The Greater Otero Mesa Area
Facts, Insight, Actions

General Information

• The Greater Otero Mesa Area encompasses over 1.2 million acres, and is considered North America's largest and wildest Chihuahuan Desert grassland remaining on public lands.
• Approximately 250,000 acres have been targeted by industry in the first round for oil and gas development. More lease sales are planned. Ultimately, the entire 1.2 million acres is subject to oil & gas development. Currently 51,600 acres have already been leased.
• The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) plan for oil & gas development will tell us that only a small portion stands to be impacted, the reality is that this plan will allow for dramatic fragmentation of the Greater Otero Mesa Area. Fragmentation continues to be the greatest threat to this resource.
• The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance has surveyed the Greater Otero Mesa Area and identified over 500,000 acres as suitable for Wilderness designation, the largest remaining potential wilderness area left in New Mexico.

Politics

• Governor Richardson has pledged his support for protecting Otero Mesa and filed a lawsuit against the federal government on Earth Day, 2005. This is the first time in New Mexico history that the state has sued the federal government over a public lands issue.
• Senator Jeff Bingaman met with several staff from the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and local ranchers from Otero Mesa. The Senator has been helpful in our efforts and shares our concerns about protecting the significant environmental, ecological, cultural and recreational values of Otero Mesa.
• Congressman Steve Pearce is supporting drilling in Otero Mesa, and has refused to support the protection of even a single acre. Congressman Pearce is also an advocate for selling off all Public Lands.
• The Oil & Gas Company that is planning to develop most of the area is Harvey E. Yates Company (HEYCO), of Roswell. Yaes Petroleum out of Artesia and Burlington Resources out of Midland Texas are also bidding to drill.

Development

• Currently five Natural Gas wells have been drilled in the Greater Otero Mesa Area. One well has produced 4.4 million cubic feet per day, while three of the wells came up dry.
• HEYCO continues to say that directional drilling is not an option due to cost, geology and the inability to find real targets because of potential no-surface occupancy regulations.
• Plans for the area include bringing a natural gas pipeline up from Texas. This would be a key element in the Industrialization of the Greater Otero Mesa Area. Roads, power lines, toxic waste ponds and increased motorized traffic are the by-products that begin with a pipeline and the level of drilling that would inevitably take place.

Pollution

• In nearby Carlsbad, recent concern surrounds contaminated wells, noise and air pollution resulting from the dramatic increase in drilling the surrounding areas.
• Neighboring Carlsbad and Guadalupe National Parks have Class 1 air status, the cleanest and most pristine. Development in Otero Mesa could directly impact and degrade such air quality.
• Threshold Development, of Artesia, drilled a well just south of the New Mexico border in Texas and struck large amounts of fresh water. Instead of safely disposing of the contaminated water and waste, Threshold Development drove back into New Mexico and onto Otero Mesa, and illegally dumped the waste on the side of the road. The BLM to this date has not fined or issued any citations over this clear violation.

Groundwater

• Potential groundwater pollution is at the heart of the threats to the Greater Otero Mesa Area. Any current drilling requires the use of a number of chemical agents, many of which are suspected carcinogens, that are used the entire length of a drilling process.
• Conservative estimates show that without any recharge there is enough fresh potable water underlying Otero Mesa to serve a community of 1 million people for over 100 years.

Wildlife

• This area is home to the states healthiest herd of pronghorn, and unlike most herds in the state, they have never needed reintroduction. For sportsmen, this area is open only to bow and muzzle loading seasons.
• The Greater Otero Mesa Area is a crucial wintering ground for migratory songbirds, including, Baird's Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Burrowing Owls and countless raptor species as well as many other species common to the northern prairie states. In addition many southern species of birds come north to Otero Mesa in search of the solitude and vital seeds that only native grassland can provide.
• Stands of black grama grasses can be found in abundance throughout the Greater Otero Mesa Area.

Ranching

• Independent cattle ranches still operate in the area. Some have been in the same families for five generations.
• The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance has been working with the ranchers in Otero Mesa to ensure that their quality of life is preserved.

Alternatives

• New Mexico is home to Sandia Lab, an alternative energy program at NMSU, 300 plus days of sunshine and has tremendous wind potential in the eastern part of the state. New Mexico should be a leader in alternative energy.