can be found across the landscape, including 
                ruins of a ten-room pueblo in the Robledo Mountains.

                El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic 
                Trail memorializes an early trading route linking 
                numerous pre-existing Native American footpaths to 
                connect Spanish colonial capitals. The Trail, used 
                through the 19th century by travelers, traders, 
                settlers, soldiers, clergy, and merchants, skirts the 
                Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area as it follows the 
                R[iacute]o Grande Valley. Explorers and travelers along 
                the Trail documented the marvels of this area in their 
                journals and explored the mountains in search of 
                mineral riches and game. Historians continue to study 
                the southernmost portion of the area, which was 
                acquired in 1854 as part of the Gadsden Purchase, the 
                final territorial acquisition within the contiguous 
                United States.

[[Page 30432]]

                In the 1800s, the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area was 
                central to several battles among the Apaches, Spanish, 
                Mexicans, and Americans, and between Union and 
                Confederate troops. The first Civil War engagements in 
                New Mexico were fought in the Organ Mountains when 
                Confederate soldiers used Baylor Pass Trail to outflank 
                Union soldiers. In a Robledo Mountains legend, the 
                famed Apache leader Geronimo is said to have entered a 
                cave to avoid U.S. soldiers; while the soldiers stood 
                guard at the only entrance of what is now known as 
                ``Geronimo's Cave,'' the Apache leader mysteriously 
                disappeared without a trace. An 1880s U.S. military 
                heliograph station, the remains of which still stand at 
                Lookout Peak in the Robledo Mountains, transmitted 
                Morse code messages during the Army's western 
                campaigns.

                In the late 1850s, John Butterfield developed the 
                Butterfield Overland Trail, a mail and passenger 
                stagecoach service from Memphis and St. Louis to San 
                Francisco. Butterfield set upon improving the segments 
                of the Trail in southern New Mexico that had been 
                previously used by Spanish explorers, the Mormon 
                Battalion, and western settlers. Crossing the Organ 
                Mountain-Desert Peaks area are about 20 miles of the 
                Trail, along which sit the remains of at least one 
                stage stop.

                Visitors to the Organ Mountains can still see remnants 
                of Dripping Springs, a once-popular resort and concert 
                hall, built in the 1870s and converted into a 
                sanatorium before its abandonment and decay. In the 
                late 19th century, the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid 
                (William H. Bonney) repeatedly traversed this area. 
                While hiding in the Robledo Mountains, ``the Kid'' 
                inscribed his signature, which is still visible today, 
                on what is now known as ``Outlaw Rock.'' During World 
                War II, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed 18-acre 
                bombing targets, the remains of which still dot the 
                landscape.

                The long, diverse, and storied history of this 
                landscape is not surprising given its striking geologic 
                features and the ecological diversity that they harbor. 
                The dramatic and disparate mountain ranges of the Organ 
                Mountains-Desert Peaks area tower above the surrounding 
                grasslands and deserts of the R[iacute]o Grande 
                watershed, while the R[iacute]o Grande winds through 
                the valley between the ranges. From the sedimentary 
                deposits of the Robledo Mountains in the west, where 
                the story of ancient life and activity is recorded in 
                fossilized footprints, to the needle-like spires of the 
                Organ Mountains in the east and the ancient volcanic 
                fields and lava flows in the south, these peaks trace 
                the region's varied geologic history.

                The Sierra de las Uvas, the westernmost of the peaks, 
                are low volcanic mountains that bear the red tint of 
                the lava from which they formed over 10 million years 
                ago. The tallest, Magdalena Peak, is a lava dome rising 
                6,509 feet above sea level. For millennia, the ridges, 
                cliffs, and canyons of the rugged Sierra de las Uvas 
                have defined the movement and migration patterns of 
                humans and wildlife alike. The Robledo Mountains, which 
                are composed of alluvial limestone bedrock and contain 
                numerous caves, have long been an important site for 
                research on the formation of desert soils and 
                sedimentary rock, including geological studies of 
                sedimentation and stratigraphy.

