The Doña Ana Mountains and Maar Calderas, Southeastern New Mexico
These spots are respectively north and southwest of Las Cruces. They are in Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument which is managed by the BLM. This monument was established by presidential proclamation, Barack Obama, October 2014. Reading the proclamation we understand there is a lot of interesting geology, archeology, history and wildlife here to learn about and observe.
The monument page says it “includes four areas: the Organ Mountains, Desert Peaks, Potrillo Mountains, and Doña Ana Mountains". The page provides further detail about each. Here is the brochure PDF, which includes an area map with the four areas labeled. Here's another PDF map with more detail but the areas aren't labeled. Driving through Las Cruces on I-25 we see these mountain ranges on the horizon but likely wouldn't know what they are unless we had read this info.
The Wikipedia page about the monument has additional info with links to articles about the specific areas; the Organ Mountains one has good details.
The Doña Ana Mountains and Kilbourne and Hunts Holes (maars) are two very interesting spots I visited briefly in February 2024. So sections about those below. More in a later article about the Organ Mountains; did some hikes there in April 2024.
The Doña Ana Mountains
This small group of moutains is a few miles north of Las Cruces; here is the Wikipedia page. HikingProject.com has a route map and GPX file for the route up Doña Ana peak. This route is 2 miles round trip, gain 900'. The route is fairly obvious but if we get side-tracked it isn't hard to wander through the prickly vegetation and get up there. Coming back down we have to be a little more careful. Trekking poles are very useful but be sure to have our hands out of the pole straps at any tricky spots, don't wanna slip and fall, hit our head or whatever due to tangled up with the poles.
StavIsLost.com has a good page about a 4.6 mile route including three of the peaks, Doña Ana being the southernmost. But as he says there is lots of class 2 stuff and some class 3. Stav says the class 3 bits are a challenge so surely we won't bother. Could be dangerous for old folks. Anyway, a good description and map.
Getting to the trailhead with camp spots, no water anywhere: we can correlate the HikingProject map with printed and on-line maps. The county roads can be a challenge at spots, high clearance is highly advisable, AWD a good idea.
A nice nearby spot to visit is Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park (next picture), at the northeast corner of the Doña Ana unit of the monument. That link is to a New Mexico tourism page with a map to the entrance. The link to the park web page itself doesn't work but no problem, just drive in and there is good info. Some nice loop hikes with signs identifying plants, though some of the plants are gone and the signs don't have pictures. There is an interior road to a loop around Vista Hill, which has a short trail to the top for another good view of the Doña Anas. There was a sign at the end of that road saying the restrooms are closed when staff wasn't present due to vandalism. Likely the park has limited resources. If I lived in Las Cruces I might volunteer.
I snagged some ball yucca off the county roads near the nature park. I saw a lot of small ones, could easily cut the root as deeply as possible with a folding saw. Have planted at home; a species that should do well in the hill country with the impact of global climate change. Have seen some around Kerrville.
Couple of maar calderas, Kilbourne and Hunts Holes
A friend mentioned that southwest of Las Cruces there is Kilbourne Hole, an interesting caldera with a nice trail around the rim. So I found it on Wikipedia. From that page:
Kilbourne Hole is a maar volcanic crater, located 30 miles (48 km) west of the Franklin Mountains of El Paso, Texas, in the Potrillo volcanic field of Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Another maar, Hunt's Hole, lies just two miles (3.2 km) south. Kilbourne Hole is notable for the large number of mantle xenoliths (solid fragments of mantle rock) that were carried to the surface by the eruption. Estimates of the age of the crater vary from about 24,000 to about 80,000 years.
... a maar forms when rising magma encounters sediment beds saturated with groundwater. The magma heats the groundwater to the point where the vapor pressure overcomes the weight of the overlying beds (the overburden pressure) and the beds are catastrophically blown out.
Ahhh Kilbourne and Hunts are maars, not due to volcanic eruptions as I had assumed when visiting. Should have read further initially. These are in the Potrillo Mountains section of the monument. In the February 2017 issue of this newsletter there was an article with picture of a maar in Death Valley National Park.
Next learned about the national monument. Looking at the monument maps and HikingProject.com I learned about the Doña Anas and the hike discussed above.
I drove to the southeast corner of Kilbourne on county roads, in better shape than those to Doña Ana though again high clearance highly advised and AWD a bright idea. Found a nice campspot on the rim. Did the rim hike the next morning and then drove south to Hunts. Both are easy hikes around, particularly if we pay attention to the grade, can choose to stay right on the rim or save a few calories wandering off a bit in spots. Both have a couple gates we open/close, to keep cattle out maybe for their own safety. I didn't walk around Hunts, which is about 1/3 the size of Kilbourne.
Another good resource about these is a page at New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources.
Sustainable Agriculture in Poultry Farming
Our June General Meeting features Steve Smith, veteran and co-owner of Smith Pastures (near Devine, TX), a small family farm dedicated to hand-raising high quality poultry using sustainable agricultural methods.
