Caja del Rio News:
SANTA FE — Friday, Oct. 25, the Caja del Rio coalition is inviting members of the public to join its “Peace and Prayer Pilgrimage” through downtown Santa Fe to protest the controversial Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) transmission line project set to be built through the Caja del Rio plateau and call on federal officials to intervene.
The pilgrimage will begin at the Santa Fe County Administrative Complex (240 Grant Ave.) and culminate at the National Nuclear Security Administration building (N. Guadalupe Street) where participants will hand deliver the coalition’s formal objection letter and hold a press conference featuring the voices of Pueblo and Hispanic leaders, local elected officials, spiritual leaders, conservationists and other community advocates.
The Los Alamos transmission line has faced strong opposition from Tribal sovereign nations in the region, including the All Pueblo Council of Governors, as well as local stakeholders and thousands of registered public comments. On Sept. 10, 2024, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released its draft decision notice for a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and the final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Los Alamos National Laboratory Electrical Capacity Upgrade (EPCU) project, including a Forest Plan amendment. This decision establishes the S/N Transmission Line Utility Corridor (SNTUC) and grants a special use permit for a 115-kilovolt electrical line across public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, including the heart of the Caja del Rio plateau.
The draft decision is a surprising about-face for the USFS, which established the Caja Del Rio Wildlife and Cultural Interpretive Management Area in 2022 to, in part, protect this landscape from transmission lines and other forms of development. The agency also did not require the project to go through the standard and more rigorous Environmental Impact Statement process and instead allowed a short-cut review through an Environmental Assessment, seemingly knowing it couldn’t be approved otherwise.
Press conference speakers will call for long-lasting protection of the Caja del Rio and urge the Biden Administration, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore to intervene in this controversial project that threatens sacred sites, wildlife and cultural heritage and disrespects Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Furthermore, the coalition will continue to advocate for a Pueblo-led ethnographic study to fully identify and protect the cultural resources within the Caja del Rio.
The Caja del Rio coalition, a group of Indigenous, Hispano and faith leaders, hunters, anglers, conservation and Indigenous climate justice organizations working to gain long-lasting protection for the Caja del Rio areas, issued the following statements ahead of Friday’s event:
“What is the purpose of national security if it directly contradicts and negatively impacts our culture, heritage and history and ancestral and familial ties to these cherished landscapes and the deep spiritual and cultural values our communities hold so dear? The NNSA has failed to adequately engage Tribes directly connected to the area and to identify the especially sensitive cultural and natural areas of the Caja that can only be understood through meaningful consultation and developing trusting relationships with Tribal sovereign nations.” –Julia Bernal, Executive Director, Pueblo Action Alliance
“The Caja del Rio is more than just a scenic landscape of canyons and mesas. The Caja del Rio is also a living testament to the rich history and culture of the Hispanic people who have relied on this landscape for centuries. The Caja del Rio is home to one of the most iconic stretches of the famed El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the longest Euro-American trade route in North America that ran from Mexico City to Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. What kind of future does the NNSA want for our children? A future where the Caja del Rio is preserved and used responsibly by the public as a national treasure, or a future where history and cultural identity are sacrificed in the name of national security.” –Carmichael Dominguez, EarthKeepers 360, Former Santa Fe City Councilmember
“The Caja del Rio is a remarkable sacred landscape with incredible cultural, historical, spiritual and wildlife values. The land, water, wildlife and communities that rely on the Caja have shaped the identity of the American Southwest and this nation since time immemorial. Sacrificing these values in the name of national security is extremely troubling and raises deeper questions about the purpose of national security and what this country stands for. Revered for imaginative and innovative thinkers, quite frankly we expect better than this rudimentary and culturally tone-deaf project from Los Alamos National Labs. By failing to adequately consider a range of alternatives that could create thousands of local jobs and a climate smart future, LANL has allowed the expedient to replace the ethical.” –Reverend Andrew Black, EarthKeepers 360
“Had the Caja del Rio been designated a National Monument, as it rightly deserves, this desecration might have been avoided entirely. This demonstrates the heartbreaking cost of not permanently protecting this special place proactively and we must move forward with urgency before the next threat emerges.” –Garrett VeneKlasen, Northern Conservation Director, New Mexico Wild
