A bid by New Mexico's two U.S. senators to protect the Organ Mountains and other scenic areas in Southern New Mexico could help El Paso, too.
If approved, it would preserve thousands of acres that are an easy day trip from El Paso and could create new opportunities for hiking, proponents said.
Mayor John Cook wants the City Council to support a bill introduced in Congress last month by Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall by passing a resolution Tuesday.
The Democratic senators are trying to designate 259,000 acres in Doña Ana County as wilderness, and another 100,000 acres as national conservation areas. The protected areas would include the Organ, Potrillo and Robledo mountains.
Bingaman chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. A subcommittee has already held a hearing for the bill.
"These mountains connect us all, and it makes a policy statement on what's important to El Paso and the council," Cook said. "I don't know if it will be an impetus for tourism, but it will make sure these mountains are preserved in the future."
New Mexico state Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, said these lands can provide recreational opportunities for El Pasoans.
"Some of these lands are closer to El Paso than Las Cruces," said Steinborn, who is also the Southern New Mexico director for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. "The proposed Potrillo Mountain wilderness area, if enacted, would be the fourth largest wilderness area in New Mexico."
The bill could protect the area from development while preserving its current uses, which include hiking, cattle grazing and hunting, Bingaman spokeswoman Jude McCartin said.
"It's a very special place in New Mexico," she said. "The community has been very interested in protecting it."
El Paso and Las Cruces have always had a close relationship, McCartin said, and many El Pasoans visit Doña Ana County to go hiking.
City Reps. Steve Ortega and Beto O'Rourke have both hiked in the Organ Mountains outside of Las Cruces and both support the resolution.
Ortega said El Paso could use nearby outdoor destinations, such as the Organ Mountains, Hueco Tanks State Park, and the Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns national parks, to market itself as a gateway to outdoor activities.
"We're located in a great location for those interested in outdoor adventures," Ortega said.
O'Rourke said the proposed resolution shows the mayor and council are thinking regionally, not just about El Paso.
"Our open space and wilderness areas, including the Franklin and Organ mountains, are among our greatest assets, and we should do everything to protect them," he said.
Las Cruces, Mesilla and Doña Ana County have passed similar resolutions supporting the bill, which would also remove about 16,000 acres along the New Mexico-Mexico border from another wilderness study area.
Removing the designation would provide increased flexibility for border law enforcement efforts, McCartin said.
