We Want to Hear from You!
BACKSTORY: The Mescalero Apache Tribe has proposed a land exchange to receive certain ancestral lands that are now state trust lands. The State Land Office would receive yet-to-be-determined lands in return.
The Tribe is considering a parcel of about 320 acres of state trust land west of Las Cruces near the airport and south of I-10. The Tribe will no longer pursue a potential land exchange for the parcel of state trust land near A Mountain as originally proposed, but will instead apply for an agreement to gain access to the parcel for traditional cultural uses.
The State Land Office is still in the early stages of reviewing the proposal and gathering more information. No official decisions about the proposal have been made at this time.
Find more information on the public meetings and the proposed land exchange below!
General Public Meeting
WHEN: February 25, 2026; 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum; 4100 Dripping Springs Road
Las Cruces, NM 88011
ONLINE OPTION:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89528360038?pwd=ZfbD1NBIJIR7BMEoQGmNak2XsQrJpB.1
Meeting ID: 895 2836 0038
Passcode: 487949
*A previous neighborhood-focused meeting was held on November 7, 2025 in Las Cruces.