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Santa Fe County commissioners unanimously approve letter urging DOI/BLM to preserve Chaco buffer
Summary
At a special April 7 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved a unanimously supported letter asking the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management to reject plans to reduce or eliminate the buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, citing a shortened seven-day comment period and urging fuller protections and consultation with Indigenous stewards.
Santa Fe County’s Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a letter on April 7 to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management opposing a proposal to reduce or eliminate the buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Chair Justin Greene introduced the draft during a special meeting called for urgent consideration. He said the BLM allowed communities only a seven-day window to comment, a significantly shorter period than the 30-to-90-day windows the board said are typically expected for matters of this scope. Greene framed the special meeting as a response to that compressed timeline and to the holiday weekend when the proposal was released.
Commissioner Lisa Cacari Stone, a co-sponsor of the letter, proposed two edits that were incorporated: an explicit recognition of Pueblo nations and of the Diné (Navajo Nation) and transmigrating urban Diné residents of Santa Fe County, and citations to federal authorities that commissioners said underscore the government’s obligations, including the Snyder Act of 1921 and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978. “I think it’s really important we stand in unity not just with the public but with the Diné people,” Cacari Stone said as she posted suggested language to the meeting chat.
Other commissioners voiced support and cautioned about wording. One commissioner suggested checking relationships before adding other tribal nations (mentioned during discussion as the Hickory Apache and the Southern Ute) to avoid mischaracterizing stewardship or territorial claims. Commissioners and staff agreed to adjust phrasing to read, for example, “transmigrating urban Diné residents of Santa Fe County,” rather than terms that might cause concern about reservation status.
Commissioners also discussed policy aims beyond opposing a shortened comment period. One speaker said the county’s interest included advocating for full preservation, not merely opposing a timeline change, and noted a previously discussed 10-mile buffer recommendation as a broad protection goal.
Before the motion, a staff/legal representative confirmed the board could make amendments to the draft prior to the motion. Chair Greene then moved to approve the letter as amended; the motion was seconded and co-sponsored by Commissioners Adam Johnson and Camilla Bustamante. The board conducted a roll-call vote and all five members—Commissioners Lisa Cacari Stone, Camilla Bustamante, Hank Hughes, Adam Johnson and Chair Justin Greene—voted yes.
Following the vote, commissioners discussed logistics for collecting signatures and distributing the letter. Staff said they would coordinate secure electronic signatures (DocuSign/Adobe Sign) and circulate the finalized letter to tribal leaders and the county’s federal delegation. The board adjourned after approving the measure.
The approved action is limited to the letter and does not itself change county land use policy or federal management; commissioners indicated the letter is intended to urge the BLM and the Department of the Interior to allow a more complete public review and to consider full preservation options for the Chaco area.
