NMSLO News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico State Land Office (NMSLO) and the Mescalero Apache Tribe will host a public meeting in the large banquet room at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces on Feb. 25, to share updated information and gather feedback from the local community regarding changes to the potential land exchange, Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard announced today.
Public Meeting Details:
- 6–7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb.25, 2026
- New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
4100 Dripping Springs Road
Las Cruces, NM 88011 - ZOOM Option
Meeting ID: 895 2836 0038
Passcode: 487949
Map of proposed land exchange parcel.
More information on State Land Office website.
Acknowledging that the majority of lands the state currently stewards were once Indigenous lands, Commissioner Garcia Richard reached out to all Pueblos, Nations, and Tribes in New Mexico to gauge interest in potential land exchanges of importance to their communities. In response, the Mescalero Apache Tribe approached the State Land Office to propose a land exchange that would return some ancestral lands near Las Cruces to the Tribe. Since time immemorial and before being forcibly removed from their homelands, the Mescalero Apache people inhabited the Organ Mountains, harvesting cactus and other plants, drinking from springs, and naming numerous landmarks that exist today.
The Tribe is considering a parcel of about 320 acres of state trust land west of Las Cruces near the airport and south of I-10. The Tribe will no longer pursue a potential land exchange for the parcel of state trust land near A Mountain as originally proposed, but will instead apply for an agreement to gain access to the parcel for traditional cultural uses.
The State Land Office is still in the early stages of reviewing the proposal and gathering more information. No final decisions about the proposal have been made at this time.
As with any potential land exchange or large development, Commissioner Garcia Richard is requiring public meetings and an open public engagement process to hear feedback on this proposal. In 2019, Commissioner Garcia Richard pushed the legislature to pass a new law that requires the State Land Office to host public meetings for any potential land exchanges.