PROTECTIONS FOR UPPER PECOS WATERSHED

House Joint Memorial 5 requests New Mexico's legislature to support federal protections for the Upper Pecos Watershed. It urges federal action to permanently withdraw lands from mining claims and advocates for congressional passage of the Pecos Watershed Protection Act to safeguard water resources, cultural heritage (including ties to Pecos Pueblo and Pueblo of Tesuque), and local economies dependent on agriculture, recreation, and clean water. The memorial emphasizes the watershed's ecological sensitivity and recovery from past mining impacts, without opposing mining generally.