Historic Trail Faces Legal Battle Over Conservation Efforts
In a significant move to safeguard a piece of American history, conservation groups have taken legal action against the federal government. The lawsuit, filed in Washington D.C. Court, asserts that the Old Spanish National Historic Trail has been neglected, lacking a proper management plan for nearly 20 years.
The complaint targets the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management for their oversight. It highlights that unchecked development is threatening the integrity of this historic route, which stretches from Santa Fe to Los Angeles.
Led by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks, Basin and Range Watch, among others, the lawsuit claims, “The lack of a [management plan] and a designated right-of-way for the Old Spanish Trail has resulted in piecemeal development decisions that have been chipping away at the Trail’s integrity for decades.”
Tracing its origins to the mid-1800s, the Old Spanish Trail is a relic from when much of the Southwest, including areas like northern Arizona and the Colorado Plateau, was under Mexican control. The trail navigates through notable regions such as the Four Corners, Navajo Nation, and parts of Utah before continuing southward through Nevada and California.
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