Cochiti Pueblo has expressed their opposition to Senator Martin Heinrich’s Bandelier National Park bill. The Pueblo’s attorney told Caldera Action that they are opposed to all aspects of the bill. They feel that tribal consultation would be weakened by the language in the bill requiring (ironically) tribal consultation, and that they oppose additional visitation that could be caused by rebranding. Further, they oppose hunting and trapping in the Monument and feel it is a critical refuge for wildlife that is important to their tribal members and culture. Cochiti Pueblo has direct ancestral ties to Bandelier National Monument. (San Ildefonso Pueblo counts Tsankawi Ruin in the north part of Bandelier as one its ancestral sites.)
Also the National Parks and Conservation Association expressed their opposition to the bill because of the downgrading of protection for parts of the park in the hunting and trapping language. NPCA is a Washington based organization that focuses on areas managed by the National Park Service. They have an office in Taos and Santa Fe.
Senator Tom Udall is not cosponsoring the bill.
