New Mexico Archives - Wilderness Land Trust

Public Access to Achenbach Canyon Protected

August 8, 2025-

In southern New Mexico, the Organ Mountains Wilderness covers just shy of 20,000 acres of varied habitat, from the lower elevation Chihuahuan Desert to the rugged Organ Mountains, named for their rock spires resembling organ pipes. Located just miles from Las Cruces, New Mexico’s second largest city, the wilderness area and surrounding Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument provide varied recreation opportunities along with diverse wildlife habitat.

In 2021 The Wilderness Land Trust purchased 111 acres of private property adjoining the wilderness area at the mouth of Achenbach Canyon. The project protects public access to the popular 5.5-mile trail that follows the canyon up the flanks of the peaks above, connecting it to the Sierra Vista Trailhead. Working with our partners at the Bureau of Land Management, we recently completed the transfer of the property to public ownership through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

LWCF uses revenue from offshore oil and gas leases to fund conservation and recreation projects across the country, from acquiring properties in and around wilderness areas, like the Achenbach Canyon project, to building parks and playgrounds.

Senator Heinrich (NM), who visited the Achenbach Canyon property with the Trust and our partners after it was acquired in 2021, celebrates the project for improving public access: “Five years ago, we passed the Great American Outdoors Act and permanently funded the LWCF. Today, we’re seeing the results: the Achenbach Canyon property is now public land—thanks to LWCF Recreation Access funds. Improving access to OUR public lands is exactly why we fought for it. I’m grateful to the Wilderness Land Trust and Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks for their partnership and hard work in expanding New Mexicans’ access to public lands with this win.”

Satellite images from February 1996 and June 2025 showing development surrounding the Achenbach Canyon project (outlined in red). Images from Google Earth.

Over the last 30 years Las Cruces has doubled in population, and the area surrounding the Achenbach Canyon project has infilled with residential development. Protecting the property as public lands will ensure that public access is preserved and corridors of connected habitat are maintained for wildlife migration between the wilderness area and national monument.

Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks was an invaluable partner in making the Achenbach Canyon project a success: “Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks are elated to hear that Achenbach Canyon will now be in public hands. Access to this stunning area of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument has been a top priority for the organization. We wish to thank the Wilderness Land Trust and the BLM Las Cruces office for their commitment to this project and hard work to get this done. This project is a great example as to why the Land and Water Conservation Fund is such a vital tool for communities working to promote access to public lands. Achenbach is a jewel of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and this will ensure access for generations to come” says Patrick Nolan, Executive Director.

Representative Vasquez (NM) voices his support of the project, emphasizing the role of the local community: “This acquisition of the Achenbach Canyon Trail in Las Cruces is a significant win for all of us who cherish the Organ Mountains and the beautiful landscape that is right in our backyard. The transfer of this 111 acres opens up public access to one of the best recreation opportunities in our national monument. This was driven by the local community and groups like the Friends of the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks, and it is exactly the kind of progress I’ve been advocating for as a leader of the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus in Congress.”

Senator Luján (NM) also praises the project for benefiting local outdoor recreation and the tourism economy: “In the face of today’s unprecedented attacks on our public lands, it’s great to see public access to Achenbach Canyon protected. Ensuring that our growing Las Cruces community has access to this special place is a win-win for outdoor recreation and our tourism economy. Thank you to The Wilderness Land Trust, the Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, and all who have supported the Land and Water Conservation Fund to make public protections like these a reality.”

Achenbach Canyon is the 26th property protected by The Wilderness Land Trust in New Mexico, totaling 4,900 acres. The Trust also acquired another 98-acre property located north of Achenbach Canyon in 2020, which we are still working to transfer to public ownership.

Silver City Daily Press- Nonprofit to add Spring Canyon inholding to wilderness

The Silver City Daily Press celebrate the Trust’s acquisition of 40 acres in the Gila Wilderness.

August 17, 2024

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New Mexico Political Reporter- The Wilderness Land Trust acquires 40 acres to add to the Gila

The New Mexico Reporter celebrate the Trust’s acquisition of 40 acres in the Gila Wilderness.

August 15, 2024

Read Here

Come along to the recently protected Spring Canyon project

August 9, 2024-

With this year marking the centennial of the Gila Wilderness, America’s first wilderness, we’re thrilled to share that last week the Trust completed our purchase of the 40-acre Spring Canyon inholding. As one of only five remaining inholdings left in the Gila, this acquisition brings us one step closer to completing the wilderness and Aldo Leopold’s vision for protecting this special place.

Our staff recently visited the Gila with our USFS partners, traveling across its landscape in much the same way Leopold did over 100 years ago: on horseback. Come along on a virtual site visit with this short video to see the Gila’s spectacular landscape, learn about its history, meet our USFS partners, and visit Spring Canyon to see its important wildlife habitat and water resources.

