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Several events in the Gila Region are coordinated by the Gila Conservation Education Center.  These events are often in collaboration with particular schools or conservation organizations and help facilitate both the mission of the schools and that of the various organizations.  The collaborative process helps promote an environment of shared responsibility within the community for natural resource conservation.  At each of the school events, professionals and volunteers from throughout the community conduct education stations or give interpretive walks. Annual school-related events cosponsored by GCEC include:

  • Jose Barrios Elementary Outdoor Education Lab.  Education stations are set up outside on campus grounds and are attended by 3rd and 4th graders from Mr. Cantrell and Mrs. Padilla’s classes every September. 
  • Mimbres Cultural Heritage Site Outdoor Day.  Education stations are set up at the Mattocks site, San Lorenzo, New Mexico, on the Mimbres River, and are attended by the 7th grade Windriders academic team of La Plata Middle School every October.
  • Gila River Days.  Education stations are set up at the Lichty Center and are attended by the 7th grade Windriders academic team of La Plata Middle School every April.
  • Sapillo Campground Outdoor Education Day.  Education stations are set up at the Sapillo Campground area of the Gila National Forest and are attended by San Lorenzo Elementary students every May.

GCEC also cosponsors other conservation education events. Both research and habitat restoration are important aspects of conservation education. GCEC cosponsored research and habitation restoration events include:

  • Natural History of the Gila: A Southwestern New Mexico Symposium.  The Gila symposium occurs every other year on the Western New Mexico University campus.  Proceedings include research presentations and conference publications.
  • Sheep Corral Canyon Road forest monitoring in the Gila National Forest, a research and educational partnership between Aldo Leopold High School and GCEC.  The forest monitoring project includes hazardous woody material assessments by high school students.
  • Silva Creek Botanical Gardens workdays.  Formerly a road-maintenance staging yard, the site is now being rehabilitated as a community demonstration garden.

Recent Events

Trunks Program.  Over a 200 trunks presentations have occured during the 2007-2008 school year reaching over 3000 students, thanks to volunteers, professional conservationists, and GCEC staff.  MORE VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED.

Childrens Water Festival

April 29th and 30th, 2010: Fourth and fifth graders from Silver Consolidated Schools will had a water festival at San Vicente Creek and the Nature Conservancy's Lichty Center to learn about water, river ecology, watersheds, and other water related topics.

 

Dragonfly Outdoor Day

May 7, 2010:Students from La Plata Middle School learned about the Dragonfly Petroglyph Site and its surrounding history.

 

San Vicente Outdoor Classroom

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

December 5, 2009:  GCEC held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the completed (for the time being) San Vicente Outdoor Classroom. Special thanks to all of GCEC's partners, sponsors, and volunteers. 

San Vicente Service Day

October 9, 2009: The Wellness Coalition and  the YCC in conjunction with GCEC worked on the San Vicente Trail and Outdoor Classroom. This included trail maintenance and the creation of benches for the Outdoor Classroom.

San Vicente Outdoor Classroom Day

October 2, 2009: Third and fourth grade students from Jose Barrios learned about San Vicente Creek, including its history, archaeology, flora and fauna.  The AmeriCorps saw crew and the YCC came to help.

Volunteer Training

September 25, 2009: Volunteers, Aldo Leopold High School students, and the AmeriCorps saw crew learned how to present various trunks at Aldo Leopold High School.

Jose Barrios Outdoor Classroom Day

September 23, 2009:  Third and fourth graders at Jose Barrios Elementary School had their outdoor classroom day and learned about the natural history of the Gila river, watersheds, birds, and the history of the Big Ditch.

5th Annual Gila River Festival

September 17-20, 2009: The 5th Annual Gila River Festival was presented by the Gila Conservation Coalition. The festival was all about the 100th anniversary of Aldo Leopold in the Southwest.  The GCEC participated by volunteering at the festival.