BLM Plans Herbicide Drop on New Mexico Sagebrush
Protesters delivered a petition to the BLM Taos Field Office opposing the planned tebuthiuron treatment in the Río Grande del Norte National Monument.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Botany
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The Bureau of Land Management plans to drop tebuthiuron herbicide pellets on about 2,929 acres of sagebrush west of Cerro during the first two weeks of November. About 100 people signed a petition opposing the treatment, which was delivered to the BLM Taos Field Office.
Why it matters
BLM says the treatment will reduce dense sagebrush stands, allowing grasses and other vegetation to return, and will lower wildfire risk. The plan has drawn opposition from residents and petition signers in New Mexico who object to the use of herbicide on public land.
The planned treatment covers about 2,929 acres, while roughly 100 people signed the in-person petition and nearly 1,170 people had signed a separate online petition as of Wednesday. It is not yet known whether BLM will change the plan in response to the opposition.
The players
Bureau of Land Management
The federal agency that manages public lands in New Mexico, including the Río Grande del Norte National Monument, and is planning the herbicide treatment.
Shayna Gladstone
The organizer who started the Change.org petition opposing the planned herbicide drop.
The details
About 30 people gathered in the lobby of the BLM Taos Field Office to deliver a petition written by Shamane Morejon, Aurora Thimmesch, Chaitanya Massera and Caitlyn Cournale. The planned method is aerial dispersal of tebuthiuron, a soil-activated herbicide, within the Río Grande del Norte National Monument.
Timeline
October 28, 2026: A Change.org petition opposing the herbicide drop was started by Shayna Gladstone.
November 7, 2026: Protesters delivered the petition to the BLM Taos Field Office.
First two weeks of November 2026: The planned tebuthiuron treatment is scheduled.
Seasonal Patterns
The treatment targets dense sagebrush stands within the Río Grande del Norte National Monument, a federally managed landscape where BLM has stated the goal is to allow grasses to return and reduce wildfire risk. The petition signals public opposition to chemical vegetation control on that public land.
Residents near Cerro and visitors to the Río Grande del Norte National Monument may see aerial herbicide application during the treatment window. Changes to sagebrush cover could alter the landscape available for recreation and grazing.
The takeaway
Vegetation management on public land involves trade-offs between reducing wildfire risk and public concern about herbicide use. Readers interested in such decisions can follow the BLM's stated reasoning and the petition activity.
What happens next
The planned tebuthiuron treatment is scheduled for the first two weeks of November 2026.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Botany in our science section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Santa Fe New Mexican.
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