Event Description

A particularly special project !!!!!  Simply stated, Aldo Leopold was a conservation visionary.  In 1924, he convinced the Forest Service to set aside the Gila Primitive Area, the first wilderness area in the United States. In 1931, he was one of eight founders of The Wilderness Society.  His book “The Sand County Almanac” is one of the seminal works on the environmental movement. We owe him a debt; he got it long before many did.

When Aldo Leopold first came to New Mexico, he worked for the Carson National Forest and lived in the tiny town of Tres Piedras, about 30 miles northwest of Taos.  In celebration of the 100-year anniversary of his arrival, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation are hosting this special Volunteer Service Project.

THE PLACE:  Stuart Meadows is north of Tres Piedras, just a little west of San Antonio Mountain.  It is a broad meadow that follows the Rio San Antonio before it turns and carves a gorge en route to the Rio de los Piños.  A fence protects a large portion of the meadow from livestock grazing.  It has created an absolutely gorgeous wildlife haven.

Just north of Stuart Meadows is the Rio San Antonio Wilderness Study Area.  In honor of Aldo Leopold, we will be discussing our efforts to designate the Rio San Antonio and nearby Ute Mountain as Wilderness.  They would be part of a larger Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area that would protect the Rio Grande Gorge and its surrounding sage and grasslands.

THE PROJECT: We will repair the fence that protects Stuart Meadows.  We may also do some plantings and riparian restoration.

Meals:  We are hoping for a huge turn-out and this will dictate the meal set-up.  There will be a potluck on Saturday evening.

Maximum participants: 100

Contact: Craig Chapman at 505-843-8696 x1009, craig@nmwild.org for more info.

Driving distance: 3 hours north and east of ABQ; 2 hours east of Las Cruces