                The Potrillo Mountains and volcanic field are testament 
                to the area's violent geologic history of seismicity 
                and volcanism. Millions of years after the Cenozoic 
                tectonics that opened the R[iacute]o Grande Rift, 
                volcanic activity left its mark on the surface, which 
                is punctuated by cinder cone and shield volcanoes, 
                thick layers of basalt, craters, and lava flows. The 
                Potrillo volcanic field contains over 100 cinder cones, 
                ranging in age from 20,000 to one million years old. 
                The Aden Lava Flow area is characterized by lava tubes, 
                steep-walled depressions, and pressure ridges that 
                memorialize the flow of lava that created this unique 
                landscape.

                The volcanic field also contains five maars, or low-
                relief volcanic craters. Kilbourne Hole, a maar with 
                unique volcanic features that the Secretary of the 
                Interior designated as a National Natural Landmark in 
                1975, is over a mile wide and over 300 feet deep. The 
                sparkling yellow and green olivine glass granules found 
                inside rocks blown from the crater attract amateur

[[Page 30433]]

                and professional geologists to this site, and its 
                resemblance to the lunar landscape provides scientists 
                and visitors with other-worldly experiences, as it did 
                for the Apollo astronauts who trained there. A slightly 
                smaller maar, Hunt's Hole, brings visitors and 
                geologists to the southeastern corner of the Potrillo 
                Mountains complex. The wide range of unique and 
                exemplary volcanic features in the Potrillos makes this 
                area a center for research in geology and volcanology.

                The iconic Do[ntilde]a Ana Mountains include limestone 
                ridges, hogbacks, and cuestas topped by monzonite 
                peaks, including Summerford Mountain and Do[ntilde]a 
                Ana Peak, the highest of these at nearly 6,000 feet. To 
                the east, the steep, needle-like spires of the Organ 
                Mountains rise to over 9,000 feet and have been a 
                landmark for travelers for centuries. These block-
                faulted, uplifted mountains expose geologically 
                significant Precambrian granite and metamorphic 
                basement rocks.

                Much of the area is ripe for paleontological discovery. 
                For example, Shelter Cave in the Organ Mountains is a 
                well-documented fossil site, including fossil remnants 
                of ancient ground sloths, birds, and voles. The Robledo 
                Mountains are also an important site for 
                paleontological research; the fossilized tracks and 
                remains of prehistoric creatures preserved there play a 
                vital role in our understanding of the Permian period. 
                This area, along with the Organ Mountains, also 
                contains abundant invertebrate fossils. The 
                congressionally designated Prehistoric Trackways 
                National Monument is adjacent to, and shares its 
                paleontologically rich geologic formations with, the 
                Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area, suggesting that this 
                landscape could yield many more significant fossil 
                discoveries. Among the volcanic cones in the Potrillo 
                Mountains is Aden Crater, a small shield cone where a 
                lava tube housed the 11,000-year old skeleton of a 
                ground sloth, one of few ever recovered with skin and 
                hair preserved and a key to understanding the 
                extinction of this and other species.

                The diverse geology underlies an equally wide array of 
                vegetative communities and ecosystems, which range from 
                low-elevation Chihuahuan grasslands and scrublands to 
                higher elevation stands of ponderosa pine. Seasonal 
                springs and streams in the mountains and canyon bottoms 
                create rare desert riparian ecosystems. These 
                communities provide habitat for many endemic and 
                special status plant and animal species.

