The El Malpais National Conservation Area is a federally protected conservation area in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
. The El Malpais National Conservation area was established in 1987 and is managed by the
Bureau of Land Management as part of the
National Landscape Conservation System
National Conservation Lands, formally known as the National Landscape Conservation System, is a collection of lands in 873 federally recognized areas considered to be the crown jewels of the American West.[El Malpais National Monument
El Malpais National Monument is a National Monument located in western New Mexico, in the Southwestern United States. The name El Malpais is from the Spanish term '' Malpaís'', meaning ''badlands'', due to the extremely barren and dramatic volca ...]
was established at the same time and is managed by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
.
The El Malpais NCA includes two wilderness areas — the
West Malpais Wilderness and
Cebolla Wilderness Area — covering almost .
Cultural landscape
For more than 10,000 years people have interacted with the El Malpais landscape. Historic and prehistoric
Cultural landscape sites provide connections to past times. More than mere artifacts, these cultural resources are kept alive by the spiritual and physical presence of contemporary Indian groups, including the Puebloan peoples of
Acoma Acoma may refer to:
* ''Acoma'' (beetle), a scarab beetle genus of subfamily Melolonthinae
* Acoma Pueblo, a Native American pueblo
* Acoma, Nevada, a ghost town
* Acoma Township, McLeod County, Minnesota, US
* , more than one ship of the US Navy
...
,
Laguna and
Zuni, and the Ramah
Navajo.
Features
El
Malpais ('the
badlands
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...
') is Spanish, pronounced Mal-(rhymes with wall)-pie-ees(rhymes with rice). The El Malpais National Conservation Area was established to protect nationally significant geological, archaeological, ecological, cultural, scenic, scientific, and wilderness resources surrounding the
Grants Lava Flows.
In addition to the two
wilderness area
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
s, the NCA includes
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
cliffs, canyons, La Ventana Natural Arch, the Chain of Craters Back Country Byway and the Narrows Picnic Area.
There are two visitor centers that serve the NCA, both off of I-40. El Malpais Visitor Center, operated jointly with the National Park Service, is on the south side of exit 85. The Bureau of Land Management Ranger Station is about eight miles south of exit 89 on State Highway 117.
References
External links
*
official El Malpais National Conservation Area website
{{authority control
Malpaíses (landform)
National Conservation Areas of the United States
Bureau of Land Management areas in New Mexico
Cultural landscapes
Great Divide of North America
Protected areas of Cibola County, New Mexico
Protected areas established in 1987
Units of the National Landscape Conservation System
1987 establishments in New Mexico
Nature reserves in New Mexico
Badlands of the United States