Throughout the month of September, several local organizations have come together to celebrate Monuments to Mainstreet The Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks are sponsoring a variety of free outdoor events to celebrate Monuments to Mainstreet by hosting a film festival, hikes, bike rides, art shows, archery lessons, and cleanups. All of the events are family friendly and will focus on introducing or reacquainting the public to the Monument’s scenic beauty and its outstanding recreation and cultural resources.
Monuments to Mainstreet is more than just a month to showcase fun events and tours throughout Doña Ana and Otero Counties. It’s also an example of how protected public lands such as Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, White Sands National Monument, and Prehistoric Trackways National Monument provide tourism, quality of life, and other economic benefits for surrounding communities.
Saturday, September 1 – Achenbach Hike
9:00 a.m. – A hike will be conducted Achenbach Trail.
Thursday, September 6 – Monumental Loop Ride and Cassandra Lockwood Artist-in-Residence Art Show
6:00 p.m. – May Artist-in-Residence Cassandra Lockwood will showcase her artwork from her residency.
7:00 p.m. – Monumental Loop Ride to the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument
Friday, September 7 – Art Ramble with Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Artist-in-Residences’
5:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Southwest Environmental Center will show case the artwork created by past Artist-in-Residences’.
Saturday, September 8 – Soledad Canyon Hike and Youth Archery Lessons
8:00 a.m. – A hike will be conducted on the Soledad Canyon Trail to the waterfall.
9:00 a.m. – Youth archery lessons will be held at the City of Las Cruces Archery Range. It will be capped at 15 youth. Register by emailing information to info@organmtnfriends.org
Friday, September 14 – Wild & Scenic Film Festival
7:00 p.m. – Wild & Scenic Film Festival puts local environmental activism into broader environmental and social contexts, and serves to remind us that we’re participants in a global movement for a more wild and scenic world.
Saturday, September 22 – National Public Land’s Day
9:00 a.m. – Partnering with Doña Ana County and the Bureau of Land Management we will have a monument cleanup at Prehistoric Trackways, and gardening at the Dripping Springs Visitor’s Center.
Participants for these events are asked to dress appropriately and to remember their outdoor essentials – water, snacks, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. For more information, contact the BLM Las Cruces District Office at 575-525-4300, or the Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks at 575-323-1423.
About the Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks
Established in 2012, The Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks is a Las Cruces-based nonprofit that seeks to enrich our community and diverse culture through advocacy, conservation and restoration of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument as a premier example of America’s National Conservation Lands. (www.