LAS CRUCES - A proposal to designate thousands of acres in Doña Ana County as federal wilderness is all but dead - at least for now - with time quickly expiring on the congressional session.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said Tuesday he doesn't expect the bill to be heard in the short time remaining before the impending end of the 111th Congress.

The proposal, Senate Bill 1689, had been bundled into a larger piece of public lands legislation that Senate leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, was attempting to pass.

"The Senate has a lot of important business to complete before Congress adjourns, including an arms control treaty with Russia and a bill to aid 9-11 first responders," said Bingaman, in an e-mail. "As a result, it looks like we will run out of time before we get a chance to consider a public lands package - even though the bills contained in it had bipartisan support."

S.B. 1689 would create 241,400 acres of wilderness in Doña Ana County, as well as 99,150 acres of national conservation area, a less-restrictive designation. It covers three main regions, including the Organ Mountains, parts of the Robledo Mountains west of Las Cruces and the Potrillo Mountains, in southwest Doña Ana County.

Supporters pledged they'll continue backing the measure next year - in spite of what are likely to be less-favorable conditions, with Republican Steve Pearce taking over the House district from Harry Teague.

Jeff Steinborn, local director for the New Mexico Wilderness

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Alliance, which has heavily promoted the legislation, said Tuesday the bill's likely fate was "a disappointing setback for our community."

"I do feel it was a historic opportunity that has been missed here, but it's only a setback," he said. "This effort has gone on for a long time, so we're more committed than ever, along with the diverse group of stakeholders in the community that has supported this."

The wilderness proposal and various forms have stirred debate over the past five years about whether land should be protected, the type of protection it should be granted and how much acreage should be included. Conservationists, some sportsmen and the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces have been its strongest supporters, while ranchers, off-road vehicle enthusiasts and the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Las Cruces have been its biggest opponents.

Critics of the bill were pleased Tuesday, said Frank DuBois, a former state agriculture secretary and member of the pro-ranching group People for Preserving Our Western Heritage. He cited a recent letter authored by the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, the Building Industry Association of Southern New Mexico and the Las Cruces Association of Realtors that urged Bingaman and Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., to remove S.B. 1689 from consideration in the last days of the Congress. The groups have contended the wilderness legislation would negatively affect border security in the Potrillo Mountains area and flood control efforts, but have said they're not opposed to protecting lands from development in another way.

"Given the huge amount of opposition and the controversy created, the bill deserved to die," DuBois said.

Wilderness advocates have argued that law enforcement would have benefited from the proposal, partly because it removes acreage in the southern part of the county from what's considered a temporary wilderness designation.

Late last week, those closely watching the wilderness legislation seemed to think it still had a chance of passing. But Reid's office, in an e-mail Monday, said the larger bill, called America's Great Outdoors Act of 2010, was likely to face too much opposition. There's a chance some components might be voted upon separately, they said.

To bring the bill back next year, it would have to be reintroduced and routed again through the committee process, essentially starting from ground zero.

Udall had backed the Doña Ana County wilderness legislation. Outgoing U.S. Rep. Teague, D-N.M., had expressed concerns about the bill. His replacement, Rep.-elect Pearce, has expressed opposition to the bill.

Steinborn acknowledged the bill faces greater challenges next year, but said supporters will "remain focused" on an eventual passage of the bill.

"We're going to continue working on a broad package that will protect all the key lands," he said.

Asked whether the wilderness bill will be reintroduced, Bingaman spokeswoman Jude McCartin said the senator will "think about it over the next few weeks" and decide next year whether to do so.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.