Mission

To advocate for the protection of the Pecos Watershed, we provided an aerial tour for stakeholders from the Pecos San Miguel del Bado Land Grant, San Miguel County, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, ACequia Commission, Uppper Pecos Watershed Association, and Stop Tererro Mine Coalition to showcase the region's immense beauty and it's many threats.

The Pecos River flows from the Pecos Wilderness in north-central New Mexico to Texas, meandering through granite canyons and alpine ecosystems. Our overflights examined the gorgeous upper Pecos Watershed, which supports diverse flora, fauna, and recreational opportunities. In October 2023, the New Mexico congressional delegation introduced the Pecos Watershed Protection Act to permanently protect land in the upper Pecos River watershed from future mineral entry and to designate the Thompson Peak Wilderness Area. This is an exciting development that would safeguard the Upper Pecos for future generations, however, the watershed needs interim protection while the legislation is pending. Our flight partners, including 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 mining leasing for the next 20 years and help safeguard the beauty and wonder of the area.

An immediate mineral withdrawal is necessary to save the Pecos Watershed against the looming danger of mines. 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 an 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 hard-rock 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.

Thank you to our flight partners at New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and Stop Tererro Mine Coalition for your dedication to preserving the wondrous Pecos Watershed from the threats of mining and oil and gas.

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