The U.S. government is set to begin selling oil and gas leases in March near a New Mexico national park site over the protests of Native American tribal leaders. The leases will include land that’s considered sacred to the tribes near Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a World Heritage Site with massive stone structures, kivas, and other features that archaeologists believe are of religious or ritualistic significance. Democratic members of Congress, tribal leaders, and environmentalists have criticized the federal Bureau of Land Management for going ahead with the leases, complaining that the recent government shutdown locked them out of the decision-making process. “It’s a mistake that while critical public services were shuttered for 35 days during the government shutdown, BLM still moved forward with this opaque process,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) told the Associated Press. The agency has confirmed the sale is scheduled for March 28. In recent years, federal land managers have declined oil and gas exploration within 10 miles of the sacred park.