Silva Creek Botanical Garden - Photo credit Elroy LimmerThe Gila Native Plant Society is delighted to announce that it is one of the twelve recipients of a Trails + grant from the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division. The $49,865 grant helps fund Phase One of its new Master Plan for Silva Creek Botanical Garden. The Gila Native Plant Society has been developing Silva Creek Botanical Garden for over 15 years, in cooperation with other organizations and community members. The new master plan helps focus and hone these efforts to increase the enjoyment of the Gila region’s rich, diverse native plants in an educational and aesthetically pleasing manner. The first phase will provide a habitat thicket that showcases how to attract wildlife, redesign the front entrance to be more welcoming and educational, install interpretive signs, construct a safety wall around the historic water tank that provides a surface for an educational mural, and update the children’s butterfly garden.

West Coast Lady butterfly on chamisa in the garden - Photo credit Elroy Limmer“The Outdoor Recreation Trails+ Grant invests in conservation-minded shovel-ready projects that are open to the public, increase access to outdoor opportunities, and demonstrate a clear economic benefit to the community through improved quality of life, better public health outcomes, and/or increased eco-tourism,” Acting EDD Cabinet Secretary Jon Clark said. “Many of these initiatives also leverage federal dollars – and that creates jobs and grows New Mexico’s economy.”

Little Bluestem plot in the garden - Photo credit Elroy Limmer“We are pleased to support these 12 new outdoor recreation infrastructure projects throughout the state that improve access to the outdoors while bolstering the state's outdoor recreation economy,” ORD Director Karina Armijo said. “Investments in trails and infrastructure for outdoor recreation uplift communities and support expanding access to the outdoors for all New Mexicans.” 

Gila Native Plant Society President Margie Gibson stated, “We could not have had better holiday news!”