New Mexico senator defends wilderness designation

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico says state trust lands within two proposed federal wilderness area are isolated from roads and ill-suited for mining.
The U.S. senator responded Thursday to criticism of proposed legislation that would create two new wilderness areas in northern New Mexico within the Rio Grande del Norte Monument.
New Mexico Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn says the federal designations would encompass 1,280 acres of land that might otherwise generate s