Announcements
The draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Landscape Restoration and Stewardship Plan (Stewardship Plan) is available for public review and comment! This 10-year plan is being created for the restoration and management of the forest, grassland, shrubland, and riparian ecosystems on the preserve. Proposed activities include, forest thinning, wildland fire management, road closure, decommissioning, maintenance and repair; riparian restoration, erosion control, and noxious weed eradication and control.
- Move the structure, composition, and function of the preserve's natural systems towards the reference condition.
- Reduce the potential for wildland fire to burn with uncharacteristic severity or extent.
- Reintroduce wild land ... Read More
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is seeking individuals interested in serving as advisors to the Habitat Stamp Program. As volunteers, advisors review habitat plans, prioritize habitat improvement proposals and forward their recommendations to the Department. Advisors meet each winter to provide input to and review habitat conservation plans, and reconvene in the spring to prioritize habitat proposals. Besides meeting twice a year, advisors attend field tours in summer months and report Habitat Stamp Program restoration efforts to their peers. Citizen Advisors serve three-year terms. The State Game Commission will appoint 35 citizens at its meeting Nov. 14 ... Read More
New Mexico Trout chosen as volunteer club of the year by the NM Department of Game and Fish! I received a call from Kevin Holladay informing me of this award. Needless to say I was happy to hear this and asked Kevin the whys and wherefores. Two youth programs were at the front of the decision. The Tingley Beach youth clinics under the direction of Darian Padilla and the Valles Caldera youth and adult programs which Francis Peter has led for several years. The public announcement was made at the New Mexico Outdoor Expo which was held at the City ... Read More
The Sept 21 project assisting the Santa Fe National Forest in building an elk and cattle exclosure on the upper Rio San Antonio is cancelled for this year. The Forest Service has been unable to get a contract in place for the heavy duty auger that will be required to dig the post holes. This is a worthwhile project and we will work with the Forest Service to have it rescheduled for the 2014 season ... Read More
Francis Peter, Youth Program Chair So far, the Valles Caldera has not been hit by extreme flooding except for some runoff on Redondo Creek. That seems to be the source for much of the ash coming down the Jemez. As reported in the Albuquerque Journal, much of the Thompson Ridge fire has been beneficial to the VNCP. But some of the areas affected by the Los Conchas fire continue to be impacted by flooding and erosion into the rivers. All of the buildings in the Historic Ranch district are intact. Some Jerzy barriers and sandbags have been placed to prevent ... Read More
Outdoor Expo, August 16-18 Contact Francis Peter, fepeter@outlook.com or 505-980-3444 The New Mexico Game & Fish Outdoor Expo will be held at Shooting Range Park on Friday, Aug 16 through Sunday Aug 18. Volunteers are requested to help with Fly Tying and Fly Casting during this show. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Francis Peter with your preference for day and morning/afternoon participation. Most materials and equipment will be provided by the Outdoor Expo. New Mexico Trout will be honored at the Outdoor Expo as the Aquatic Resource Education Volunteer Group of the Year for our work supporting Tingley Beach and other ... Read More
Ron Loehman Conservation Chairman New Mexico Senators Udall and Heinrich and Representative Lujan have reintroduced legislation to add the Columbine-Hondo area in northern New Mexico to the Federal Wilderness system. The proposal will create a 45,000-acre wilderness adjacent to the present Wheeler Peak Wilderness in the Carson National Forest north Of Taos. You can access a map of the area here. The Columbine-Hondo was designated a Federal Wilderness Study Area in 1980. Conservationists, outdoor organizations, and many others have advocated for its transfer to the Federal Wilderness system since that time, but for one reason or another it never happened ... Read More
by Larry Ydens An email is all it took. I needed a reason to go fishing. I had been busy at work, and I had even worked 2 of the previous 3 Saturdays. So Pat's email about the Salmon Flies on the Guadalupe was all it took. So I loaded up the car with my gear and headed to work (some habits are hard to completely break I guess). I planned to head for the Guadalupe for the afternoon. It was midweek (Thursday) just before a holiday (Labor Day), so I figured it would not be crowded. Although there were ... Read More
