By: Cathy Cook
A 3,400 acre section of the Caja del Rio Plateau near Santa Fe will be protected from mining, new transmission lines or major thoroughfares for the next 20 years. The 106,000 acre Caja del Rio is a checkerboard of federal and state lands that are home to wildlife like elk, bear and golden eagles, and an area where people have traditionally picked piñon, grazed cattle and performed religious ceremonies.