Otero Mesa, New Mexico’s Serengeti, Site of Earth Day Outing April 20-22

Nestled in south-central New Mexico, Otero Mesa, stretching over 1.2 million acres, is the largest Chihuahuan Desert grassland left on public lands in America.

An hour's drive northeast of El Paso, centered about 90 minutes between Las Cruces and Alamogordo, Otero Mesa extends from the Hueco Mountains to the Guadalupe Mountains and from the Texas border into New Mexico.

“Otero Mesa’s wildlife, sea of black gramma grasslands and rich cultural history truly makes it the Southwest’s Serengeti,” said Nathan Newcomer, Media Director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.

To enable New Mexicans to learn more about Otero Mesa firsthand, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance has scheduled an Earth Day Otero Mesa Outing in Otero Mesa April 20-22, 2007 for a maximum participation of 50 individuals.

Be prepared for windy weather and lots of sun as Otero Mesa will be entering spring, but also be prepared for calm, brisk days with the possibility of rain showers. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen and a camera to capture the moments of pronghorn herds, prairie dog towns, petroglyphs, desert blooms, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

“For New Mexicans and their visitors who love the great outdoors, Otero Mesa is a dream,” said Michael Cerletti, Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department. “These grasslands are pristine, and the experiences they offer the recreationalist -  hiking, camping, birding and horseback riding, to name only a few – are magical.”

The area is home to more than 1,000 native wildlife species, including black-tailed prairie dogs, desert mule deer, mountain lions, golden and bald eagles, 250 species of migratory songbirds; and boasts the state’s healthiest and only genetically pure herd of pronghorn antelope. There is also evidence that the Salt Basin aquifer, which originates in Otero Mesa and travels south into Texas, is the largest untapped fresh water resource remaining in New Mexico.

Otero Mesa is vastness on a grand scale. Black gramma grasslands cover the landscape like a sea, yucca forests dot the rolling hills and the volcanic Cornudas Mountains rise from the desert floor like monolithic sculptures. A deep history is etched in these mountains. Thousands of ancient petroglyph sites can be found carved into the boulders of these mountains, testifying to earlier inhabitation.

The State of New Mexico and Governor Bill Richardson have been working with a coalition of ranchers, hunters, conservationists and others to prevent a Bureau of Land Management plan that will open almost 90 percent of this fragile area to oil and gas development.