Gila National Forest

The Gila National Forest is a United States National Forest in New Mexico. Established in 1905, it now covers approximately 2,710,659 acres (10,969.65 km2), making it the sixth largest National Forest in the continental United States. The Forest administration also manage the part of the Apache National Forest in New Mexico which covers 614,202 acres for a total of 3.3 million acres managed by the Gila National Forest. Within the forest, the Gila Wilderness was established in 1924 as the US's first designated wilderness. The Aldo Leopold Wilderness and Blue Range Wilderness are also found within its borders. The Blue Range Primitive Area lies within Arizona in the neighboring Apache National Forest.

Gila National Forest
Gila National Forest along New Mexico Route 180
Map showing the location of Gila National Forest
Map showing the location of Gila National Forest
LocationNew Mexico, United States
Nearest citySilver City, NM
Coordinates33.47°N 108.53°W / 33.47; -108.53
Area2,710,659 acres (10,969.65 km2)[1]
EstablishedJuly 21, 1905[2]
Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service
WebsiteGila National Forest
Map of wilderness areas in the Gila National Forest

Geography

The forest lies in southern Catron, northern Grant, western Sierra, and extreme northeastern Hidalgo counties in southwestern New Mexico. Forest headquarters are located in Silver City, New Mexico. There are local ranger district offices in Glenwood, Mimbres, Quemado, Reserve, Silver City, and Truth or Consequences.[3] The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is located with the Catron County section of the forest.

The forest's terrain ranges from rugged mountains and deep canyons to mesas and semi-desert. Due to the extremely rugged terrain, the area is largely unspoiled. There are several hot springs in Gila National Forest, including Middle Fork Hot Springs, Jordan Hot Springs, and Turkey Creek Hot Springs.

Wildlife

Gila is home to namesake wildlife that includes the Gila monster, Gila trout, Gila topminnow, several members of the Gila (western chub) genus, and the Gila woodpecker.[4][5] Other notable species include black bear, bald eagle, cougar, Coyote, spotted owl, elk, white-tailed deer, osprey, peregrine falcon, bobcat, collared peccary, Mexican gray wolf,[6] gray fox, white-nosed coati, pronghorn, raccoon, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and wild turkey.[4][5]

Conservation Issues

Hundreds of unregulated cattle roam freely in parts of the Gila National Forest, consuming vegetation by rivers and streams and trampling habitats.[7] In 2022, the U.S. Forest Service used helicopters to gun down 47 of these "feral cattle".[8] The Forest Service proposes to use aerial gunning to kill more of these cattle again in 2023.[9]

In 2020, the U.S. Forest Service proposed allowing 21 herbicides within the forest, including dicamba, picloram and aminocyclopyrachlor (ACP). Dicamba is a threat to monarch butterfly habitat. ACP is a threat to ponderosa pines.[10]

History

The Gila River Forest Reserve was established on March 2, 1899, by the General Land Office, and was renamed the Gila Forest Reserve on July 21, 1905. The following year the forest was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service, and on March 4, 1907, it became a National Forest. Additions included Big Burros National Forest on June 18, 1908, Datil National Forest on December 24, 1931, and part of Crook National Forest on July 1, 1953.[11]

Recreation

The 3.5 acre (1.4 ha) Cosmic Campground is ideal for star-gazing. In 2016, the campground was given the status of being the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in North America.[12]

  • A Gila Forest Ranger with his outfit, 1928
    A Gila Forest Ranger with his outfit, 1928
  • A beaver dam spans a section of the Middle Fork of the Gila River.
    A beaver dam spans a section of the Middle Fork of the Gila River.
  • Overlooking Jordan Hot Springs in the Gila National Forest
    Overlooking Jordan Hot Springs in the Gila National Forest

References
  1. "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  2. "The National Forests of the United States" (PDF). Forest History Society. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  3. "USFS Ranger Districts by State" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  4. "Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Mammals ... A Species Checklist for the Gila National forest" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. September 1995. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  5. Zimmerman, Dale A. (July 2002). "Birds of the Gila National Forest: A Checklist" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  6. "New Mexico Game Commission Rejects Federal Releases of Endangered Mexican Wolves in Gila National Forest".
  7. Chung, Christine (2022-02-09). "Plan to Reduce Feral Cattle in New Mexico Draws Objections". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  8. Gabel, Rachel (February 11, 2022). "47 cattle gunned down in N.M. by US Forest Service". The Fence Post. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  9. "Gila National Forest proposes removal of unauthorized cattle from Gila Wilderness for protection of resources". USDA Forest Service. November 29, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  10. Trudeau, Joe (12 April 2020). "Opinion: Herbicide nightmare in the Gila National Forest". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  11. Davis, Richard C. (September 29, 2005), National Forests of the United States (PDF), Forest History Society
  12. Cosmic Campground (U.S.), International Dark-Sky Association, archived from the original on 2017-09-08, retrieved 2017-09-07
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