New Mexico

Gila National Forest - photo US Forest Service

New Mexico

On March 14, 2010 the Eastern Native Tree Society and Western Native Tree Society switched from discussion lists on Google Groups to a new discussion list in a Bulletin Board format at: http://www.ents-bbs.org/index.php   Posts made since the inception of the BBS on March 14, 2010 will be sorted and archived on the BBS. Click on the link to go to the equivalent section on the new BBS. This website will continue to serve as a front end for the ENTS and WNTS groups. It will continue to serve as a repository of older posts, and will serve as the host site for special projects and features that are not well suited for a BBS format. Please visit the BBS for the latest information and trip reports.

Field Trips and Discussions

Carlsbad Caverns National Park http://www.nps.gov/cave/ Established to preserve Carlsbad Cavern and numerous other caves within a Permian-age fossil reef, the park contains more than 100 known caves, including Lechuguilla Cave—the nation's deepest limestone cave at 1,567 feet (478m) and third longest. The park contains 33,125 acres of rugged wilderness backcountry terrain with jagged limestone outcrops, sharp pointy plants, and no water. The challenging desert wilderness of Carlsbad Caverns National Park offers outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation. Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains one of the few protected portions of the northern Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. The Chihuahuan Desert reveals, upon close examination, complex natural processes that yield an astounding abundance and diversity of plant and animal life. 

El Mapais National Monument - photo US National Park Service

El Malpais National Monument and Conservation Area  http://www.nps.gov/elma/ El Malpais National Monument and Conservation Area was established in 1987 and is a relative newcomer to the National Park System. This monument preserves 114,277 acres of which 109,260 acres are federal and 5,017 acres are private. El Malpais means "the badlands" but contrary to its name this unique area holds many surprises, many of which researchers are now unraveling. Volcanic features such as lava flows, cinder cones, pressure ridges and complex lava tube systems dominate the landscape. Closer inspection reveals unique ecosystems with complex relationships. Sandstone bluffs and mesas border the eastern side, providing access to vast wilderness.

Gila National Forest - US Forest Service Site  http://www2.srs.fs.fed.us/r3/gila/ The Gila National Forest has spectacular scenery ranging from high cool mountains with aspen and douglas fir to warm semi-arid lowlands with juniper, oak and cactus. It is one of the more remote and least developed National Forests in the southwest. Covering 3.3 million acres of publicly owned forest and range land, the Forest is the sixth largest National Forest in the continental United States. The Forest is also home to the first proclaimed Wilderness area.  Another unique beauty of the Gila National Forest is its wilderness. The Gila, Aldo Leopold, and Blue Range Wildernesses offer unparallel hiking and horseback riding. 

Gila National Forest, New Mexico http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/wildlife/topten_oldgrowth3.htm If you imagine the primeval forest as a dark and mysterious, an old-growth Ponderosa pine is pleasant relief. Ponderosa pine is these really open, sunny, grassy forests as opposed to the dark canyons. Two places to see it are the Gila Wilderness, the first wilderness in the United States, and the Blue Primitive Area, where the Mexican Gray Wolf has been reintroduced. 

GORP - New Mexico Wilderness Areas http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_wilderness_area/nm.htm Aldo Leopold, Apache Kid, Blue Range, Capitan Mountains, Cebolla, Chama River Canyon, Chupadera Wilderness, Cruces Basin, Dome Wilderness, Gila, Indian Well Wilderness, Latir Peak, Little San Pascual Wilderness, Manzano Mountains, Pecos, Salt Creek, San Pedro Parks, Sandia Mountains, Wheeler Peak, White Mountain, Withington.