New Mexico Badlands

New Mexico has many badlands in a roughly circular part of the Colorado Plateau called the San Juan Basin. Since the Jurassic period, layers of sandstones and shales were deposited. Then uplift, volcanism and erosion over millions of years exposed them. Someone who knows what he’s talking about can explain the geology. Let’s just say that where dinosaurs once crossed ancient swamps and lakes, the land is now crossed by oil and gas company roads. Extraction dominates today’s San Juan Basin, yet in the remaining roadless areas are treasures: the New Mexico badlands.

What a pleasure it is to drop into these hidden places from the wide-open plains around them. They come upon you suddenly—I have no doubt there are more pockets of hoodoos awaiting discovery. Some, like the Ojito Wilderness, the Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness and the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness, have been preserved. Others are guarded secrets shared among hikers and students of photography, geology and paleontology. These are fragile places where walking lightly is a necessity.

Here are some of my photographs of these wonderful places, presented in the hope that others will see the awesomeness of the lands here. Spread the word: save the badlands! Another coal-fired power plant or strip mine could still be in the dreams of the power companies, further endangering the already degraded air quality in the basin, not to mention the hoodoo lands shot through with seams of coal, ripe for the picking. Sadly, we need more and more energy, but it would be far too easy to take these places away from us, for far too little gain. I’ll get off of my soapbox now—come see and learn for yourself.