The Silver City Museum is set to receive the Historical Society of New Mexico’s Edgar Lee Hewett Award for outstanding service related to preserving and promoting New Mexico history. The recognition highlights the museum’s important role in sharing the history of Silver City, Grant County and Southwest New Mexico through its collections, exhibits and educational programs, while preserving the region’s diverse heritage for residents and visitors.
The 47th Annual Great American Duck Race is returning to Deming from August 20 through August 23, bringing four days of family-friendly entertainment. The celebration will feature live duck races, the Tournament of Ducks Parade, carnival rides, hot-air balloons, live entertainment, the Tortilla Toss, Outhouse Races, a car show, food vendors and other activities. For a complete schedule and more information, visit Deming Duckrace dot com.
Silver Consolidated Schools is considering moving athletic field improvements from the Ben Altamirano Sports Complex to district-owned fields at Silver High School and La Plata Middle School. The proposal would use funds from the $24 million bond approved by voters to invest in new turf and improvements on school-owned property, avoiding long-term lease costs and uncertainty over the state-owned Altamirano site. The move could also reduce transportation needs and increase student access to the fields. A survey of the La Plata fields is underway, but no final decision has been made.
Last in our news: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking public comment on a proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The rule generally prohibits new road construction, road reconstruction and timber harvesting in inventoried roadless areas of national forests, with limited exceptions. If rescinded, management decisions for those areas would instead be made through individual forest land-management plans. USDA says the change would give local forest officials greater flexibility to address wildfire risk, forest health and other local conditions. Critics say it could allow additional road construction and timber harvest and affect habitat and backcountry recreation. The proposal would not, by itself, authorize a specific project or reopen any road to motorized travel. It also would not change protections governing congressionally designated wilderness areas. The Gila National Forest currently identifies approximately 733,800 acres—22 percent of the forest—as inventoried roadless areas. Public comments on the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement are due by midnight September 21. A direct link to submit comments is available at website.
