WASHINGTON - Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recently called on the Department of the Interior to protect the Zuni Salt Lake and Sanctuary Zone in New Mexico. The Zuni Salt Lake and Sanctuary Zone Traditional Cultural Property have been saved from a proposed coal strip-mine just two months after the National Trust named the area one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. "The decision not to develop this mine presents a tremendous opportunity for the Department of the Interior to implement permanent protection measures for this extraordinarily significant area," Moe said "The National Trust strongly encourages the Department to develop a long-term protection plan for Zuni Salt Lake and Sanctuary Zone, in order to ensure that this area is not faced with new threats in the years and decades to come. We stand ready to work with the department and the tribes in developing a meaningful protection plan." The board of Salt River Project (SRP), an Arizona utility, voted to abandon its plans for strip-mining coal from an 18,000-acre area known as the Fence Lake Mine, about half of which would lie directly within the Sanctuary Zone. SRP plans to relinquish its state and federal permits and coal leases. The proposed mine would have had a disastrous impact on the Sanctuary Zone, and the decision to abandon the mine will spare hundreds of traditional cultural properties and religious sites from disturbance. "The Zuni Tribe has waged a spirited battle against this mining project," Moe said. "Saving the Zuni Salt Lake and other cultural resources is important to us all, regardless of our religion or heritage. I am pleased that the National Trust was able to help publicize the tribe's battle and to support their effort to save the Zuni Salt Lake from destruction. We also commend the board of Salt River Project for making this important decision." Located in a remote region of western New Mexico, the Zuni Salt Lake and the surrounding 182,000-acre Sanctuary Zone are considered sacred ground by no less than six Native American tribes, including the Zuni, Acoma, Navajo, Hopi, Apache, and Laguna people. According to Zuni belief, the lake gives life to Ma'l Oyattsik'i, Salt Woman, one of the tribe's central deities, and has long been an important source of salt for domestic and ceremonial use. The Sanctuary Zone has been traditionally viewed as a neutral area where various tribes could gather without conflict. The entire Sanctuary Zone has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and Zuni Salt Lake, owned by the Zuni Pueblo, is listed on the National Register.