LAS CRUCES, N.M. - On Sept. 20, the Bureau of Land Management Las Cruces District will auction (through an oral competitive bid) cattle only grazing units, ranging in use from 9 to 36 months, on the McGregor Range on the west side of Otero Mesa.  Prior to the auction, on Sept. 13, the BLM will conduct a pre-bid, bidder’s tour of the grazing units.

The tour will begin at 8 a.m. at the junction of U.S. Highway 54 and the entrance to State Road 506, approximately 24 miles south of Alamogordo (just north of the Border Patrol Check Station and south of the new Department of Transportation Check Station).  Tour participants will need to bring a lunch and water for the tour.

The auction will take place the following week at the BLM Las Cruces District, 1800 Marquess St., starting at 10 a.m.  Bidders will need to check-in at the front desk and proceed to the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Conference Room.  All successful bidders will be required to pay a 10 percent deposit at the conclusion of the auction.

The McGregor Range is comprised of 606,000 acres of public land between Alamogordo, N.M. and El Paso, Texas.  It was set aside for the U.S. Army under the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999.  Used by Fort Bliss Army Base and Holloman Air Force Base for training purposes, the Range is jointly managed with the BLM for the resources outlined in the 2006 McGregor Range Resource Management Plan and a memorandum of understanding.  The military has primary use, while the BLM has secondary use of the Range resources, such as the management of grazing. 

For more information or questions on the tour and auction, the public may contact James Christensen at 575-644-8635 or Beth Underwood at 575-525-4303.  In addition, the bid information is available on the BLM website at http://www.blm.gov/new-mexico under the Spotlight section.