On both sides, basalt cliffs towered 1,000 feet above the Rio Grande.  Monsoon thunderstorms had left their trails of silt and gravel along the road.  Tell-tale signs of a flash flood.  The storm had passed through a week ahead of New Mexico BHA’s largest gathering, the Rally for the Rio Grande del Norte.  There was a slight bump in water level in the rio, a tinge of brown still shown in the water.  In this part of NM everyone talks about water levels.  The flows influence rafting, tourism, farmer’s crops, wildlife’s movements and fisheries.  This year the water is low and warm.  But that does not discourage people from flocking to the river.   This ribbon of life is like a magnet to wildlife and recreationalists. 

  

  

The site for the Rally for the Rio Grande del Norte sat perched on a man-made terrace overlooking the river and steep cliffs that led to the top of the mesa.  All land managed by the Taos BLM office.  More than 150 people gathered to celebrate the National Monument and the 25-year anniversary of the Conservation Land Fund.  The event was spearheaded by Habitat Stewardship Coordinator Bard Edrington V with donations and help from New Mexico Wild, Conservation Lands Foundation, Trout Unlimited, New Mexico Wildlife Federation and Friends of the Rio Grande.  Each organization represents a different watershed of public landowners.  All flowing the same direction, keeping public lands in public hands.  

  

  

New Mexico River Adventures was instrumental in making this event a success.  Matt Gontram was gracious enough to offer the site to us for the rally and helped promote the event.  On Saturday July 26 cars started to fill the parking lot and lines formed at the Hot Dawgin’ food truck and free beer poured from Santa Fe Brewing Company.  Raffle prizes were laid out on the BHA table, new and current members dropped their tickets into boxes hoping to win a Dometic cooler, Taylor Fly Rod or a Alpacka pack raft.  Each partner organization spoke for a few minutes about the work they are doing on the monument and the importance of public land stewardship.  Taos resident singer songwriter Max Gomez kept the crowd entertained, weaving stories and songs together.  The crowd favorite was his new release, “New Mexico”.  A chorus that makes you wonder how no writer in NM had ever penned to paper, “It ain’t new, and it ain’t Mexico”. 

  

The culmination of the afternoon was the introduction of Senator Martin Heinrich.  He has been a champion for public lands and has been leading the fight in DC to save our wild places.  He was instrumental in protecting and designating the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. He encouraged people to “volunteer for these organizations because for the next few years it’s going to be more important than ever that we protect the places we love and protect the history and culture and the incredible outdoor economy that we all rely on.”

  

  

 “These lands are the anvil that our collective western identity was forged on, they don’t understand that selling them disconnects you from some of the most important memories of your life.” -Senator Heinrich

After the raffle announcements people mingled and conversations about elk hunting, fishing, rafting trips and bird watching could be overheard. The weekend did not end after the gates of NMRA closed.

  

 

On Sunday morning, 25 volunteers met up to discuss the days plan of fence removal.  We were heading for a small section of the monument that sits on the east side of the gorge.  Cattle on Horse Thief Mesa have long been removed and replaced with mountain bikes.  Miles of trails meander along the rim, gifting you with incredible views of the sparkling waters in the bottom of the gorge.  Our job was to remove the barbed wire fences that once corralled the cattle.  

  

  

The mesa has a healthy mule deer population and is an important wintering ground.  The 95-degree temps and western diamondbacks lurking under sagebrush were no match for the BHA volunteers.  We prefer blisters over banquets.  Three different groups split up and began rolling up the wire and moving it to staging locations.  By the end of the day, we had removed 1 mile of fence, improving big game connectivity on 1,800 acres of public land.  

    

 

Weekends like this show that it doesn't matter why or how you love the land-it’s that you share those passions with the person beside you and you stand together and fight for your shared values.  

Become a member of BHA and join one of your local chapters stewardship events.  It feels good to give back to the land that gives us so much. 

Become a BHA Member

Volunteer for Stewardship Projects

Thanks to all of our sponsors

Big thank you to Elden Aguilar, the artist who designed the logo for the event.  His artwork set the tone for the event and provided BHA with a beautiful brand.  Follow him on Instagram @wildstyln.art 

All photos by Kyle Klain