Field Trips and Workshops 1 of 3

Silver City is at 6,000 feet, yet temperatures can stay warm in September. Stay hydrated; higher altitude and temperature increase the risk of dehydration. Bring water for all excursions. Please bring a reusable water bottle: the convention center has a filling station. No single-use disposable water bottles will be provided. Hats are recommended. For hikes, participants should wear sturdy closed-toe hiking shoes or boots, consider bringing hiking poles and a raincoat, and snacks. No pets.

Field Trip for Friday or Saturday

Dah guh teh, Ha honda Nde benah. Chiricahua Apache Lifeways, a View of a Sacred Land. Leader: Joe Saenz. Join us for a 3-hour horseback ride through this often misunderstood Land. We will follow the National Forest Dragonfly loop trails with open discussions on our plant relatives and a reliance on a balanced Earth, Ni godzani, the original Western Civilization. Two trail rides are available. Friday, 1 – 4 PM. Saturday, 9 AM – 12 PM. Limit: 4 Riders each day. $100.00/person.

Two-day Workshops

Creating Crevice Gardens. Thanks to a recommendation from John Rembetski, Mike Kintgen, Curator of Alpine Collections for the Denver Botanic Gardens, has agreed to lead this two-day workshop. We are excited about this opportunity and will post more details when we have them.

Dyeing with Native Plants. Leader: Hosana Eilert. In the Friday session, master weaver Hosana will introduce participants to the history and techniques used to produce colorful dyes using common native plants that they have collected. In the Saturday session, participants will use traditional methods to prepare the plant material collected in the first session to produce colorful dyes that will then be used to dye silk and wool. Fee $40 per for supplies. Limit: 12.

Friday

Workshop

Cyanotype Printing with Native Plants. Leader: Kathleen Koopman. Participants will learn about the art of cyanotype, a historical photographic process first developed in 1842. Those enrolled will print on watercolor paper using pressed plant specimens and are encouraged to bring their own pressed plant material to produce at least 4 prints. The workshop will focus on emulsions, exposure, and toning. Material fee $20. Limit: 15

Field Trips

The Silva Creek Botanical Garden. Easy, less than one-half mile, no elevation gain, wheelchair accessible. Leaders: Marty Eberhardt and Naava Koenigsberg. This two-hour tour of the Silva Creek Botanical Garden (SCBG) will cover recent updates to the garden. Participants will review the garden’s master plan, learn about fundraising efforts, and discuss planning priorities, including the garden’s future. The group will also explore the garden’s main interpretive and educational themes and see how they are integrated into the design through signage, art, and curated plantings. Limit: 12

Home Garden Tour. Easy, very little walking, level terrain. Leaders: Ann Hedlund and Larry Ollivier. This home garden tour will take place at a 1906 historic home in downtown Silver City. Participants will see two one-hundred-year-old Arizona cypress trees, a native shrub hedgerow, and a small fruit tree orchard. The garden also features water harvesting from roof gutters and streets, gray-watering from a bathroom shower and washing machine; well water for the orchard and vegetable garden; a modern drip irrigation system with city water and hard/soft-scaping; wrought-iron garden gates; outdoor sculptures; and rock walls. Limit: 15

Silver City Flora Project Tour. Easy short walking and driving, mostly level terrain. Leaders: Angela Flanders and Jane Spinti. Participants will explore the “wilds” of Silver City. Each person on this field trip will take notes on the plants they see, which will be used for the Flora of Silver City Project plant inventory. Participants are encouraged to carpool and can expect to make several stops within the city limits. Limit: 16.

Regenerative Landscaping with Rainwater Harvesting Tour. Easy short walking, some driving. Leader: Asher Gelbart. During this field trip, participants will visit several rainwater-harvesting landscapes by car, featuring aesthetically crafted rainwater-harvesting earthworks, cistern storage systems, and graywater systems that support regenerative landscapes. Carpooling is encouraged. Limit: 18.

New Earth Project/Pilot: Climate Change Mitigation Through Food Waste Reduction. Easy, some walking, level terrain. Leaders: Mike and Carol Ann Fugagli. Participants will tour the New Earth Project, which focuses on carbon sequestration, food security, replacing fertilizers and pesticides, soil health, reducing food waste, and lowering methane emissions from landfills. The project uses Johnson-Su composting technology, a static, aerobic system that produces microbially diverse, fungus-rich compost. This compost can significantly enhance the soil’s ability to sequester carbon, retain water, fix nitrogen, and support plant growth and food production, while also greatly decreasing the need for, and high costs of, nitrogen/phosphorus fertilizers and pesticides. Limit: 16

The Flora of Signal Peak. Moderate, about 1 mile, gentle elevation gain. Leaders: Wendy and Don Graves. This hike will explore a landscape dramatically altered by the 2025 Gila-area Trout fire and show the changes that occurred. Participants will visit the Signal Peak fire tower and, if possible, climb the easy stairway to the top to enjoy the view that fire watchers monitor for smoke. Along the way, participants will have the opportunity to see a magnificent display of native plants, color, pollinators, and birds, and experience exceptional views. Limit: 12

Botany for Beginners. Easy/moderate with possible stream crossings, about 2 miles, little elevation gain. Leader: Donna Stevens. This trip to Cherry Creek in the Pinos Altos range is designed for those who are just beginning to learn about plants in New Mexico. Topics will include common trees and shrubs, basics of plant families, and tips on plant identification, all with limited botanical terminology. Plants will include common upland trees, riparian plants, and various herbaceous plants. A plant list will be provided. Limit: 12

Forest Drought Stress and Tree Mortality. Uneven forest terrain, with common trip hazards. Leaders: Victor Lucero, Craig Allen, and Tom Zegler. This field trip in the Gila National Forest will visit sites with conifers at various stages of drought impact. Participants will learn about forest insect and disease management and how to identify different stress-related issues in conifers. Limit: 15

Dead Man’s Canyon Botanical Sauntering Adventure. Easy/ moderate with some rock scrambling, about 2 miles, 400’ elevation gain. Leaders: Priscilla and Jon Titus. This will be a casual walk up a forested ravine in the Burro Mountains with ample room for random trailside explorations, botanical study, and admiration. The trail’s forest canopy is a combination of ponderosa and piñon pines with scattered junipers and oaks in the understory; a particularly lush and diverse mosaic of grasses, forbs, ferns, cacti, and shrubs; and a wide variety of wildflowers. Limit: 12

Hiking San Vicente Creek Trail and Open Space. Easy/moderate, about 4 miles, mostly level. Leaders: Alesia Hallmark and Scott Zager. This urban hike takes participants along the San Vicente Creek, upstream through a valley gorge, around a loop on the adjacent bluffs, and returns. They will traverse two important plant community types in Southwest New Mexico: Cottonwood Bosque Forest and Chihuahuan Desert Grassland. Hikers might also see several of the over 200 bird species, reptiles, fish, and amphibians along this popular city trail. Limit: 20

Native Plant Society of New Mexico Native Plant Society of New Mexico