New National Monument Created in New Mexico
The new site encompasses the largest area preserved during Obama's presidency.
President Barack Obama created a new national monument on Wednesday, setting aside a half-million acres of federal land in southern New Mexico where Geronimo once roamed.
The Organ Mountain-Desert Peak region, which lies between El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico, is the second national monument the president has designated this year. At 500,000 acres, it is the 11th of his presidency and the largest.
In March, Obama added 1,600 acres to the California Coastal National Monument to include the Point Arena-Stornetta region 129 miles north of San Francisco.
"Anyone who has ever seen the Organ Mountains that overlook Las Cruces will tell you they are a spectacular site," Obama said at a White House ceremony.
Half of the new
