Silver City, NM; July 8, 2013—As of this morning, hours at the Catwalk National Recreation Area, Gila National Forest,  returned and will be from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The open hours include the Whitewater Picnic Area and ¼ mile of the lower trail. During the monsoon and since rain typically occurs in the afternoon, the facility will normally be open during these hours. In the event of predicted severe weather or flooding, the facility will be closed to protect visitors.
 
Please contact the Glenwood Ranger District, 575.539.2481, during weekday hours,  8:00 am to 4:30 pm, before planning a trip or visit the Forest website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila/
 
Remember:
•           ONLY ¼ mile of the “old” trail and the picnic area is currently open.  The rest of the old trail is closed pending treatment of a dangerous rock outcrop that caused the recent rock fall onto the trail. Once the rock hazard has been cleared, the suspended trail can be opened to the Octagon.
•           The Universal Trail is also closed for treatment of rock hazards.
•           The currently closed upper canyon will probably stay closed through the monsoons due to the extreme difficulty of evacuation in event of a flood, and the need to evaluate and repair damage to structures and the trail. The upper canyon is defined as the trail and associated canyon from the Octagon to the end of the trail.
 
Visitors are asked to use extreme caution during the monsoon season. With burn scars from this year’s Silver Fire and the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire Complex, the potential for post-fire flooding is possible.
 
When heavy thunderstorms are expected:
• If camping or picnicking, place the campsite on higher ground and avoid camping in drainage areas such as rivers, creeks, or arroyos and especially in narrow canyons.  Flash
floods can quickly develop during heavy thunderstorms! During these downpours,
extreme caution should be exercised when crossing these drainage areas.
• Be informed! Know the weather forecast and plan accordingly.
• Know the weather patterns of the area! In mountainous areas, thunderstorms typically develop in the early afternoon, so plan to hike early in the day and be down the mountain by noon.

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.