The Importance of Chaco Canyon’s 10-Mile Protection Zone in the Greater Chaco Landscape

Paul F. Reed

The last year has been very eventful in the battle to protect the Greater Chaco Landscape from the encroachment of oil-gas development. Late last year, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced the withdrawal of 351,000 acres of Federal BLM lands from oil-gas leasing in a 10-mile zone around Chaco Canyon and several Chacoan Outliers. This is the culmination of a nearly 10-year process. Other processes are moving forward, as well, including a comprehensive effort by Tribal Nations to understand their connections to the Greater Chaco Landscape. In this presentation, I’ll discuss recent progress and look into the future of Greater Chaco protection.