The Chronicles of Grant County
This column will feature items that relate somehow to Grant County - the name of a street in the case of the first one, and maybe other streets, or the name of a building or whatever catches the fancy of the contributor, Richard Donough. Readers are encouraged to send him topics of interest to them, so he can do the research and write an article.
Federal Plans For Gila Lower Box Area
- Category: The Chronicles of Grant County The Chronicles of Grant County
- Published: 25 April 2024 25 April 2024
The Chronicles Of Grant County
Federal Plans For
Gila Lower Box Area
[Editor's Note: Please see larger version of map as a PDF at the bottom of the article.]
The Gila Lower Box Area includes the area with the diagonal stripes in Grant and Hidalgo Counties. (The map was provided courtesy of the United States Bureau of Land Management, October 10, 2023.)
The United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is encouraging the general public to review and comment on its plans for what the BLM calls the "Gila Lower Box Area."
This area includes a portion of northern Hidalgo County as well as a section of southcentral Grant County. The area is located, according to the BLM, approximately 20 miles northwest of Lordsburg. In total, the BLM indicated that the Gila Lower Box Area includes about 11,200 acres.
The BLM has developed a Recreation Area Management Plan (RAMP) for these sections of Grant and Hidalgo Counties.
"The plan will guide future development and provide management direction for recreation resources within the Gila Lower Box Area," noted the BLM in a recent news statement. "There is a need to implement primitive and sustainable recreation actions to protect the Gila Lower Box Area while being consistent with the management goal of protecting riparian values outlined in the 1993 Mimbres Resource Management Plan."
"The planning area is characterized by cliffs and steep canyon sides rising above a significant riparian area," the BLM news statement continued. "The area is home to several threatened, endangered, and sensitive wildlife species as well as designated critical habitat for these species. The area also provides important habitat to a variety of native plants and wildlife. While recreation is an important use of the planning area, unmanaged recreation use has resulted in disturbance and damage to sensitive resources."
The 220-page document detailing this plan for the Gila Lower Box Area can be viewed at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2018358/200517550/20108446/251008446/Gila%20Lower%20Box_RAMP_EA.pdf.
The BLM stated that the public is encouraged to review the final documents and provide comments or concerns prior to 5:00 PM (MST) on May 16.
"All comments received will be fully considered and evaluated," the BLM indicated in its news statement. "To review documents and provide comments, please visit BLM's ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2018358/510."
People can also send comments through the postal mail to Bureau of Land Management, Las Cruces District Office, Attn: Allie Bettinger, Gila Lower Box
RAMP, 1800 Marquess Street, Las Cruces, NM 88005.
"This plan proposes to improve and enhance recreational experiences in the Gila Lower Box Area and protect cultural and biological resources," said Dave Wallace, Assistant Manager for Multi-Resources in the Las Cruces District of BLM. "This will be completed by creating and implementing recreation infrastructure that meets the primitive recreational values of the area."
Do you have questions about communities in Grant County?
A street name? A building?
Your questions may be used in a future news column.
Contact Richard McDonough at chroniclesofgrantcounty@mail.com.
If your email does not go through, please contact editor@grantcountybeat.com.
© 2024 Richard McDonough
Unclaimed Funds Year 2024
- Category: The Chronicles of Grant County The Chronicles of Grant County
- Published: 10 April 2024 10 April 2024
The Chronicles Of Grant County
Unclaimed Funds
Year 2024
You may have funds waiting for you. Unclaimed funds.
As part of efforts to return these unclaimed funds to local folks, The Chronicles Of Grant County will be producing several news columns on the subject during 2024. Many individuals, businesses, organizations, and other entities may not realize that they have unclaimed funds owed to them that are in Santa Fe (and elsewhere) at this time.
These are unclaimed funds that the State of New Mexico wants to return to the rightful owners.
Quail Run Street in Deming
- Category: The Chronicles of Grant County The Chronicles of Grant County
- Published: 13 March 2024 13 March 2024
The Chronicles Of Grant County
Quail Run Street
Deming
A Montezuma Quail seen in the Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area. (The photograph was produced by Randy Howard and provided courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management.)
