From Apache Dam to Hummingbirds: BLM Offers Updates From Las Cruces-Area Public Lands

At Dripping Springs Natural Area, restrooms have reopened following repairs, according to BLM’s Las Cruces District.

Source: Bureau of Land Management – Las Cruces District (via Facebook)
Images: Courtesy

Visitors to Bureau of Land Management sites around Las Cruces have a few updates to catch up on this week, ranging from reopened facilities at Dripping Springs to a bit of local history in the Robledo Mountains and one remaining August patio chat.

At Dripping Springs Natural Area, restrooms have reopened following repairs, according to BLM’s Las Cruces District.

The reopening comes as summer begins moving toward the season when more outdoor activities can return to the area’s public lands. BLM previously announced that guided hikes and mountain trail bike rides are expected to resume in September as temperatures begin to subside.

A Nearly 90-Year-Old Dam in the Robledos

BLM also recently highlighted Apache Dam, located within Prehistoric Trackways National Monument, as one of the area’s lesser-known historic features.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the retention dam in 1936 to capture and slow water produced by seasonal monsoon rains in the Robledo Mountains.

According to BLM, Apache Dam was part of a larger collection of water-control projects constructed by the CCC around Las Cruces. Those projects include Box Canyon Dam and check dams near Baylor Canyon Road.

Before the construction of those features, seasonal flooding from the surrounding mountains could cause significant damage to farmland and property in the Rio Grande Valley and Las Cruces.

Nearly a century later, Apache Dam remains within the landscape now protected as part of Prehistoric Trackways National Monument.

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One More August Patio Chat

BLM’s Conservation Corps New Mexico interns also have one remaining patio chat scheduled for August.

“Local Hummingbirds and How You Can Help Them Thrive in Your Own Backyard” will be presented at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29.

BLM recommends that participants consider bringing a camp chair.

The program closes out the month’s patio-chat opportunities as BLM looks toward the expected September return of guided hikes and mountain trail bike rides with cooler outdoor temperatures.