“The Caja del Rio is one of the last unprotected cultural landscapes in New Mexico. It contains innumerable and sacred cultural, archaeological and historic sites that span thousands of years of history. The National Nuclear Security Administration and Los Alamos National Laboratory are recklessly pursuing the Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Project that will cause irreparable harm to the cultural landscape. The agencies have failed to properly consult with Pueblos and Tribes whose ancestral lands are threatened, in violation of Tribal sovereignty. We call on the Biden administration and the Department of Interior to reconsider this ill-advised project and support a Tribally-led ethnographic study of this majestic and sacred landscape.” –Paul F. Reed, New Mexico State Director, Archaeology Southwest
“NNSA and LANL’s blatant disregard of over 23,000 comments opposing the development of the EPCU transmission line is a slap in the face of local communities, conservation groups and Tribes. NNSA continues to ignore the facts, which are that the development of this line will have permanent and devastating impacts to this sacred landscape. NNSA and LANL need to halt the development of this transmission line and go back to the drawing board with a full Environmental Impact Statement that explores other options, such as reconductoring of existing lines, alternate paths and renewable energy options.” –Romir Lahiri, Associate Program Director, Conservation Lands Foundation
“The Caja del Rio has been a witness to the region’s history. At this pivotal moment, we’re observing a striking disregard for the advocacy efforts and desires of Pueblos, local communities and conservation organizations. Just two years ago, the management plan for the Santa Fe National Forest was approved, designed to protect the Caja del Rio Wildlife and Cultural Interpretive Management Area from industrial projects such as the proposed transmission line. This final EA decision from the USFS and NNSA contradicts its own management plan, thousands of opposing public comments, and the community’s trust aimed at preserving the essence of this cultural and ecological landscape. It’s time to go back to the drawing board and develop a new, inclusive plan that doesn’t cut through the heart of the Caja del Rio.” –Michael Casaus, New Mexico state director, The Wilderness Society
“Just across the river from Bandelier National Monument, the Caja del Rio is an integral part of a vast cultural landscape, where Tribal histories and connections to the land have spanned generations. The Forest Service and National Nuclear Security Administration made a hasty decision that signals a lack of commitment to Tribal nations and disregards community health and wellbeing. We are calling for a more responsible approach—one that comprehensively accounts for the land, its people, wildlife, and culture.” –Maude Dinan, New Mexico Program Manager, National Parks Conservation Association
“The Caja del Rio is an area of immense ecological, historical, and spiritual significance and has long been considered sacred by nearby Tribal and Hispanic communities. Since the transmission line was first announced, tens of thousands of New Mexicans have expressed their opposition to the project, citing detrimental effects on habitat connectivity, archaeological integrity, and Tribal sovereignty. Now, it’s up to federal leaders to heed these concerns and halt construction of the controversial transmission line through this sacred plateau.” –Zoe Barker, Conservation Director, Conservation Voters New Mexico
About the Caja del Rio
The Caja has been inhabited by local and Indigenous communities since time immemorial, with evidence of human occupation going back more than 12,000 years. The Caja contains thousands of sacred sites, structures, petroglyphs, irrigation systems, and other cultural resources and Pueblos continue to use this cultural landscape and maintain a connection to it through ongoing traditional use of flora and fauna and cultural religious practices, including storytelling, songs, pilgrimage, and prayer.
The Caja also retains deep historical significance for traditional local Hispanic communities and is home to one of the most iconic stretches of the famed El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the longest Euro-American trade route in North America that ran from Mexico City to Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. The proposed transmission line will impact one of the oldest sections of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro that was utilized from 1598-1610, before the capital was moved from Ohkay Owingeh to Santa Fe.
Local governments, including the City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County and San Miguel County, have adopted resolutions affirming that the Caja is “one of the United States’ most iconic landscapes, an area of profound cultural, historical, archaeological, and ecological significance.” The Board of Directors for the Northern Río Grande National Heritage Area has likewise recognized the significance of the Caja landscape.
To learn more about the history and importance of the Caja del Rio plateau and to receive notices on opportunities to engage, visit cajadelrio.org.