Bureau of Land Management acquires additional lands within the Río Grande del Norte National Monument

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Taos Field Office recently acquired 853 acres of the Atencio-Teter property through a partnership with the Trust for Public Land (TPL). Located in the Cerro Montoso area of Taos County, N.M., the acquisition expands the Río Grande del Norte National Monument. 

The BLM acquires lands within or adjacent to the Monument from willing sellers who value and want a legacy of landscape conservation. The Atencio-Teter parcel enhances the BLM’s ability to protect fragile cultural, biological and scenic resources for which the Monument was created.

“This is the second acquisition that the BLM and TPL have completed in 2021,” stated BLM Taos Field Manager Pamela Mathis. “Together, we have added over 10,700 acres of new public lands providing landscape conservation and hunting activities for the public to enjoy.”

According to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the Taos Plateau is a critical wildlife migration corridor for elk populations moving between Colorado and New Mexico. 

“Preservation of this rugged, undeveloped landscape will allow generations of New Mexicans to enjoy the great outdoors while also protecting the region’s history and culture that makes it so special,” said Jim Petterson, Vice President of the Mountain West Region for The Trust for Public Land. 

Prior to the agency’s acquisition, the private landowners used these land tracks for recreational ranching, which provided hunting and other outdoor activities.