Tuesday, June 18th
6:00 pm
Meeting schedule
| Informal get-to-know-you | 6:00 pm to 6:15 pm |
| Announcements | 6:15 pm to 6:30 pm |
| Featured program | 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm |
Venue
William R. Sinkin Eco Centro, 1802 North Main Avenue
Map
Program topic
Growing poultry outdoors on pasture where they can exercise their instinctive behaviors returns the balance of production, nutrition and welfare. In contrast to conventional agricultural traditions based on petro-chemical additives – a shortcut for performance that depletes the land – regenerative agriculture practices feed natural nutrients to soil, sequester carbon, and increase water retention. This holistic management framework, rooted in fundamentals of promoting successful ecosystems, manages but does not control the land. Regenerative agriculture practices also protect the soil from water and wind erosion while adding organic matter to improve soil properties, and at the same time improving livestock productivity without ever using hormones, steroids, or antibiotics.
Traditional agricultural practices that are humane and healthy for the planet also produce better food. Research has found pastured poultry to be more nutrient dense compared to non-pastured chicken and eggs, specifically in terms of higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins A and E. Moreover, the commoditization of meat, corporate mega-farming operations, and consolidation of grocery markets, has detached everyday families from their actual food source so that what we have now is parents who have never spent time on a farm and kids who are unsure what a chicken has to do with the nuggets in their box.
Recent events have pulled back the curtain on how fragile and easily broken our mass-produced food supply system is. This has driven demand for more sustainable and ethical local products for consumers seeking to re-establish a personal connection to their farmers.
About our speaker
Steve Smith is a retired veteran who, along with his wife and fellow veteran, began farming in 2018 after returning to civilian life. They are self-taught in everything agricultural, beneficiaries of mentors, training workshops, and the experience of many before them.
For more information and photos of the speaker and the farm, please go to SmithPastures.com.
(Adapted from the speaker’s website with his consent.)
The Alamo Group of the Sierra Club holds its general meetings the 3rd Tuesday of most months. They're always free and open to the public.
Sierra Club Rap by ChatGPT
As kind of a joke, Alamo Group Chair Alan Montemayor recently suggested that our Sierra Club group should have a rap song to play on the radio. Here is what ChatGPT generated.
(Verse 1) Yo, listen up, let me drop some truth in your ear, 'Bout a crew fighting climate change, no fear. They go by the name Sierra Club, yeah, they're the real deal, Working hard to make sure our planet can heal.
From the mountains to the valleys, they're on the front line, Planting trees, cleaning rivers, it's all intertwined. They're like nature's soldiers, standing tall and proud, Teaching us to respect Mother Earth, shouting it loud.
(Chorus) Sierra Club, leading the way, In the battle against climate change, every day. From the cities to the wilderness, they're making it clear, We gotta protect our planet, for now and for here.
(Verse 2) They're out there educating, spreading knowledge wide, Showing folks how to live sustainably with pride. From renewable energy to conservation laws, They're making sure our planet has a fighting cause.
In the halls of power, they're making noise, Demanding action from the girls and boys. They're not afraid to speak truth to the elite, 'Cause they know that saving Earth ain't no small feat.
(Chorus) Sierra Club, leading the way, In the battle against climate change, every day. From the cities to the wilderness, they're making it clear, We gotta protect our planet, for now and for here.
(Bridge) So listen up, y'all, it's time to take a stand, Join the Sierra Club, lend a helping hand. Together we can make a difference, you see, For a greener, cleaner future, for you and me.
(Chorus) Sierra Club, leading the way, In the battle against climate change, every day. From the cities to the wilderness, they're making it clear, We gotta protect our planet, for now and for here.
(Outro) So let's give a shoutout to the Sierra Crew, For all that they do, for me and for you. They're the guardians of Earth, in every way, Let's join their fight, starting today!
From the e-Mailbag
From time-to-time, the Alamo Group receives messages concerning local environmental issues. If you have thoughts on any of these issues, send us a message and we'll forward it to the writer. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the individual authors and do not represent the views or opinions of the Alamo Group or its members.
Encampment sweeps increase deaths among the unhoused
Abatements, or “sweeps,” of unhoused communities result in thousands of unnecessary deaths every year in the United States, a former City of San Antonio outreach worker writes. The harms of these crimes are compounded by the acceleration of industrially driven climate change.
Read the rest of this story at deceleration.
submitted by Greg H.Count the bodies! Extreme heat is killing us. We demand a better medical response.
Please sign this petition to demand action on heat deaths.
submitted by Greg H.Extreme heat could have killed dozens in SA
SAMMinistries has tracked deaths within the unhoused community for years. Their CEO thinks extreme heat may have directly caused dozens of deaths and contributed to even more during 2023’s unprecedented heatwave. There is no local research initiative that can prove them right or wrong.
Last year, there was a 12 percent statewide surge in Texas’s unhoused population. More than 21,000 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 2023 was also the hottest summer that anyone living here had ever experienced—the hottest summer on planet Earth in at least 125,000 years packed with excess heat driven “primarily” due to the burning of fossil fuels, according to federal and international researchers.
Yet San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District, which maintains a month-to-month accounting of heat illness and heat strokes for Bexar County, hasn’t reported any 2023 heat deaths. Under deaths, their heat report reads: “N/A,” not available.
Read the rest of this story at deceleration.
submitted by Greg H.
Outings: The Call of the Wild
Visit the Alamo Sierra Club Outings page on Meetup for detailed information about all of our upcoming Sierra Club Outings.
The Alamo Sierran Newsletter
Richard Alles, Editor
Published by the Alamo Group of the Sierra Club, P.O. Box 6443, San Antonio, TX 78209, AlamoSierraClub.org.
The Alamo Group is one of 13 regional groups within the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club.
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