"ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A 120-year-old idea to make New Mexico's White Sands National Monument a national park could be realized before the end of the year.

The wave-like dunes of gypsum sand cover 275 square miles of desert in southern New Mexico and attract thousands of visitors each year.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, says the park designation was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 and approved by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

Heinrich hopes the designation will improve the economies of towns that surround White Sands."

Public News Service had the story December 19, 2019. [2]