TIMELINE:
February 14, 2008 - Chestnut Law Offices, acting for Acoma, Laguna, and Zuni Pueblos, the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe, delivered an “emergency” nomination application to Katherine Slick, State Historic Preservation Officer, and the NM Cultural Properties Review Committee (CPRC).
February 22, 2008 - In a rare special meeting, the NM CPRC agreed to an emergency one year listing of Mt. Taylor (667 square miles in size) to the State Register of Cultural Properties.
May 6, 2008, due to insufficient notice, the NM Attorney General deemed and notified the CPRC that they had violated the open meetings act and the action taken at the February meeting was invalid.
June 14, 2008, the CRPC held their regular meeting in Grants, with the Mt. Taylor temporary designation application on the agenda again. The meeting was moved to the “old” Grants High School Gym to accommodate the 600-700 people in attendance. Application was made, speakers for the nomination had the floor for approximately 5 hours. Three clipboards were passed through the crowd of 600 - 700 people to write questions to the committee about the nomination. No direct questions were allowed. No re-questioning of the answers given was allowed. The opposition, and the public at large, was then allowed 2 minutes per speaker if you had signed up to speak five hours earlier at the beginning of the process. Statements could be given, but no additional questions were allowed to be addressed at this time. No comments by the committee were made addressing the statements. Citizens who had requested to be on the agenda (within given agenda time frame regulations) were still only allowed the two minutes. Elected officials, attorneys, etc. were placed under the same two minute guidelines. To “appease” the crowd concerning the time limitations, the committee announced that speakers could turn in written comments to the committee for review. As requested, opponents to the nomination turned in written statements, which were collected in a file folder on the table. After the public’s verbal comments had been made, the committee proceeded to vote on the nomination. Not one written comment was read; the statement folder was not even opened. The temporary emergency nomination was passed by the CPRC.
February and March 2009 - Several pieces of legislation were introduced at the NM Legislative Session related to Native American “sacred site protection”. One senate and one house memorial state that NM will formally request that President Obama declare it law in the whole US on any federal lands, that any type of development that requires permitting on a Native American scared site or sacred place (also worded sacred landscape) will have Native Americans placed in the decision making process. They also request “equitable federal funding” to put into place site protection programs. This funding and actual decision making on the permit processes could apply to hundreds of thousands of acres for each sacred site. Keep in mind that the proposed permanent Mt. Taylor TCP designation is approximately 1100 square miles. Senate Bill 196 has currently zoomed through the legislative session unopposed (it is called one of Governor Richardson’s “pet” Bills) and was signed by the Governor 3-19-09. This law will be in place by December 31, 2009, mandates that a full time designated employee will be on every state agency and board to enforce Native American inclusion on all actions within these agencies. It will also require yearly training of all agencies, effectively all state employees, on how to interact positively with any Native American governments in the state on any actions.
April 24, 2009 - The permanent nomination (with maps) was made available to the public at this website: http://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/
May 15, 2009 - In Santa Fe, from 9:30 - 5:00 at the House Chambers of the State Capitol (490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe) the Cultural Properties Review Committee will hear public comments for the permanent nomination of the Mt. Taylor TCP on a first come basis. There will be a sign up sheet at the door for speaking. It is expected that there will be a very short time limit just as at the June 2008 meeting. Written comments will be received by the committee up until 5:00 PM on May 20, 2009 at: Historic Preservation Division, 407 Galisteo Street, Room 236, Santa Fe, NM 87501 or emailed to: HPDplanning.program@state.nm.us
June 5, 2009 - The permanent nomination vote for the enlarged Mt. Taylor TCP (now expected to be over 1100 square miles) will be held at the June 5, 2009, CPRC meeting in Santa Fe.