Thank you to the 162 donors who helped us to raise the funds this summer needed to purchase the Spring Canyon property! Your generous support makes our work possible! Thank you also to our friends at the Rewilding Institute, Wilderness Watch, Virginia Wilderness Committee, and Northeast Wilderness Trust for helping spread the word about the project.

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Santa Fe National Forest grows with 57 acres of wildlands, thanks to Karl’s legacy

July 28, 2023- An hour’s drive northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the small town of Abiquiu— population 150— is best known as the home of artist Georgia O’Keeffe and the landscapes she painted. For locals, and those who have visited, it’s also known for another attraction: Bode’s Mercantile. Mention Abiquiu in conversation and chances are the response will be “Make sure you stop at Bode’s for a breakfast burrito” (a note from the writer: I did happen to stop there this year while visiting family for the holidays, and the burritos are, in fact, that good). First founded in 1890, then bought by Martin Bode in 1919, and passed down to his son Karl in the 1950s, the Mercantile is a center of northern New Mexico community. Karl, who could be found there nearly every day for over 40 years, was equally iconic. His 2019 obituary remembers “Karl was a Northern New Mexico icon and will long be remembered as a storyteller. He had a memory for detail and dates that kept listeners spellbound — he loved to tell it all. He was a lover of horses and the great outdoors, a conservationist at heart.”

The Trust’s Senior Lands Specialist Aimee Rutledge with Karl Bode at Frijoles Springs

After considering 15-20 other conservation organizations across the country, the Trust had the honor of being chosen to be part of Karl’s legacy to protect his 57-acre Frijoles Spring property. Upon his death, he left the property, which adjoins the Arroyo de los Frijoles Inventoried Roadless Area, to the Trust with the goal of transferring it to public ownership. This week Karl’s wishes were fulfilled when the property became part of Santa Fe National Forest.

While not designated wilderness, inventoried roadless areas (IRAs) are public lands with strong wilderness characteristics including, as the name suggests, connected habitat unencumbered by roads. An inholding within the 5,275-acre Arroyo de los Frijoles IRA, the Frijoles Spring property is a mix of piñon pine, open meadows, wetlands, and an important year-round water source in the arid landscape. In acquiring and transferring the property we also protected a water right that dates back to 1906, and public access on a trail running through it. Thanks to Karl’s forward-thinking and passion for community and conservation, these lands will remain undeveloped and open for future generations of wildlife and people to enjoy.

Sabinoso Wilderness Expands by Nearly 50 Percent

Wilderness Land Trust Vice President and Senior Lands Specialist Aimee Rutledge with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland

July 23, 2021 – The Sabinoso Wilderness in New Mexico has expanded again thanks to our partnership with Trust for Public Land (TPL), the Wyss Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the leadership of U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) staff and local public officials.

Through a land donation that included 908 acres of property acquired by The Wilderness Land Trust and TPL’s 8,947-acre Cañon Ciruela property, a total of 9,855 acres have been transferred to the BLM, marking the largest expansion of a federally designated wilderness via donation in U.S. history.

Our work on the Rimrock Rose Ranch project adjacent to the Sabinoso Wilderness opened public access to this previously land-locked wilderness area and increased the size of the federal designation by 25 percent with the first 3,600 acre land transfer in 2017. The latest addition will create a second access point for the public.

During her visit to the Sabinoso, Secretary Haaland called the wilderness “An environmental treasure for all the American people.” We couldn’t agree more with her assessment. Our sincere thanks for your generous support of our work to protect federally designated wilderness in New Mexico and across the American West. Read more about this project in the Albuquer que Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican.

U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez, Santa Fe County Commission Anna Hansen, Bureau of Land Management staff, and representatives from The Wilderness Land Trust, Trust for Public Land, National Wildlife Federation, Wyss Foundation, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation joined together to celebrate the latest Sabinoso Wilderness expansion on July 17, 2021.
Photo credit: Jerod Foster, courtesy of The Trust for Public Land

U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland cuts the ceremonial ribbon

Photo credit: Jerod Foster, courtesy of The Trust for Public Land

U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland speaking at the event

Photo credit: Jerod Foster, courtesy of The Trust for Public Land

The Trust Welcomes a New Board Member

April 2021 – We are thrilled to introduce Joaquin Murrieta-Saldivar, PhD, as a new addition to our board of directors. Joaquin is originally from Mexico and lives in Tucson, AZ, where he works for a watershed management organization as a cultural ecologist. Joaquin splits his professional time between Mexico and Arizona implementing community-based approaches to watershed management, river restoration, geo-tourism, conservation and best practices for ranching communities.

