Volunteers Sought: Dripping Springs Natural Area Site Host

The BLM Las Cruces District Office is looking for volunteer Site Hosts for the Dripping Springs Natural Area for the 2026-2027 seasons! This volunteer opportunity is for a 4–6-month positions starting June 3, 2026. For more information on the hours, duties and the position, apply to the following link: https://ow.ly/IgIC50Z2Pj2 or reach out to Rebekah Hildebrant at rhildebrant@blm.gov (575)-525-4380

BLM Photos by Derrick Henry

Summary of Volunteer.Gov Announcement

Site hosts help operate the Dripping Springs Visitor Center, which serves more than 150,000 visitors annually. Duties include greeting visitors, staffing the visitor center, opening and closing gates, monitoring recreation areas, coordinating volunteers, removing trash and assisting with light maintenance. Volunteers work three to four days per week under the supervision of a BLM park ranger and may also assist with educational programs and other site activities.

The positions include housing, use of a government vehicle for official duties and a modest daily stipend. Couples are encouraged to apply. Applicants should be prepared for desert conditions, including summer heat, high winds and limited cell phone coverage. Additional information, requirements and application details are available through the volunteer opportunity listing.

A Brief History of Dripping Springs

Beyond its role as a popular hiking destination, Dripping Springs is one of the most historically significant recreation sites in southern New Mexico. Located within the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, the area attracts more than 150,000 visitors annually who come to explore both its natural beauty and the well-preserved ruins of two early twentieth-century enterprises.

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The site is best known for the remains of the Van Patten Mountain Camp, a resort that grew from a homestead established in the 1890s into a popular mountain retreat for residents of the Mesilla Valley and students from New Mexico A&M, now New Mexico State University. Nearby, Dr. Nathan Boyd operated a health resort, often referred to as Boyd’s Sanitorium, where visitors sought the cool mountain air and dry climate that were once believed to aid recovery from tuberculosis.

After decades of ownership changes, legal disputes and eventual decline, the property was preserved through cooperation among local landowners, conservation groups and the Bureau of Land Management. The area reopened to the public in 1989 as the Dripping Springs Natural Area and remains one of the region’s most visited outdoor destinations, offering a unique combination of history, recreation and Chihuahuan Desert scenery.