Chaco Culture National Historical Park preserves one of the most extraordinary and sacred cultural landscapes in the National Park System. A thriving cultural center for Ancestral Puebloans between 850 and 1250 A.D., Chaco is home to massive stone great houses, ceremonial kivas, and ancient roads that continue to hold profound meaning for Tribes today. In 2023, after decades of Tribal and community advocacy, the federal government established a 10‑mile mineral withdrawal to limit new drilling on public lands around the park.
Now those protections are under threat. Urge the Department of the Interior to keep the 10‑mile protection zone around Chaco in place. Submitting a public comment is a critical way to stand with Tribes and communities calling for the protection of this sacred landscape.
We urge you to maintain, in full, Public Land Order (PLO) 7923, to preserve the 10-mile mineral withdrawal protecting public lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. This protection was the result of a decades-long effort by Tribal nations, the All Pueblo Council of Governors, elected officials, and community groups to protect this landscape of outstanding cultural, spiritual, and historical significance. Chaco is one of the most remarkable cultural landscapes in the National Park System, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, and International Dark Sky Park.
Yet, over 90% of public land around the park is designated for oil and gas development. Thousands of oil and gas wells, roads, pipelines, and other industrial development have already destroyed significant cultural sites. PLO 7923 was developed to minimize the development impacts to this sacred landscape. Roughly 4,200 known archaeological, cultural, and historic sites and 91,793 acres of historic views – an area almost twice the size of Washington, D.C. – would be at risk if the PLO is revoked.
Weakening this withdrawal would further reduce air quality, visibility, and world-renowned night sky experiences -- degrading the visitor experience for travelers from across the globe and the health of local communities. In 2024, over 35,000 people visited the park, bringing $3.2 million to local gateway communities.
This mineral withdrawal was carefully crafted with federal agencies and Tribal nations in the area to safeguard sacred sites and landscapes while respecting Tribal sovereignty. As written, it does not prevent any existing leases from being developed and does not include any private and Tribal-owned lands.
Please maintain, in full, PLO 7923 to protect this sacred landscape, protect community health, and preserve the world-renowned park experience at Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