Joaquin says he was drawn to wilderness at an early age when his mother taught him how to listen to the Sonora River and asked him if the river was happy to be flowing toward the ocean. He says the concept of the happiness of rivers stuck with him and perhaps led to his 20+ year career of working on watersheds.

When asked what drew him to The Wilderness Land Trust, Joaquin had this to say:

“Wilderness needs humans in order to be wild now. Humans are working to maintain wilderness and I appreciate the Trust’s relationship with public and private lands. I’m very interested in how the Trust can share the values of wilderness with the rest of society through stories, education, respect and connectivity. Nature and wilderness, it’s all a part of us. The closer we are to nature, the better we are as humans.”

Please join us in welcoming Joaquin to The Wilderness Land Trust family as our newest board member.

A Special Field Trip to Achenbach Canyon

On a hike in the Achenbach Canyon this week (left to right): Patrick Nolan, executive director, Friends of Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument; U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, New Mexico; Aimee Rutledge, vice president and senior lands specialist, The Wilderness Land Trust

April 9, 2021 – This week we had the opportunity to visit our 111-acre project adjacent the Organ Mountains Wilderness with U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. Aimee Rutledge, our vice president and senior lands specialist, hiked the Achenbach Canyon Trail with the senator, as well as project partners from the Friends of Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument and Bureau of Land Management.

Senator Heinrich has been a champion for the Trust’s New Mexico projects and passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, as well as a national leader in the initiative to protect 30 percent of U.S. land and ocean by 2030.

During the visit, Senator Heinrich had this to say about our Achenbach Canyon project: “This is a huge win for public access to our public lands. Easier public access to this trailhead will immediately put the rugged scenery and unique desert plant life in Achenbach Canyon on the map as a must-see hiking destination in the Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument. I’m proud that the Land and Water Conservation Fund — which I helped to fully and permanently fund as part of the Great American Outdoors Act — made it possible for us to secure permanent public access to the entrance of the Achenbach Canyon Trail. I am grateful to The Wilderness Land Trust and to the Friends of Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks for all the hard work and support that went into protecting this ecosystem for all of us to enjoy.”

Thanks to supporters like you, the Trust closed on this land purchase this week. Stay tuned for more good news coming out of New Mexico and several other western states soon.

For more information on our hike with Senator Heinrich, check out this article in the Las Cruces Sun News.

Perspective is How You Look at Things

March 19, 2021 – The Sangre de Cristo Mountains within the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness in New Mexico are 20 million years old, yet they are one of the youngest mountain ranges on earth.

The Wilderness Land Trust’s Columbine Hondo property

Designated in 2014, the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness contains the headwaters of the Rio Hondo and Red River, both major tributaries of the upper Rio Grande. While our Commodore Lode property that leads into this wilderness may only be 20 acres in size, we helped protect the larger watershed within the 44,372-acre wilderness when we purchased it in 2019.

We are pleased to announce we have transferred our Commodore Lode property over to public ownership as part of the national forest directly adjacent the designated wilderness. This single project adds to our history of success protecting designated wilderness in New Mexico since 2004, including the Gila, Columbine Hondo and Sabinoso Wilderness Areas, as well as the El Malpais National Conservation Area.

Thank you for providing the vital funding to support our work. From our perspective, the Trust couldn’t protect our nation’s treasured wilderness areas without your generous support.

Please help us spread the word about the Trust’s work by sharing this email and encouraging your friends and family to sign up for our e-news.

Conserving Canyon Country

February 26, 2021 – New Mexico is home to some of our nation’s wildest landscapes. However, only 2.5 percent of the total land area is protected as designated wilderness.

Wilderness Land Trust staff and project partners on a recent site visit to the Achenbach Canyon in Organ Mountains Wilderness, New Mexico

The Organ Mountains Wilderness is a beautiful and popular destination, known for its spring wildflowers, seasonal streams that flow through rugged canyon bottoms, abundant wildlife and spectacular views of the rugged Organ Mountains.

To ensure these splendid characteristics remain intact, The Wilderness Land Trust is working to acquire a 109-acre parcel at the entrance of the Achenbach Canyon, as well as save public access to a popular trail into the designation. This project is our second in the region of the Organ Mountains Wilderness. In July 2020, we purchased nearly 100 acres of private land straddling the boundary of the wilderness area, including a series of mining claims that had been zoned for a future housing development.

Braving the chill air and occasional snow flurry, Aimee Rutledge, our vice president and senior lands specialist, joined Sylvia Ulloa from U.S. Senator Heinrich’s office, author David Soules, and Patrick Nolan, executive director for Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness, on a recent site visit to the property to review and coordinate the critical steps required to purchase this property.

Stay tuned for more exciting news as this project moves forward. If you are interested in helping us secure the property or would like to learn more about this project, I encourage you to visit our Achenbach Canyon GoFundMe campaign.

Tag Archive for: New Mexico