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Heinrich To Join Doña Ana County Residents In Celebrating Anniversary Of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Friday, May 15, and tomorrow, Saturday, May 16, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will attend events in Doña Ana County to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

Tonight, Senator Heinrich will help kick-off the celebration at an event sponsored by the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance at the Farm and Ranch Museum. The event will feature a tribal blessing, the unveiling of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Achievement badge for the Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest, entertainment, and information related to the monument. The event will also include a "class picture" taken of all of the groups and individuals who worked to help establish the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

On Saturday, Senator Heinrich will join residents, small business owners, sportsmen, and many others at a cookout at the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park. Businesses in the area have touted how the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument has benefited the local economy.

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks was designated as a national monument on May 21, 2014. Establishing the national monument is the culmination of a decade of involvement from the local community. The national monument protects nearly 500,000 acres stretching across the Organ, Doña Ana, Potrillo, Robledo and Uvas mountains, encompasses Broad Canyon, Sleeping Lady Hills, Rough and Ready Hills, Picacho Peak, Mount Riley, Peña Blanca and Bishop's Cap, and contains more than 5,000 archeologically and culturally significant sites.

Las Cruces - Friday, May 15, 2015
WHAT:  Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Kick-Off Celebration
WHEN: 5:30 to 8 p.m. MT
WHERE: New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road, Las Cruces, N.M. 88011

Las Cruces - Saturday, May 16, 2015
WHAT:  Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Community Cookout 
WHEN:  5 to 9 p.m. MT
WHERE: Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, 5000 Calle Del Norte, Mesilla, N.M. 88046

For a full listing of all the week's events, visit:
http://locallascruces.com/omdpweek/