New Mexico Wilderness Alliance

09/02/2026

Writing a public comment sounds intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. The Forest Service is accepting comments on its plan to gut the Roadless Rule for just 20 more days, and personal, specific comments carry real weight in the federal process. We're breaking it down so you can speak up in a few minutes.

🌲 ➡️ Add your public comment before 9/21: https://ow.ly/Cyht50ZIqBQ

09/02/2026

Come out to support the Gila River, Las Cruces! 🎬

Join us on September 17 for a special screening of Journey Down the Gila, a powerful and beautifully made film by Albuquerque filmmaker David Garcia. The film tells the story of the Gila River, the lives lost in service to the wild, and the ongoing effort to keep New Mexico's last free-flowing river wild and untamed.

🎤 Stay after the screening for a Q&A with film co-producer and Heart of the Gila Director Patrice Mutchnick, plus an update on Gila Wild & Scenic legislation from NM Wild's Luke Koenig, and learn how you can take action to protect the Gila.

📍 9/17 at the historic Rio Grande Theatre, downtown Las Cruces
🕕 Doors: 6:15 pm | Film starts at 7:00 pm
🎟️ Tickets: https://ow.ly/kA8m50ZHYSI

✨ This film is not available online or for purchase. Don't miss this one-night opportunity to see it on the big screen. Buy in advance for a discounted ticket and a free copy of Philip Connors' A Song for the River. All proceeds protect the Gila.

09/01/2026

Standing room only at a public meeting in Pie Town last month. Over 100 Catron County residents came out to learn about a uranium exploration project near Datil, one that could mean 37 boreholes drilled up to 1,000 feet deep near the county's main water source, the San Agustín Plains aquifer.

New Mexico Wild's Garrett VeneKlasen didn't mince words: this isn't about politics; it's about whether the county has clean water at all.

More meetings are planned in Datil and Magdalena. Full story here: https://www.dchieftain.com/news/catron-residents-discuss-uranium-project/3095535

➡️ Sign the petition: https://nmwild.org/get-involved/sign-a-petition/no-uranium-mining-in-the-datil-mountains/

08/30/2026

Tom Vaughan was superintendent at Chaco in 1987 when it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In his op-ed recently published in The Santa Fe New Mexican, he describes standing at Pueblo Alto the morning of the dedication, watching sunrise spread across the San Juan Basin and listening to a coyote call from somewhere down in the canyon.

The buffer matters because Chaco never actually stopped at the park boundary. Ancient roads run from the canyon to outlying villages and shrines dozens of miles out, and much of that landscape sits on the federal land the buffer covers. It was a modest protection to begin with, applying only to federal parcels, with roughly 90% of other federal acreage in the area already leased. Undoing it opens the door to more of the 37,000 wells and 15,000 miles of road that have already reached the park's doorstep.

The comment period has closed, but no final decision has been made. Find Tom's full op-ed here: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/chaco-buffer-provides-breathing-room-for-site/article_34a242c9-649d-4314-9bbe-4614f1d66177.html

08/28/2026

The Forest Service isn't holding a single public meeting on its plan to gut the Roadless Rule. So we're partnering with organizations across the state to hold our own. We're calling them the People's Public Hearings to Protect Our Roadless Forests.

📍Santa Fe, Sept 8
📍Albuquerque, Sept 9
📍Silver City & Las Cruces, Sept 15
📍Pecos & Virtual, Sept 16

Show up. Speak up. Comment period closes September 21st.

➡️ Swipe & Share! More info at nmwild.org/roadless

08/27/2026

"Preventing conflict with endangered Mexican gray wolves is a shared responsibility," says Sally Paez, our staff attorney.

Two lobos are being moved or killed right now over chronic conflict on grazing allotments where hazing isn't even possible: steep ridges, deep canyons, terrain that makes non-lethal tools useless.

One order admits a lethal removal in May didn't stop the losses.

They're killing wolves again anyway.

"Livestock operators should be required to consistently implement practical conflict-prevention measures, and wildlife managers should act early with proactive management and effective non-lethal tools to promote coexistence with wildlife," Sally said.

Full coalition press release: https://nmwild.org/press-release-mexican-gray-wolves-being-moved-and-killed-for-problem-grazing-operations/

08/27/2026

💧 SEPTEMBER IS UPPER PECOS WATERSHED AWARENESS MONTH! 🌲

Upper Pecos Watershed Awareness Month was established in August 2024, when UPWA, together with Ralph Vigil of New Mexico Wild, brought the idea before the Village of Pecos Board of Trustees. Thanks to the Village’s unanimous support, it became a reality.

Ralph was a tremendous champion for the Pecos, and his commitment to protecting this special place continues to inspire our work. Today, thanks to the leadership and tireless work of Janice Varela, Northern Organizer for New Mexico Wild, UPWA is proud to help carry Ralph’s legacy forward while continuing to honor and protect the place we all call home. 💙

Throughout September, we’ll be bringing the community together for the Pecos to Pecos Road & River Cleanup and other events celebrating our watershed and the people who care for it.

Stay tuned, more details are coming soon!

08/26/2026

We're Riding for Roadless in Santa Fe next week.🌲🚵🌲

Join New Mexico Wild and Santa Fe Fat Tire Society on Wednesday, September 2 for a group ride through a roadless area facing rollback.

We'll meet at 5 pm at the Borrego-Bear Wallow trailhead off Hyde Park Road for a quick meet and greet, then talk about the USDA's proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule and how to get involved. At 5:45 we'll head out on a 3.5-mile ride through the Borrego, Bear Wallow, and Winsor Trails in the Juan de Gabaldon Grant Inventoried Roadless Area on the Santa Fe National Forest. Moderate/intermediate difficulty.

RSVP required: https://ow.ly/2Jgt50ZFTVm

08/24/2026

The Roadless Rule isn't just about roads. It's what keeps mining and drilling out of 1.6 million acres of New Mexico's wildest forests and cleanest headwaters. If roads go in, extraction follows. That's the whole point of this rollback.

This comment period closes September 21st. Add your voice:

Use this interactive map to explore these roadless treasures across New Mexico. Areas in yellow represent roadless areas at risk.

08/22/2026

Meet Maud & Victor, two more members of New Mexico Wild's 2026 Wilderness Ranger Crew! 🌲

New Mexico Wild's Wilderness Rangers spend the season helping care for New Mexico's public lands through trail maintenance, restoration work, invasive plant removal, and more. This year's 12-person crew includes both returning rangers, who bring experience from previous seasons, and new rangers, who bring fresh perspectives and energy to the team.

That wraps up our crew introductions for the season. Thanks for getting to know the rangers caring for New Mexico's wild places.

Swipe through to meet Maud and Victor!