Mission

Fly the Stop Terrero Mine Coalition and New Mexico Wild to view lands in the Pecos Watershed proposed for permanent protection and to advocate for immediate interim protections to safeguard this critical area from harmful mining proposals.

The Pecos River flows from the Pecos Wilderness in north-central New Mexico to Texas, meandering through granite canyons and alpine ecosystems. Our overflight examined the gorgeous Upper Pecos Watershed, which supports diverse flora, fauna, and recreational opportunities. While the Pecos River flows for 20 miles, protected under a Wild & Scenic designation, to the community of Terrero, a six-mile stretch of the river south of Terrero is under immediate threat by the proposed Terrero Mine.

Comexico LLC, a Colorado-based subsidiary of Australian company aims to move ahead with exploratory drilling. The region has a toxic legacy of mining. In the 1990s, irresponsible mining killed over 90,000 fish and cost taxpayers millions in restoration efforts. The proposed Terrero exploration could again contaminate the Pecos River, harming fish, wildlife, and the humans who live nearby. The possibility of destructive hardrock mining goes well beyond the original exploratory drilling sites - the area now claimed by the operator, Comexico, covers 4300 acres with 236 mining claims in the headwaters and, if developed, would impact the entire Pecos watershed and possibly Santa Fe’s municipal watershed.

EcoFlight's partners are working to secure protection for the Upper Pecos Watershed through multiple means. In October 2023, the New Mexico congressional delegation introduced the Pecos Watershed Protection Act to permanently withdraw land in the upper Pecos River watershed from future mineral entry and to designate the Thompson Peak Wilderness Area in the State of New Mexico.

These actions will provide permanent protections for the region, but will take time and immediate safeguards are needed. The upper Pecos River watershed needs interim protection while the legislation is pending. Our flight partners, as well as diverse community groups and electeds, are advocating for the Biden Administration and the Secretary of Interior to implement a 20-year administrative mineral withdrawal. The mineral withdrawal would halt new oil and gas and mining leasing for the next 20 years and help safeguard the beauty and wonder of the area.

Click for the photos, aerial footage, and geo-referenced photos from the flight.