‘The land is me, and I’m the land’: Protesters in Santa Fe oppose proposed changes to Chaco Canyon protections
Protesters gathered outside the Bureau of Land Management building in Santa Fe to oppose a proposal that could revoke protections for over 330,000 acres of Chaco Canyon land.
SANTA FE, N.M. —
Dozens of protesters rallied outside the Bureau of Land Management building in Santa Fe on Wednesday to oppose proposed changes that could revoke protections for over 330,000 acres of Chaco Canyon land.
Cheyenne Antonio, who grew up half an hour away from Chaco Canyon, shared her connection to the land.
“I’m very much a part of the land, and the land is me, and I’m the land,” Antonio said.
She reflected on her childhood memories of the area.
“[I love] the way it smells after it rains,” Antonio said. “I love hearing the bells of the sheep. I love hearing our language.”
Protesters chanted, “Protect sacred sites! Protect Chaco Canyon!” as they voiced their concerns over the Bureau’s proposal to revoke a Biden-era public land order that prevents oil, gas and mining activity on the protected land.
“We’re paying for their contamination, and they’re not going to pay for it,” said Antonia Ruiz, another protester, referring to the Bureau of Land Management.
Ruiz expressed frustration over the potential impacts of the proposal.
“We should all be enraged because it’s impacting our communities’ health, it’s impacting our waters [and] it’s impacting the sovereignty of our communities,” she said.
In nearby San Juan County, commissioners voted Tuesday night in support of the revocation.
Earlier this month, Bureau of Land Management Director Steve Pearce addressed the issue, acknowledging the complexity of the decision.
“A lot of the Navajos that were getting income from that before said, ‘Wait, you took away our livelihood.'” Pearce said. “Other people were saying it’s a cultural resource, and those decisions are difficult decisions, but they’ve got to be made.”
Protesters at the rally criticized the Bureau’s two-week comment period, calling it unreasonable.
“Maybe one year, maybe three years [or] maybe four years. But to make this so quick and to expedite this is completely unfair, and it’s dehumanizing,” Antonio said. “It doesn’t make us feel good.”
Attendees said the Bureau should do more than just hold off on revoking protections.
“They should be expanding protections, and they should also be paying attention to removing inactive wells and remediation. And they’re not doing that,” Ruiz said.
Antonio reitereated her physical — and emotional — connection to the land.
“I have put my sweat and tears to taking care of this land, hauling water, hauling wood, picking up trash — everything,” she said. “I want to see my people succeed in this area.”