                Throughout the area, the characteristic plants of the 
                Chihuahuan desert are evident. Tobosa grasslands can be 
                found in the desert flats, punctuated by creosote bush 
                and mesquite, as well as sacahuista, lechuguilla, and 
                ferns. In the Sierra de las Uvas Mountains, black grama 
                grasslands appear on the mesas while juniper woodlands 
                and Chihuahuan vegetation give way to higher elevation 
                montane communities. Formed by a series of alluvial 
                fans, bajadas extend out from the base of the area's 
                mountains and provide purchase for oak species, Mexican 
                buckeye, prickly pears, white fir, willow, catsclaw 
                mimosa, sotol, agave, ocotillo, flowering cactus, 
                barrel cactus, brickellbush, and tarbush. The Potrillo 
                Mountains are home to desert shrub communities that 
                also include soaptree yucca and four winged saltbush.

                These species are emblematic of the Chihuahuan Desert, 
                and the diversity of plant and animal communities found 
                here is stunning. The transitions among vegetation 
                zones found in the Sierra de las Uvas and Potrillos 
                make this area an important resource for ecological 
                research. Similarly, the Do[ntilde]a Ana Mountains abut 
                one of the Nation's long-term ecological research 
                areas, making them an important feature of many studies 
                in wildlife biology, botany, and ecology.

                The Organ Mountains are home to alligator juniper, gray 
                oak, and mountain mahogany, as well as the endemic 
                Organ Mountain evening primrose, Organ Mountains giant 
                hyssop, Organ Mountains paintbrush, Organ Mountains 
                pincushion cactus, Organ Mountain figwort, Organ 
                Mountains scaleseed, night-blooming cereus, Plank's 
                Catchfly, and nodding cliff daisy, and likely the 
                endangered Sneed's pincushion cactus.

[[Page 30434]]

                The area also supports diverse wildlife. Across the 
                Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks landscape, many large 
                mammal species can be found, such as mountain lions, 
                coyotes, and mule deer. The Organ Mountains were also 
                historically home to desert bighorn sheep. Raptors such 
                as the golden eagle, red-tailed hawk, and endangered 
                Aplomado falcon soar above the area's grasslands and 
                foothills, where they prey on a variety of mice, rock 
                squirrels, and other rodents, including the Organ 
                Mountains chipmunk.

                The area's exceptional animal diversity also includes 
                many migratory and grassland song birds and a stunning 
                variety of reptiles, such as black-tailed, western 
                diamondback, and banded rock rattlesnakes; whipsnakes 
                and bullsnakes; and tree, earless, Madrean alligator, 
                and checkered whiptail lizards. Birds such as Gambel's 
                quail, black-throated sparrow, ladder-backed 
                woodpecker, verdin, black-tailed gnatcatcher, lesser 
                nighthawk, Scott's oriole, and cactus wren also make 
                their homes here, along with many species of bats. 
                Other mammals, including black-tailed jackrabbits, 
                cactus mice, and kangaroo rats, inhabit the area. One 
                of several species of rare terrestrial snails in the 
                area, the Organ Mountain talussnail, is also endemic.

                The protection of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area 
                will preserve its cultural, prehistoric, and historic 
                legacy and maintain its diverse array of natural and 
                scientific resources, ensuring that the prehistoric, 
                historic, and scientific values of this area remain for 
                the benefit of all Americans.

                Whereas section 2 of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 
                225, 16 U.S.C. 431) (the ``Antiquities Act'') 
                authorizes the President, in his discretion, to declare 
                by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and 
                prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic 
                or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands 
                owned or controlled by the Government of the United 
                States to be national monuments, and to reserve as a 
                part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in 
                all cases shall be confined to the smallest area 
                compatible with the proper care and management of the 
                objects to be protected;

                WHEREAS it is in the public interest to preserve the 
                objects of scientific and historic interest on the 
                Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks lands;

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by the authority vested in me 
                by section 2 of the Antiquities Act, hereby proclaim 
                the objects identified above that are situated upon 
                lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the 
                Government of the United States to be the Organ 
                Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument (monument) 
                and, for the purpose of protecting those objects, 
                reserve as part thereof all lands and interests in 
                lands owned or controlled by the Government of the 
                United States within the boundaries described on the 
                accompanying map, which is attached to and forms a part 
                of this proclamation. These reserved Federal lands and 
                interests in lands encompass approximately 496,330 
                acres, which is the smallest area compatible with the 
                proper care and management of the objects to be 
                protected.

