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DAYS
Join New Mexico BHA on the Taos Plateau for a weekend of fence removal, fly fishing and camping. This is the fourth of five Habitat Stewardship events, presented by OnX, on the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument. We are excited to be joined by Nick Streit and Ben Mortensen of Friends of the Rio Grande and Taos Fly Shop. Nick and Ben will lead a small stream fly fishing seminar at camp, and on Sunday we will hike into the Cruces Basin Wilderness to fly fish for the day.
The Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument is an important wintering area for elk and mule deer and year-round habitat for pronghorn. The plateau is a multi-use area that has miles of fencing separating grazing allotments. Much of this fencing is not wildlife friendly and can cause direct mortality, injury and hair loss. Pronghorn are not great jumpers and can become trapped behind fencing thus fragmenting their habitat and causing them stress. Deer and elk risk becoming entangled in the fencing when jumping over.
In this event we will be removing ~1 mile of network fencing that is no longer needed. The exact location will be posted when we get nearer to the event.
Friday August 22: You can arrive at the designated camping spot anytime on Friday afternoon. There are no amenities at this location so be sure to bring everything you will need to camp. On Friday night you will be responsible for your own food.
Saturday August 21: We will provide coffee and breakfast burritos before we do a safety talk and go over what we are doing for the day. Plan to bring a lunch as well as plenty of water. We will work until ~4 pm.
Saturday evening: We will have a wild game potluck, so bring your best or favorite wild game dish to share. Beer will be provided by Santa Fe Brewing Company. Small stream fly fishing workshop by Nick Streit.
Sunday August 22: We will hike into the Cruces Basin Wilderness to fish the small streams for brook trout. Nick and Ben will lead the trip. We will also forage for wild mushrooms, assuming we have adequate conditions for mushroom growth.
OnX Folder with pins for camping location and meet up location.
Camping Location (36.85093, -106.08096): We will be camping north of Tres Piedras in the Carson NF near San Antonio Mountain. Forest Service road 87 off of Highway 285. Take highway 285 north from Tres Piedras for 11 miles. Turn left (west) on Forest Service road 87. Take this dirt road 7.3 miles, where you will see a group of pine trees on your left (south side or road). There will be flagging for our camping spot. I can provide OnX waypoints for anyone who would like one.
Work day Meeting Location: For those joining Saturday morning we will meet at 8:00 am at the the cattle guard ~ miles west on FR 87 (36.7967, -105.98705).
What to bring for the work day:
Safety glasses (sunglasses work), tape measure, water, sunscreen, hats, long sleeve shirts, boots and pants that you don't mind possible getting torn. Barbed wire has a way of doing that.
Photos by Jim O'Donnell and William Hauser
WHEN
August 22, 2025 at 4:00pm - August 24, 2025
WHERE
Rio Grande del Norte National Monument
Tres Piedras, NM 87577
United States
Google map and directions
Tres Piedras, NM 87577
United States
Google map and directions
CONTACT
Dre Arman
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