On June 16, ES-CA Board members met with the board of the San Antonio de Las Huertos Land Grant Board (Land Grant). As many Placitans know, the Land Grant was a large portion of land that was granted to nine original families by the King of Spain when this area was under Spanish control. The Land Grant continues to this day and is recognized as a political entity within the State of New Mexico.
The Land Grant gave a presentation of their history and the changes that have occurred over hundreds of years. The current Land Grant property is approximately 1000 acres and is centered around the current Village of Placitas. The Land Grant then explained some of the issues they are currently facing and how those issues relate to the entire Placitas area.
Water is perhaps the biggest issue facing the Village and the rest of Placitas. We all rely upon well water and the continuing drought has been affecting many areas of Placitas. The current mining operations in Placitas use a lot of water and draw from the same aquifer that many Placitans also draw from. The Land Grant and ES-CA agree that we should oppose any future mining use in the Placitas area to protect our drinking water supply.
Another issue of concern to all of us is the accumulation of dead wood in the Wilderness area of the Sandia Mountains. Many people in the Village heat their homes with wood and can use this dead wood. However, under current Nation Forest Service regulations, no one can remove any wood from the Wilderness areas. The Land Grant is working with the NFS to be allowed to remove this dead wood. The dead wood also presents a fire danger to all of us. ES-CA and the Land Grant will look to work together on this issue.
Disposition of the Buffalo tract of BLM land is also of importance to both ES-CA and the Land Grant. The Land Grant would like to be able to construct homes on part of this property for descendants of the original Land Grant settlers. The Land Grant opposes the land being opened up for sand and gravel mining. This is an issue that ES-CA has been following closely, and we will continue to work hard to insure that this land is not used for mining.
ES-CA was created to be a voice for all residents of Placitas, which includes the Village, the older settled areas and the newer subdivisions. Placitans are a mix of cultures and the only way we can insure that our land is protected is by working together. The ES-CA board would like to thank the Land Grant board for their presentation and are looking forward to working together.