From 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm
Join Heart of the Gila & NM Wild on this long-weekend habitat restoration project! We will be focusing our efforts on the Jordan Hot Springs area, and if time allows on other nearby high-impact areas along the middle fork.
This part of the Gila river sees a lot of recreational use, and the area directly above Jordan Hot Springs has especially suffered from the impacts of this traffic. Pollution, ground compaction, and vegetation disturbance upstream of the springs pose a threat to their delicate ecology, as well as visitor safety. NM Wild and Heart of the Gila have done work in the past to deter camping too close to the springs and restore previously imapcted habitat, and we will continue this effort as well as other nearby rehabilitation.
This is an intermediate/advanced level project! Attendees must be prepared for a four-day, three-night backpacking trip, able to provide and carry their own food and supplies for that length of time, and comfortable doing manual labor outdoors including using tools such as shovels and picks. We will be digging and moving large rocks.
The approach to basecamp is a ~7 mile hike with ~700 feet of elevation gain, including several river crossings (an extra pair of close toed hiking shoes specifically for the river crossing portion of the hike is very strongly recommended, as the crossings are too frequent to change every time).
