A proposed settlement for a nearly 200-year-old debate surrounding a land grant in the Sandia Pueblo area will be the focus of a forum Saturday in Bratton Hall, Room 2401.
Sandia Pueblo Gov. Stuwart Paisano and Michael Robinson, a New Mexico Wilderness Environment representative, will lead a discussion on the Sandia Pueblo Indian Law Claim and the proposed T'uf Shur Bien Preservation Trust area. John Leshy, the Department of Interior's chief lawyer during the Clinton administration, will give a synopsis of the settlement.
Representatives from the Sandia Mountain Coalition, Bernalillo County, Sandia Mountain Tramway Co. and the United States Forest Service are expected to attend.
The forum will concentrate on Sandia Pueblo's claim that when the original land grant was surveyed in the 19th century, the surveyor misjudged the boundary. As it stands now, the boundary runs to the bottom of the Sandia Foothills.
The Pueblo claim states that the original survey should have made the boundary to the top of the crest.
"I hope it will help people understand where the claim comes from and what the settlement proposed is all about and will inform people what has been introduced in congress," UNM law professor Kip Bobroff said.
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Sandia Pueblo has proposed a settlement agreement and would be willing to give up the claim as long as it is assured that the area remain undisturbed and undeveloped, and that the pueblo be able continue to use it for religious practices.
The settlement said the Pueblo would also be willing to give homeowners in the area right-of-way and clear title to their property.
Also, all public uses such as biking, hiking and hang gliding would still be allowed.
Former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Leshy advised during the final hours of Clinton's term that the disputed area would be settled more quickly if Congress would ratify Sandia Pueblo's proposed agreement.
The opinion said that the department should adjust the pueblo's boundary and, if needed, should re-survey the area so the boundary would extend to the top of Sandia Crest. The department has put any decision on hold, waiting to see if Congress would enact a settlement agreement.
Bobroff said problems with the pueblo's claim differ according to groups. Area residents, the U.S. Forest Service and Bernalillo County have all raised concerns on whether the pueblo would use the land to build casinos or resorts, and under what legal jurisdiction current homeowners would fall under.
The pueblo has stated that it is not trying to claim private land; it is only seeking the land omitted from the original survey - land currently operated by the forest service.
"One of things we want to do with the panel is show how the settlement will effect the homeowners, the public and pueblo," Bobroff said.
