BHA Pushes for Permanent Protections of Two Iconic New Mexico Watersheds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

April 22, 2025 

Contact: 

Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy & Government Relations, mcarthur@backcountryhunters.org 

Washington, D.C. – Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) strongly supports the reintroduction of the Pecos Watershed Protection Act, legislation aimed at permanently safeguarding New Mexico's Pecos River Watershed from mineral development. This bipartisan bill was reintroduced by Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, along with Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández and Melanie Stansbury, following the decision by the Trump administration to reverse previously initiated protections for the region.  

The Pecos River Watershed, encompassing approximately 165,000 acres, has long been a haven for hunters and anglers. Its coldwater tributaries provide essential habitat for trout species, including the native Rio Grande cutthroat, while the surrounding lands support diverse wildlife such as elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, black bear, dusky grouse, and wild turkey. In 1991, the watershed suffered a devastating toxic mine waste spill that resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of fish and necessitated costly, decades-long cleanup efforts.  

BHA has consistently advocated for the protection of this vital area through advancing conservation policy and stewardship projects, and in December 2024, celebrated the Department of the Interior's initiation of a two-year mineral withdrawal to shield the watershed during the consideration of a proposed 20-year withdrawal.  

The reintroduction of this legislation is especially timely, since the two-year mineral withdrawal was reversed and the watershed continues to face threats from mining interests with claims spanning thousands of acres of Forest Service lands. The Pecos Watershed Protection Act would effectively withdraw all federally managed minerals in the watershed from development, preventing the leasing, patenting, or sale of publicly owned minerals. 

“BHA remains committed to ensuring that future generations can experience the hunting and fishing opportunities the Pecos River watershed provides—a landscape whose headwaters are a lifeblood flowing through New Mexico and well into Texas, and which has supported the hunting and fishing traditions of people since time immemorial,” said Kyle Klain, policy chair for the New Mexico chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “We call on Congress to swiftly pass the Pecos Watershed Protection Act, securing permanent protection for this cherished landscape and the fish and wildlife it sustains.” 

BHA also supports the reintroduction of the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act led by Representative Gabe Vasquez and Senator Heinrich along with the entire New Mexico congressional delegation. This legislation would permanently conserve approximately 446 miles of waterways by establishing them as Wild and Scenic. Doing so would enhance hunting, angling and other outdoor activities by safeguarding the last major free-flowing river segments in the Southwest, home to that rare Gila trout. 

To support the conservation of the Pecos River Watershed, Greater Gila River, and other wild public lands and waters visit BHA’s action center for more information. 

About Backcountry Hunters & Anglers 

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. To learn more about issues important to BHA’s membership, visit  https://www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues.   

About Devin O'Dea

Devin grew up abalone diving, spearfishing, and backpacking in CA before discovering a love of bowhunting and wing shooting. He worked as a marketing manager for a carbon division of Mitsubishi, but the allure of adventure and wild places led him to BHA