Friends of Cedar Mesa has filed a lawsuit to block oil and gas leasing of BLM lands in Alkali Ridge and Montezuma Canyon.
“A total of 1,346 ancient sites have been recorded in the lease area, 984 of which have been deemed eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places—this despite the fact that very limited scientific study has been undertaken in the area,” according to the lawsuit. Numerous indigenous tribes consider sites in the leased area sacred.
Friends of Cedar Mesa is the only conservation non-profit exclusively focused on the cultural and natural resources on the public lands of San Juan County.