Category: Trail Projects

Fifty (!) volunteers showed up for a one-day project to start work on a new trail just west of Socorro between Grammont Peak Trail and The Shrine on Gun Range Road, named Descansos Trail. The project was organized by Rob of Socorro Trails, with participation from a Tech bike club, a rock climbing group, a middle-school cross-country team, and BLM staff.

We divided into about 4 trail crews, and leap-frogged as we scratched out trail in rocky soil, with Sofias breakfast burritos appearing for brunch.

Nick’s crew did some impressive rock work in a particularly difficult section.

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Roughly 14 Backcountry Horsemen- Gila Chapter (BCH-Gila) unhorsed volunteers met at a trailhead north of Silver City for a one-day project of lopping and signage.

After a descent to a wet-foot crossing of Rain Creek, we split into two teams to ascend the slope and lop brush on a cool crisp day.

I am fortunate to have met about half the volunteers on previous projects, so it was great to catch up.

Afterwards, Melissa took us up a trail along the creek to a secret swimming spot, with multiple pools and small falls.

The Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge on the southern outskirts of Albuquerque invited volunteers to help with cleaning up a pond near the new visitor’s center in a one-afternoon project. A large group showed, and the majority was a volunteer crew from a local firm, NSC.

The pond, partially drained, still had a layer of ice.

Our task was to thin cattails, remove sheets of algae along the bank, and clear tumbleweeds that had been caught by the cattails.

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