Quail Run Street in Deming was named after the bird.
News articles dating to the early 1890s note that quail hunts were a popular activity in Deming, then located in Grant County. (Luna County had not yet been created.)
According to a statement from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), “American quail are known regionally by various names: Bobwhite, partridge, and quail (blue, California, mountain, and Montezuma). A ready-to-cook quail weighs about 3 to 7 ounces, including the giblets. Due to their small size, they are usually roasted and served whole. The meat is dark, but mild flavored.” The statement was dated March 8, 2023.
Azurite Court Tyrone
- Category: The Chronicles of Grant County The Chronicles of Grant County
- Published: 06 March 2024 06 March 2024
The Chronicles Of Grant County
Azurite Court
Tyrone
Azurite found in Bisbee, Cochise County in Arizona. (The photograph was provided courtesy of the Pacific Museum of Earth of The University of British Columbia, October 14, 2019.)
Azurite Court in Tyrone is one of the roadways that reflects the mining heritage of Grant County.
This mineral is azure – blue – in color and is found with deposits of copper.
Azurite has been one of the minerals mined at Tyrone and other regional mines in New Mexico and Arizona, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Beyond the immediate area, reports indicate that azurite has also been mined in locales in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America.
Ash Street Lordsburg
- Category: The Chronicles of Grant County The Chronicles of Grant County
- Published: 28 February 2024 28 February 2024
The Chronicles Of Grant County
Ash tree growing in Montana. (The photograph was provided courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture.)
Ash Street in Lordsburg was named after the Ash tree. Other roadways are also named after the Ash tree in southwest New Mexico.
Species of this tree are found growing in a majority of states within the country, including in New Mexico.
According to a report dated March 27, 2023, from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Ash trees are found in a number of counties in southwest New Mexico and in southeast and central Arizona. This is especially the case in area within the Gila National Forest and beyond.
Hemlock Street Deming
- Category: The Chronicles of Grant County The Chronicles of Grant County
- Published: 21 February 2024 21 February 2024
The Chronicles Of Grant County
Hemlock Street
Deming
Hemlock trees at the Flight 93 Memorial Witness Grove in western Pennsylvania. (The photograph was provided courtesy of the United States Forest Service, July 13, 2012.)
Hemlock Street in Deming was named after the Hemlock tree.
This tree grows in New Mexico as well as throughout the United States.
The Hemlock tree is different from the Hemlock plant. (More on the plant later in this news column.)
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicated in a brochure entitled "Trees of the Carson National Forest" that the Hemlock tree was similar to the Douglas Fir tree.
Saint Valentine's Day 2024
- Category: The Chronicles of Grant County The Chronicles of Grant County
- Published: 14 February 2024 14 February 2024
The Chronicles Of Grant County
Saint Valentine's Day 2024
The summary description of this image is "Card shows an angel paddling in a small boat called 'Hearts Delight'; the sail has the inscription: 'Pray Sweetheart, send me just a line to say you'll be my Valentine.'" (The image was provided courtesy of the Library of Congress, 1890.)
Today is Saint Valentine's Day. A day for people to express their love to special ones in their lives.
While some traditions have remained the same throughout the generations, some aspects of this holiday were celebrated differently in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Southwest New Mexico and throughout the State.
Federal Fuel Tax Credits For Farmers And Ranchers
- Category: The Chronicles of Grant County The Chronicles of Grant County
- Published: 07 February 2024 07 February 2024
The Chronicles Of Grant County
Federal Fuel Tax Credits For Farmers And Ranchers
Details on Federal tax credits available to farmers and ranchers for fuel used off-the-highway are found in IRS Publication 510.
Farmers and ranchers in Southwest New Mexico have the ability to get the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to return some of the money that they've paid for fuel used on their farms and ranches.
The amounts could be modest or could be considerable, depending on the type and the amount of fuel used for farming or ranching operations.