The Environmental Assessment (EA) for County Road 7950, the road into Chaco Culture National Historical Park, has begun, and letters written by the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) Katherine Slick and by the Hopi Tribe raise serious questions about the legality of the ongoing project. The August 20, 2007 letter from the SHPO to the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT), and the August 27, 2007, letter from the Hopi Tribe to the Federal Highway Administration contain charges and questions that must be answered as San Juan County presses forward in its attempt to pave the Chaco road.

The many issues raised by the actions of San Juan County and the NMDOT can seem daunting. In her letter to the NMDOT, the SHPO herself admits to finding herself “confused and asking questions.” The letter from the SHPO seeks to clarify who owns the land in the projects, whether the County has right of way, whether the initial projects were federal undertakings, why San Juan County did not obtain SHPO clearance as required by state law, why adequate tribal consultation did not take place, whether the initial work was for three or four miles, and whether San Juan County intended to chip seal all 16 miles from the beginning.

The Hopi Tribe’s letter mirrors the concerns of the SHPO, but with the added importance of a Pueblo people who have long held Chaco sacred. The Hopi Tribe consider Chaco to be the “Place Beyond the Horizon,” and they claim Chaco as a Traditional Cultural Property. Central to the Hopi charges is the fact that tribal consultation as required by state and perhaps federal law did not take place; that the project from the beginning may be a federal undertaking and therefore non-compliant with the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and that lack of consultation with the SHPO makes it “clear that this ongoing project is non-compliant with state law.”

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The Hopi Tribe also express concern about the effects of increased visitation on Chaco, saying, “it must be determined if the infrastructure at Chaco can support any increased visitation, much less international bus tours from Albuquerque International Airport.” They add, “we believe an Environmental Impact Statement is required,” and they voice support for a buffer zone around Chaco.

Recent newspaper articles continue to cite safety and the Navajo who live near the canyon as reasons for the road paving. San Juan County has yet to provide any safety statistics to support their contention. Scrutiny of the initial request for funding for the road indicates that far from being a Navajo request; it came from San Juan County in an effort to promote tourism and to make access to the region easier for oil and natural gas exploration. The Cimarex Corporation has scheduled seismic exploration for natural gas reserves on a 36-square-mile plot three miles from Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

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Public input is being solicited as part of the EA process. Please write John Taschek, Taschek Environmental (taschek@aol.com), or Greg Heitmann, Federal Highway (greg.heitmann@fhwa.dot.gov), and tell them to address the SHPO and Hopi concerns. Urge them not to pave and to instead support improvements like good fencing, good signs, and good maintenance. In addition, this project warrants a full Environmental Impact Statement and complete evaluations of all energy development projects currently proposed for the immediate Chaco area.

For information about the upcoming November public meeting, visit the Chaco Alliance website at http://dont-pave-chaco.com, the San Juan Citizens Alliance site at http://sanjuancitizens.org, or the new blog at http://protect-chacocanyon-blog.com. Thank you for your support in protecting this pristine World Heritage Site.

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By Anson Wright, Coordinator, Chaco Alliance

From Rio Grande Sierran, March/April 2008

The Environmental Assessment (EA) being conducted on CR7950, the primary access road to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, has drawn criticism from many groups as well as from Katherine Slick, New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer. After a third meeting in Aztec on February 12, Ms. Slick expressed concern that the purpose and need were still “not well articulated”; that the proponents’ involvement seemed “weak or vague”; and that the process described by the consultants hired by San Juan County – URS Corp. and Taschek Environmental – was not clear “in letting people know what was being requested.”

Critics of the EA process cite a number of examples. Preliminary documents furnished by URS indicate that the purpose and need for the road improvements are to create better access for the local population and to fix a hazardous road. Undeniably, local Navajo, like many Native Americans, deserve easier lives, but URS itself claims that 90% of the traffic on CR7950 goes to Chaco, and is not local. In addition, all evidence suggests that the community serviced by CR7950 is very small.

To date, URS and Taschek have not answered requests for population data. Whether the road poses a liability for San Juan County has also not been established. No statistics supporting any fatal or even serious accidents have been presented. Undocumented accounts point to the regrettable death of one cow. The County admits there has never been scheduled maintenance but does not accept maintenance as an alternative. Paving the road will only make the road more dangerous by increasing speed and visitation.

The URS handout attempting to predict visitation increase brought about by road improvements provides more controversy. URS graphs suggest a modest increase in visitation, contradicting the National Park Service (NPS) 2005 Transportation Study by Jonathan Upchurch, which suggests potential fivefold increases. URS rejects the NPS study without providing comment. Common sense suggests that the visitation at Chaco might well match Mesa Verde’s, jumping to over 500,000 per year in several years.

Representative Tom Udall earmarked the original $800,000 to improve the Chaco road. Many insiders contend that he now regrets that decision. San Juan County has approached him asking for $1,000,000 more of taxpayer money to complete the project. Please contact Rep. Udall (see page 3) and urge him to direct the use of the existing funds into improvements other than paving, and to grant no more earmarks. In an election year, he does not need more association with this project.

Not only does the project face growing challenges and questions about energy interests near Chaco, but there is a Pandora’s box of legal questions for San Juan County about the paving of the first three miles. Those questions have not been forgotten by the Hopi or by concerned groups. It may only be a matter of time before the box is opened further. For email addresses and information about how to participate and help preserve this pristine World Heritage Site, visit the Chaco Alliance at www.dont-pave-chaco.com, or the San Juan Citizens Alliance at www.sanjuancitizens.org. Thanks for the continued support.

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