New Mexico's Brokeoff Mountains are a stretch of rugged canyons and peaks relatively untouched by development, and locals want to keep it that way. http://www.pewenvironment.org/wilderness.
The Brokeoff Mountains are located in the southeastern corner of New Mexico and encompass Lincoln National Forest, Carlsbad Caverns, and Guadalupe National Park.
Half of the mountain range has been designated as a wilderness study area because it is an ecological hotspot for rare plant and animal species. The area is also home to archeological sites, caves, and rock shelters. Still some unprotected spaces are threatened by natural gas development and mining for rare earth minerals.
The Bureau of Land Management is revising its management plan for the Brokeoff Mountains, and The Pew Charitable Trusts and local partners are encouraging the agency to conserve a greater share of land in this area to more effectively preserve its ecological richness.
Get to know this special place, and the people working to protect it, in this episode of "This American Land," produced in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts.
http://www.pewenvironment.org/news-room/other-resources/spotlight-on-this-american-land-85899532561.