Greta
Balderrama
Math Teacher - Carlsbad, New Mexico
Years
of witnessing the environmental degradation caused by oil and
gas development around Carlsbad, and in west Texas, has motivated
me to work towards preventing the same type of destruction in
the Otero Mesa area.
 Growing
up I spent many exciting happy days exploring the desert on my
horse. When I visit the Otero Mesa area, whether for hiking, biking,
horseback riding or camping, I get that same feeling of awe again.
I am thankful that there are still places left where nature reigns,
and your heart and imagination are free.
Now,
the oil and gas industry is pressuring the BLM to open up the
Otero Mesa area to unrestricted development. If this happens it
will be at the expense of the local wildlife. The area will end
up in the same condition as the oil and gas fields around Carlsbad.
The wildlife will be pushed out and the native vegetation will
be scraped away. The beauty, magic, and tranquility of the area
will be lost forever, and the people of Carlsbad and Las Cruces
will lose a valuable piece of their natural heritage.
There
are millions of acres of land in New Mexico already under development
for oil and gas. We've got almost half of the total wells nationwide
- over 25,000! Why do we need to drill out this last refuge for
wildlife, for what the agency says is a marginal gas find anyway.
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