Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) –Pueblo people with ties to the culturally significant area of Chaco Canyon have heightened concerns about the sanctity of the area. The anxiety heightened with Tuesday’s opening by the BLM for a weeklong public comment period on a proposal to shrink, or axe, a 20-year buffer zone of 10 miles around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park that prohibits new mineral leasing. The agency said another comment period will open when the assessment is made available to the public. It’s evaluating three possibilities: leaving the buffer zone; shrinking it to five miles around Chaco Canyon; or — the agency’s preference — striking the protections altogether.
