CDT-Greenways Group Quarterly Meeting September 28, 3 p.m. Third Floor Seminar Rm, Student Memorial Bldg.

All welcome.

Reserve, NM, September 20, 2017—The Reserve Ranger District, Gila National Forest, would like to inform the public that repair work along NFSR 141 will begin Monday, September 25. There will be semi-trucks and heavy machinery working and traveling along FR141 from the forest portal sign to mile marker 19. FR141 will not be shut down, but travelers should expect delays where traffic is reduced to one lane. The Reserve Ranger District is asking the public to please slow down, watch for workers, and be aware of additional, slow-moving traffic on the road.

The repair work is expected to be completed by Thursday October 5. For information on the Gila National Forest, check out our website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila.

Permaculture Silver City - Monthly meeting - 21 October 2017 (3rd Saturday of every month) 1pm - 3pm. *New Location: The Commons (aka The Volunteer Center), 501 E 13th St., Silver City, NM 88061 (13th & Corbin east of the Food Basket, access from 12th St or Swan St).

Come join us and chat about regenerative practices. Plant of the Month: Lemon Balm - Please share your knowledge, experiences, and ideas about this plant. Skill Share: Growing higher quality foods with less water: Aquaponics, with Ed Colmar Field Trip: Following the meeting, we will visit a nearby aquaponics system in operation.

The One Million Bones installation, conceptualized by the artists who will present as part of WNMU's Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts Lectures on September 28, is shown during an exhibition on the National Mall.Silver City, NM – Susan McAllister and Naomi Natale will discuss their Million Bones Project and "Art of Revolution" organization during the Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts Lecture in Western New Mexico University's Light Hall Auditorium on Thursday, September 28 at 6:30 p.m.

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Silver City, NM, September 20, 2017—For Immediate Release. The Gila National Forest is continuing to engage folks that have an interest in the Forest Plan Revision process.

The Forest is hosting a Forest Plan Revision Open House on September 25, 2017 from 1:00 – 3:30 pm at 3005 E Camino del Bosque, Silver City, NM. The open house format is a casual opportunity to engage with Forest Service specialists about Forest Plan Revision. Stakeholders can arrive any time (not just at the starting time), stay for as little or long as they like, and can circulate among Forest Service specialists discussing various resources. There will not be a presentation or an agenda at the Open Houses. Open Houses are not necessarily part of a comment period so we will not be recording public comments, but stakeholders are welcome to fill out comment forms or drop off comment letters for consideration. No RSVP is necessary for the open houses.

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Glenwood, NM, September —The Forest Service, including the Gila National Forest Glenwood Ranger District will waives the fees at the Catwalk Recreation area on Saturday, September 30. This is in honor of National Public Lands Day, the nation's largest, single-day volunteer effort in support of public lands.

"…Public lands of all sizes and varieties are the places where we live, learn, play, exercise and relax. In fact, over 30% of America's land is public land." NPLD is a fee-free day for public lands and many state parks.

Outdoor activity can take many forms, and the Gila National Forest offers a wide variety of activities including camping, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing and hunting. Be connected to nature can promote good health, enjoyment and improve environmental stewardship.

Pictured from left to right are Walk for the Heroes committee members Liz Lopez, Raul Turrieta, Mayor Ken Ladner, Peggy Tavizon, and Damon Martinez.Silver City, NM – Western New Mexico University is hosting the 7th Annual James H. Pirtle Walk for Heroes, which starts and ends at Old James Stadium on Saturday, September 30.

This year's participants will walk three miles around campus and through the historic downtown Silver City area and then enjoy speakers and food together afterward.

Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. on the day of the event and costs $25 per person or $30 per couple. Registered participants will get a T-shirt and lunch. The remaining funds go to local charities.

While the walk began as a grueling and lightly attended trek along the highway between Hurley and Deming, it has evolved into a more community-focused event that benefits locals in need. The fundraising event also brings awareness to local military organizations such as the Vietnam Veterans Chapter 368, which co-sponsors the event.

Local veteran Mike Lopez founded the event and, along with his wife Liz, still organizes it today.

After a couple of long and invasive back surgeries, Mike was wheelchair bound for a time. While driving to see a doctor in Las Cruces, he had a moment of inspiration. "I told my wife I'm going to walk this road from Hurley to Deming one day. She looked at me like, 'Yeah right.' It took me about two years to start walking again, but I ended up doing it. We did it."

Joining Mike on that first Walk For The Heroes were Marine Pete Masal; Vietnam veteran Wayne Brown; and Damon Martinez, who served in the Navy. Kay Beaman showed up with a picture of her son James H. Pirtle, who was killed in Afghanistan, and she requested the men carry the photo with them on the journey. Now, the Walk For Heroes is named in James H. Pirtle's honor.

"It just started with veterans, but people would come up to us, and for one reason or another, they wanted to walk for their family member," Mike says.

He opened the event to the community and started giving the registration donations to charities.

With 150 participants on average, the Walk raised about $3,000 last year. Mike hopes to raise at least as much during the 2017 walk. This year's money will go toward buying baskets of food to give to those in need at Thanksgiving.

Mike hopes the Walk grows through its involvement with Western. "Dr. Shepard is really into the community. He's trying to get his students out there in the community, too," he said.

Holding the Walk at a centrally located institution in town will help increase involvement, too, Mike said. "Everybody who walks that day or helps in any way is a hero. If you help people in need, you're basically a hero, man. To me you are."