                All Federal lands and interests in lands within the 
                boundaries of the monument are hereby appropriated and 
                withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, 
                sale, leasing, or other disposition under the public 
                land laws, including withdrawal from location, entry, 
                and patent under the mining laws, and from disposition 
                under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal 
                leasing, other than by exchange that furthers the 
                protective purposes of the monument.

                The establishment of the monument is subject to valid 
                existing rights. Lands and interests in lands within 
                the monument's boundaries not owned or controlled by 
                the United States shall be reserved as part of the 
                monument upon acquisition of ownership or control by 
                the United States.

                The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) shall manage 
                the monument through the Bureau of Land Management 
                (BLM) as a unit of the National Landscape Conservation 
                System, pursuant to applicable legal authorities, 
                including, as applicable, the provisions of section 603 
                of the Federal Land Policy

[[Page 30435]]

                and Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1782) governing the 
                management of wilderness study areas, to protect the 
                objects identified above.

                For purposes of protecting and restoring the objects 
                identified above, the Secretary, through the BLM, shall 
                prepare and maintain a management plan for the monument 
                and shall provide for maximum public involvement in the 
                development of that plan including, but not limited to, 
                consultation with tribal, State, and local governments.

                Except for emergency or authorized administrative 
                purposes, motorized vehicle use in the monument shall 
                be permitted only on designated roads, and non-
                motorized mechanized vehicle use shall be permitted 
                only on roads and trails designated for their use; 
                provided, however, that nothing in this provision shall 
                be construed to restrict the use of motorized vehicles 
                in wilderness study areas beyond the requirements of 
                section 603 of the Federal Land Policy and Management 
                Act. No additional roads or trails shall be established 
                for motorized vehicle or non-motorized mechanized 
                vehicle use unless necessary for public safety or 
                protection of the objects identified above.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to 
                preclude the Secretary from renewing or authorizing the 
                upgrading of existing utility line rights-of-way within 
                the physical scope of each such right-of-way that 
                exists on the date of this proclamation. Other rights-
                of-way shall be authorized only if they are necessary 
                for the care and management of the objects identified 
                above. However, watershed restoration projects and 
                small-scale flood prevention projects may be authorized 
                if they are consistent with the care and management of 
                such objects.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge 
                or diminish the rights of any Indian tribe or pueblo. 
                The Secretary shall, in consultation with Indian 
                tribes, ensure the protection of religious and cultural 
                sites in the monument and provide access to the sites 
                by members of Indian tribes for traditional cultural 
                and customary uses, consistent with the American Indian 
                Religious Freedom Act (92 Stat. 469, 42 U.S.C. 1996) 
                and Executive Order 13007 of May 24, 1996 (Indian 
                Sacred Sites).

                Laws, regulations, and policies followed by the BLM in 
                issuing and administering grazing permits or leases on 
                lands under its jurisdiction shall continue to apply 
                with regard to the lands in the monument, consistent 
                with the protection of the objects identified above.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge 
                or diminish the jurisdiction of the State of New 
                Mexico, including its jurisdiction and authority with 
                respect to fish and wildlife management.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to affect 
                the provisions of the 2006 Memorandum of Understanding 
                between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the 
                U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. 
                Department of Agriculture regarding ``Cooperative 
                National Security and Counterterrorism Efforts on 
                Federal Lands along the United States' Borders.''

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke 
                any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; 
                however, the monument shall be the dominant 
                reservation.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall preclude low level 
                overflights of military aircraft, the designation of 
                new units of special use airspace, or the use or 
                establishment of military flight training routes over 
                the lands reserved by this proclamation.

                Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not 
                to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature 
                of the monument and not to locate or settle upon any of 
                the lands thereof.

[[Page 30436]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

Billing code 3295-F4-P