VII.48 Taos Pueblo (United States of America)
The committee recalled that the potential impact of the extension of the Taos Airport on the World Heritage site of Taos Pueblo was discussed at various Bureau and committee meetings and that the Committee's concerns were transmitted to the united states authorities. The Secretariat informed the committee that it had received preliminary monitoring reports notably from the US National Park Service. These reports indicated that the major issue was the size of the area determined to be affected by the proposed airport extension. It was reported that this area was defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) without consultations with the Taos Pueblo or the United States National Park Service (USNPS) and did include the Taos Pueblo Land Tracts immediately surrounding the proposed flight routes, whereas the Blue Lake Wilderness, a federally protected area for tribal religious activity, was excluded. Most of the Taos Pueblo's complaints about expected impacts related to this sensitive area.
The Committee recommended to the authorities of the United States that an impartial professional review of the area defined by the Federal Aviation Administration for the impact study be carried out in cooperation with ICOMOS and IUCN, and that a report be submitted to the twentieth session of the World Heritage committee. The committee also invited the state Party to consider the possible extension of the World Heritage site to include the culturally valuable areas related to the Taos Pueblo under the cultural landscape criteria.