280 acres protected in New Mexico’s Cebolla Wilderness

July 27, 2026-

Periodically, the Trust sends out letters to landowners of private inholdings within designated wilderness areas introducing ourselves and letting them know that if they are ever interested in selling, we’d love to work with them. This, along with partners bringing projects to us and landowners hearing about our work from neighbors or news stories, are the primary ways we identify potential projects. In late 2025, we sent out one such mailing to inholding landowners in New Mexico. One of the responses we received was from the owner of the 280-acre Pinyon Camp property in the Cebolla Wilderness. Originally homesteaded by their family in the 1930s, they were now interested in selling the property and seeing it protected.

The Trust recently completed the purchase of the Pinyon Camp property. It sits on a bluff between two drainages, with easy recreation access in the heart of the wilderness area. It is also located within a larger conservation complex: The Cebolla Wilderness, along with the West Malpais Wilderness and three wilderness study areas, are part of the greater El Malpais National Conservation Area, which encompasses over 262,000 acres and adjoins the El Malpais National Monument. El Malpais means “the badlands”, and its landscapes are dominated by volcanic fields, dramatic sandstone cliffs, canyons, and arches. It is also home to over 190 species of birds, including excellent nesting habitat for a variety of raptors.

Pinyon Camp was one of only two remaining private inholdings left in the Cebolla Wilderness. With it now protected, we are one step closer to completing the wilderness area. The Trust will now work to transfer Pinyon Camp to public ownership to be added to the wilderness area. As designated wilderness, it will have the highest protections available for public lands, which can only be altered by a majority vote of Congress, not executive order or other administration directives.