BEFORE

Protecting our public land resources from pollution, from being sold, and from misuse or mismanagement is crucial to the long-term management of the Trust portfolio. Protecting our land means more long-term investment returns for our money, lower taxes, and better environmental management to meet these financial demands. Plants and animals don't recognize our fences or political boundaries.

AFTER

Therefore, to be successful in protecting the health of our land our management strategies must look at the big picture over a long period of time. It must be based on cooperative and collaborative working relationships with adjoining public and private landowners.

As State Land Commissioner, Ray Powell established the first asset inventory program to better understand what existed on trust lands. This inventory was conducted in collaboration with scientists from New Mexico's universities and state museums and included plants, animals, water, archeological, paleontological, and mineral resources. This was followed by the development of comprehensive plans to manage our trust lands.

Caliche Pit, Hobbs, NM - BEFORE

Caliche Pit, Hobbs, NM - AFTER

Ray Powell was the first land commissioner to seek and obtain approval from the legislature to spend some of the land office earnings back on the land. Powell's team conducted watershed and river restoration projects and made forest and grazing land improvements. His team protected and preserved endangered species, and stabilized and protected paleontological and archeological treasures.

Powell traded lands that needed special protection, to wilderness study areas, national parks/ monuments, and tribal lands. In return, the land office received land that was more appropriate for economic development that resulted in greater financial returns for our school children.

In particular, in frontier areas--those areas that had not been used extensively for oil and gas production were evaluated using a thorough interdisciplinary and inter-divisional technical review.

Prior to Ray's tenure as State Land Commissioner virtually any request to the land office for an Oil & Gas (O & G) lease was approved. During Ray Powell's Land Commission years in office, requests were evaluated based on new criteria.

And, for the first time at the land office, the Field Operations Division conservation biologist, range specialist, environmental engineer, geographic information systems specialist, archeologist, local district field manager, regional supervisor and the staff of the Commercial Resources Division worked with the Oil and Gas Division to evaluate the requests.

Back in 1997 or '98 the Land Office was approached by oil and gas interests to lease large tracts of trust holdings in two areas of southwestern NM. The Otero Mesa area was included in these requests. These areas included significant acreage in Otero and Hidalgo Counties.

The Otero County evaluation was the first interdisciplinary and inter-divisional review that the Land Office did. Almost all of the Trust land in the area was part of the request to lease. The field analysis resulted in a good portion of the land being withdrawn due to the unique nature of the biological resources and cultural resource concerns.

The second big review was in Hidalgo County, the boot heel area, mainly the Playas Valley, but also parts of the Gray Ranch, Big Hatchet Mountains and the Alamo Hueco Mountains. Almost all of the acreage in proximity to the mountain ranges was withdrawn, as was some acreage in-between mountains because it was used as a travel corridor for desert bighorn sheep.

Land Commissioner Ray Powell supported and implemented the recommendations made by the State Land Office staff. This resulted in rejecting those requests that jeopardized sensitive areas and approving areas that were deemed appropriate.

Given the current effort to protect the entire area as a unified whole, Ray Powell has taken the position that drilling should not occur at Otero Mesa. And he will continue to lobby the federal government to protect Otero Mesa.