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Title II — Caja del Rio National Conservation Area

S. 4458 · 119th Congress · Apr 30, 2026 · Lineage

II Caja del Rio National Conservation Area

Sec. 201 Establishment of the Caja del Rio National Conservation Area

(a)
Establishment—
(1)
In general— Subject to valid existing rights, there is established the Caja del Rio National Conservation Area in the State.
(2)
Land included— The Conservation Area shall consist of approximately 17,837 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in the State as generally depicted as “Caja del Rio-National Conservation Area” on the Map.
(b)
Purposes— The purposes of the Conservation Area are—
(1)
to conserve and permanently protect the cultural, spiritual, religious, scenic viewshed, ecological, wildlife habitat, natural, geological, historical, and traditional values of the Conservation Area; and
(2)
to enhance opportunities for interested Indian Tribes to engage in the preservation and management of the Conservation Area.

Sec. 202 Management of the Conservation Area

(a)
In general— The Secretary shall manage the Conservation Area—
(1)
subject to valid and existing rights;
(2)
in accordance with—
(A)
this Act;
(B)
the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and
(C)
any other applicable laws;
(3)
in a manner that conserves, protects, and enhances the resources of the Conservation Area; and
(4)
as a component of the National Landscape Conservation System.
(b)
Uses— The Secretary shall allow only uses of the Conservation Area that are consistent with—
(1)
opportunities to undertake cultural, spiritual, medicinal, religious, or traditional historic use practices in the Conservation Area; and
(2)
the purposes described in section 201(b).
(c)
Management plan—
(1)
Plan required— Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a comprehensive management plan for the long-term management of the Conservation Area and the withdrawal area.
(2)
Coordination and consultation— The Secretary shall prepare and revise the management plan required under paragraph (1)—
(A)
in coordination with—
(i)
the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to the development of a management plan for the Special Management Area, as described in section 102(c);
(ii)
the Director of the National Park Service and the Chief of the Forest Service, with respect to the administration, protection, and interpretation of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail;
(iii)
the State; and
(iv)
applicable units of local government, including any applicable land grant-mercedes or traditional historic communities; and
(B)
in consultation with interested Indian Tribes.
(3)
Existing agreements— To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall incorporate into the management plan required under paragraph (1) stewardship agreements or contracts relating to the Federal land described in section 201(a)(2) that exist on the date of enactment of this Act.
(4)
Cooperating agency— At the request of an interested Indian Tribe, the Secretary shall include the interested Indian Tribe as a cooperating agency in the development and revision of the management plan required under paragraph (1).
(5)
Indigenous knowledge— At the request of an interested Indian Tribe, the Secretary shall ensure that Indigenous knowledge is incorporated into the development and revision of the management plan required under paragraph (1).
(d)
Travel management—
(1)
In general— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a travel management plan to decrease unauthorized road access and motorized use in the Conservation Area and the withdrawal area.
(2)
Requirement— In preparing the travel management plan under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall designate the use of motorized vehicles only on—
(A)
the road within the Conservation Area identified as CR 55C or “Old Route 66”; and
(B)
any roads in the Conservation Area and the withdrawal area that the Secretary determines to be necessary—
(i)
to achieve the purposes described in section 201(b); and
(ii)
to allow for access to private property or critical infrastructure.
(e)
Maps and legal descriptions—
(1)
In general— As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file maps and legal descriptions of the Conservation Area with—
(A)
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate; and
(B)
the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives.
(2)
Force of law— The maps and legal descriptions filed under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct errors in the maps and legal descriptions.
(3)
Public availability— The maps and legal descriptions filed under paragraph (1) shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management.

Sec. 203 Land exchanges

(a)
In general— Subject to subsections (c) through (f), the Secretary shall attempt to enter into an agreement to initiate an exchange under section 2201.1 of title 43, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), with the Commissioner of Public Lands of New Mexico, by the date that is 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, to provide for a conveyance to the State of all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the Bureau of Land Management land in the State identified under subsection (b) in exchange for the conveyance by the State to the Secretary of all right, title, and interest of the State in and to parcels of State trust land within the boundary of the Conservation Area described in section 201(a)(2) or the boundary of the withdrawal area described in section 401.
(b)
Identification of land for exchange— The Secretary and the Commissioner of Public Lands of New Mexico shall jointly identify the Bureau of Land Management land in the State and State trust land eligible for exchange under this section, the exact acreage and legal description of which shall be determined by surveys approved by the Secretary and the New Mexico State Land Office.
(c)
Applicable law— A land exchange under subsection (a) shall be carried out in accordance with section 206 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716).
(d)
Conditions— A land exchange under subsection (a) shall be subject to—
(1)
valid existing rights; and
(2)
such terms as the Secretary and the State shall establish.
(e)
Valuation, appraisals, and equalization—
(1)
In general— The value of the Bureau of Land Management land and the State trust land to be conveyed in a land exchange under this section—
(A)
shall be equal, as determined by appraisals conducted in accordance with paragraph (2); or
(B)
if not equal, shall be equalized in accordance with paragraph (3).
(2)
Appraisals—
(A)
In general— The Bureau of Land Management land and State trust land to be exchanged under this section shall be appraised by an independent, qualified appraiser that is agreed to by the Secretary and the State.
(B)
Requirements— An appraisal under subparagraph (A) shall be conducted in accordance with—
(i)
the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions; and
(ii)
the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
(3)
Equalization—
(A)
In general— If the value of the Bureau of Land Management land and the State trust land to be conveyed in a land exchange under this section is not equal, the value may be equalized by—
(i)
making a cash equalization payment to the Secretary or to the State, as appropriate, in accordance with section 206(b) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716(b)); or
(ii)
reducing the acreage of the Bureau of Land Management land or State trust land to be exchanged, as appropriate.
(B)
Cash equalization payments— Any cash equalization payments received by the Secretary under subparagraph (A)(i) shall be—
(i)
deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account established by section 206(a) of the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (43 U.S.C. 2305(a)); and
(ii)
used in accordance with that Act (43 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).
(f)
Limitation— No exchange of land shall be conducted under this section unless mutually agreed to by the Secretary and the State.