Sacred Ground.
Under Threat.
We are dedicated to protecting the cultural heritage and natural sanctity of Chaco Canyon.
The government wants to open up sacred land to drilling. We need your voice!
TAKE ACTION
Submit a comment before July 29, 2026 via BLM ePlanning site and click the blue "Participate Now" button:
https://eplanning.blm.gov/Project-Home/?id=D949F582-402D-F111-8341-001DD804183B
Don't just copy-paste, make it personal! Write why Chaco needs to be protected for cultural, archeological, and ecological reasons.
And call your reps. Yes, it works! Dial (202) 224-3121, tell the operator your zip code and they'll connect you to your office directly. If no one answers, leave a voicemail with your full street address!
( 01 )
What is Chaco?
Chaco Culture National Historical Park, in northwest New Mexico, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site- same tier as the Pyramids and Machu Picchu, and one of only 24 in the U.S. and the only one in New Mexico. It’s home to massive stone "great houses" like Pueblo Bonito, built over 1,000 years ago with astronomical alignments so precise they still track solstices today. It is sacred, ancestral land for the Pueblo Nations and Hopis of Arizona, and other tribal nations who still hold ceremonies there.
It’s also an international Dark Sky Park - one of the best stargazing spots in the country. Drilling brings lights, flares, and noise that wreck that.
The land around Chaco already has 37,000+ wells and 15,000 miles of roads on it. ~90% of the region is already leased for oil and gas. The buffer one is basically the last untouched piece.
( 02 )
What is happening?
In January 2025, Executive Order 14154 directed federal agencies to clear the way for more oil, gas, and mining. Now the BLM is reviewing the 20-year mineral withdrawal that has protected roughly 336,000 acres in a 10-mile buffer around Chaco since 2023. This buffer covers the surrounding landscape of the park, home to thousands of archaeological sites deeply sacred to the Pueblo Nations, the Hopi of Arizona, and other Tribal Nations.
This isn't a one-off: Just days earlier, on July 13, the administration cut Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by nearly 3 million combined acres, opening them to mining and drilling. Chaco is next on the list.
And the process is rushed. The original 2023 protections went through 150 days of public comment; this time it's only 14 days, with no public hearing at all.
We would like to acknowledge Grandmother Abby Arquero of the Cochiti Nation, Mindahi Bastida and The Earth Elders for their leadership. We stand in solidarity with all Tribal communities with ancestral ties to Chaco.
In Solidarity
The Earth Elders Nonprofit
Films For Environmental Impact