BLM identifies and manages a wide variety of cultural resources on New Mexico’s public lands. The BLM conserves and protects scientific archaeological sites which chronicle thousands of years of land use history in New Mexico. BLM strives to protect and preserve representative samples of the array of cultural resources on public lands for the benefit of present and future generations.
The BLM both protects and promotes the enjoyment of New Mexico’s cultural resources on public land. The BLM protects sites through a compliance program that ensures that all potential federal actions are analyzed to determine the potential impact on cultural resources. This activity generally includes cultural surveys and programs of data recovery.
In addition, the BLM actively promotes the use of cultural resources for scientific study, classroom education as well as heritage tourism. Cultural resources are used for museum exhibits, travelling displays, classroom teaching kits, and graduate study programs and field schools. Recreational users also enjoy the benefits of public land cultural resources.
With over 30,000 sites recorded on just the ten percent of BLM lands in New Mexico that have been inventoried, BLM New Mexico manages the agency’s largest cultural program. BLM New Mexico features internationally recognized World Heritage List Chacoan Outliers, the dramatic architecture of 18th century Navajo refugee sites, dry caves and rock shelters containing remarkably well-preserved materials thousands of years old, huge lithic and ceramic scatters that can extend for over a mile in diameter, 2,000-room pueblos that dwarf Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, outstanding rock art, and many others.
The BLM also places a strong emphasis on government to government relations with all the American Indian tribes in the four-state area. Many Tribes and tribal members do business with BLM. By law, BLM also has a trust responsibility to the tribes in the management of some natural resources. The BLM also works closely with tribes to conserve and protect cultural and natural resources on public lands.
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