National Monument Set to Reopen After Almost 5 Years

The Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico, which closed in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is reopening later this month. The US Bureau of Land Management and Cochiti Pueblo says the monument will reopen Nov. 21. Visitors will be required to make reservations online. The tribe will be taking on day-to-day operations of the monument, a popular geologic hiking spot midway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, the AP reports.

The bureau and Cochiti Pueblo jointly agreed to maintain the closure after pandemic restrictions were lifted to renegotiate operations of the monument. The monument was created in 2001 with a provision that said it will be managed by the federal government in close cooperation with Cochiti Pueblo. The agreement comes as the federal government looks for more opportunities to work with tribes to co-manage public lands and to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into planning and management of these spaces.

The BLM says visitation was initially low, but by 2020, visitor numbers were around 100,000 per year, causing issues including long lines and staffing problems, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. The tent rocks, conical volcanic formations up to 90 feet high, can be viewed from a hiking trail. "People love it so much, they want to see it," says BLM spokesperson Jamie Garcia. "It was starting to degrade the trail." Under the registration system, authorities hope to keep visitor numbers below 75,000 per year. (More national monuments stories.)