New Mexico has protected nearly 11,000 acres along the Mimbres River as a new wildlife area

An elevated, high-definition view of the newly protected landscape surrounding the Mimbres River in southwestern New Mexico. Conservationists and state officials in New Mexico have completed a deal to buy nearly 11,000 acres of ecologically rich land along the Mimbres River, permanently protecting an important desert watershed and creating the state's newest public conservation preserve. The purchase secures the newly created Mimbres Ranch Wildlife Management Area (WMA), a large property bordering the Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico. The project was completed with help from the national non-profit Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the state government. The acquisition places about two miles of the Mimbres River under public ownership while protecting historic water rights that date back more than a century. The property also creates a large, connected area for native wildlife and expands public access along the scenic Trail of the Mountain Spirits Byway.Protecting water rights and desert habitatA key part of the deal is the permanent protection of important pre-1907 water rights connected to the Mimbres River. In the dry American Southwest, these water rights have maj...