Nearly four decades after San Felipe Pueblo land was designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury has introduced a bill that would return the land to the pueblo.
Stansbury introduced the San Felipe Pueblo Land Trust bill on Sept. 24, 37 years after the public land was deemed to require special management to protect important resources, scenic landscapes and property from hazards.
“Indigenous peoples have been stewards of the land since time immemorial,” Stansbury said. “But time and time again, they have been forced from their homes and the land that holds sacred meaning to them. For the people of San Felipe Pueblo, the area currently known as Ball Ranch holds a deep cultural and religious significance because of the many irreplaceable cultural resources found there. That’s why I’ve introduced this legislation: because Indigenous people deserve to keep and protect the land they’ve lived on for thousands of years free from pollution and destruction.”
First introduced by then-Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham in the 115th Congress, again by then-Congresswoman Deb Haaland in the 116th Congress, and now co-sponsored by Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez in the 118th, the bill would direct Haaland, who is now the secretary of the Interior, to convey the Ball Ranch Area of Critical Environmental Concern in New Mexico, into trust for the benefit of San Felipe Pueblo.
“I am proud to support Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury’s bill, which protects our public lands and recognizes the critical need for land to be returned to tribal communities like San Felipe Pueblo,” Sandoval County Commissioner Joshua Jones said. “The Pueblo has deep cultural, historical, and spiritual ties to this land, and ensuring they have the resources to preserve their heritage is essential for justice and sustainability.”
According to the bill, the Bureau of Land Management would manage approximately 7,167 acres of land on the pueblo.
“This legislation is the culmination of more than a decade of work, spanning several Congresses, to transfer this land into trust,” San Felipe Pueblo Gov. Anthony Ortiz said. “It is a recognition that, working with the BLM, the Pueblo of San Felipe is the best possible steward of this land. This is our aboriginal homeland, surrounded by the Pueblo, and is sacred to all area Pueblos.”
Such Native American sacred significance land repatriation is long overdue for all the pueblos. it is important to cover news of such legislative efforts to all Sandoval Signpost readers.