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DECEMBER 7, 2000

Both Cochiti Pueblo and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.Mex) want to see the Tent Rocks declared a national monument.

Bingaman on Tuesday wrote a letter to Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt, asking him to recommend that the area become a national monument. Babbitt makes such recommendations to the President, who has the power under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to make a designation.

"I believe designating Tent Rocks a national monument would be of great benefit to the local communities and, just as importantly, it would be a benefit to this natural resource by bringing attention to its unique qualities," Bingaman wrote.

The 5,300-acre site is located within traditional Cochiti Pueblo land and the tribe would like to see it protected. It contains large, tent-shaped rocks and receives about 50,000 visitors a year.

The Pueblo and the Bureau of Land Management jointly manange the site. To get to the site, visitors travel on roads maintained by the Pueblo and the entrance fee charged is split between the Pueblo and the BLM.

The BLM controls about 3/4 of the land, while the state has 10 percent. The rest is privately owned.

For the designation to be made within the current administration, Babbitt would have to make the recommendation soon. He plans on leaving the Interior come January.

Relevant Links:
Tent Rocks, Pictures - www.swparks.com/us/travel/newmexico/pictent1.html
Senator Jeff Bingaman - www.senate.gov/~bingaman

Related Stories:
Sacred site may become monument (Enviro 06/02)
Pueblo, US manage land (Enviro 05/31)