Navajo Nation, Zuni Tribe, US Army, & New Mexico Natural Resources Trustee Finalize Natural Resource Restoration Plan for injuries at Ft. Wingate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Maggie Hart Stebbins
Natural Resources Trustee
Maggie.hartstebbins@onrt.nm.gov
(505) 231- 7542
February 6, 2024
Navajo Nation, Zuni Tribe, US Army, & New Mexico Natural Resources Trustee Finalize Natural Resource Restoration Plan for injuries at Ft. Wingate
Co-Trustees will restore natural resources using $1.13 million awarded in settlement with United States Army
ALBUQUERQUE — Today, the Zuni Tribe, the Navajo Nation, the New Mexico Natural Resources Trustee, and the United States Department of the Army -- Co-Trustees for natural resources located at the Fort Wingate Depot Activity -- announced the completion of the Final Resource Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Fort Wingate Depot Activity Site.
In March 2022, the Co-Trustees reached an agreement with the United States, on behalf of the U.S. Army, to settle claims for natural resource injuries caused by releases of hazardous substances at or from the former Army facility. Fort Wingate, located in McKinley County near Gallup, was used for storage and disposal of explosives and munitions until operations ceased in 1993.
Since the settlement, the Co-Trustees have worked together to develop and approve the Final Restoration Plan that directs spending $1,137,150 from the settlement on restoration projects prioritized by the Zuni Tribe and Navajo Nation including Forest Restoration and Fuelwood Production and Bluehead Sucker Habitat Conservation. The Final Restoration Plan describes the process followed by the Co-Trustees to evaluate, prioritize, and select natural resource restoration projects utilizing the settlement funds.
The Trustee Council will now ask the Court to disburse the settlement funds from the escrow account so restoration activities can begin.
The Final Restoration Plan is available on ONRT’s website at Final Resource Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Fort Wingate Depot Activity .
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