Cerro de la Olla Wilderness Establishment Act

Cerro de la Olla Wilderness Establishment Act

This bill designates specified federal land administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Taos County, New Mexico, comprising 12,898 acres in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, to be known as the Cerro de la Olla Wilderness.

The Department of the Interior shall enter into a cooperative agreement with New Mexico that specifies, subject to certain prohibition provisions under the Wilderness Act, the terms and conditions under which wildlife management activities in the wilderness may be carried out.

Subject to such agreement and such prohibition provisions, Interior may authorize the maintenance of any existing structure or facility for wildlife water development projects (including guzzlers) in the wilderness, if

• the structure or facility would enhance wilderness values by promoting healthy, viable, and more naturally distributed wildlife populations; and
• the visual impacts of the structure or facility on the wilderness can reasonably be minimized.

The bill modifies the boundary of the monument.

Bill 118 hr 1303, also known as the Cerro de la Olla Wilderness Establishment Act, is a piece of legislation introduced in the US Congress. The purpose of this bill is to designate certain federal lands in New Mexico as wilderness areas, specifically the Cerro de la Olla area.

The bill aims to protect the natural and cultural resources of the Cerro de la Olla area by designating it as a wilderness area. This designation would restrict certain activities such as mining, logging, and motorized vehicle use in order to preserve the area's unique ecosystem and historical significance.

The Cerro de la Olla Wilderness Establishment Act has received bipartisan support in Congress, with proponents arguing that the designation of this area as wilderness will help to conserve its natural beauty and promote outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations. Critics of the bill have raised concerns about the potential impact on local economies and access to public lands. Overall, the Cerro de la Olla Wilderness Establishment Act is a significant piece of legislation that seeks to protect a valuable natural and cultural resource in New Mexico. It will be interesting to see how this bill progresses through Congress and what impact it may have on the Cerro de la Olla area in the future.