Closed since 1993, Fort Wingate in New Mexico now getting $1.1M for natural resource restoration

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Navajo Nation, Zuni Tribe and U.S. Army have finalized a restoration plan for Fort Wingate in northwestern New Mexico.

The military installation near Gallup was used for storage and disposal of explosives and munitions until operations ceased in 1993.

The two tribes plus the Army and New Mexico Natural Resources Trustee reached an agreement with the federal government in March 2022 to settle claims over releases of hazardous substances at or from the fort.

The fort now is undergoing environmental cleanup in order to transfer all suitable land to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to benefit the Zuni Pueblo and Navajo Nation.

Authorities say the restoration plan directs spending more than $1.1 million from the settlement on projects including forest and fuelwood restoration and habitat conservation for the bluehead sucker fish species.