SILVER CITY, NM; May 8, 2015 - For Immediate Release - The Gila National Forest hopes community members and visitors enjoy the new improvements at the Lake Roberts Vista Village Site off Highway 35 after a group of volunteers spent the day repairing the facilities Saturday, May 2, 2015. Jace Porter, a 17-year old student at Silver High organized the work day as part of his Eagle Scout project for Boy Scouts.

Porter's crew numbered 27 volunteers (youth and adults) who were assisted by Gila National Forest staff. They focused on scraping peeling paint and repainting the shade structures. Fallen masonry walls at the picnic structures were cleaned and one segment of wall was rebuilt. The volunteers also did general trash pick-up around the site, swept the concrete trail and cut back some vegetation near the trail. Porter said, "We got a lot of work done and the teamwork was awesome."

Lake Roberts Vista Village is located on the Wilderness Ranger District of the Gila National Forest. Facilities at the site include two accessible picnic structures (with shade structures, tables, and grills) and an accessible trail with some interpretive signage. The trail runs about ¼ of a mile to a Mimbres archaeological site that was excavated in the 1990s.

Dr. Wendy Sutton, Gila National Forest Heritage Program Manager, said, "We appreciate Jace's efforts to organize this event and the group's hard work. We look forward to future projects with the Boy Scouts." Additional work at this site may include rebuilding and repairing masonry walls near picnic structures, resurfacing the trail and enhancing interpretive information regarding the archaeology at the site.

Your national forests contain special places of historic and cultural importance to local communities, Native American tribes and humanity. Lake Roberts Vista Village is one such site. We rely on partners and volunteers to help us be stewards of these special places. This year (and next) we are honoring the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), passed in 1966. The NHPA helps us maintain our connection to the land, learning more about our past while managing for use into the future.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.