Native Plants, and Nature, Digest 6/26-30
The end of the county burn ban and of wildfire season, YouTube hiking videos, a sneak peek of VR of White Sands National Park, and reminders for upcoming events.
Happy end of June everyone. I’m so glad that it’s monsoon season, and that the wildfire season is behind us. It’s refreshing to see the Tularosa Basin so green, and to start to see the Sacramento Mountains teeming with abundance.
(6/30) Newsletter Name Change
FYI, on Substack, the name of this publication was changed from “native plants” to “native plants, and nature.” The website is still https://oteronativeplants.substack.com/ The name change more accurately reflects the content published, including plants, weather, land conservation, trail building and maintenance, the environment, ecosystems, etc.
(6/23) Video about the Osha Trail
“Hiking the Osha Trail in Lincoln National Forest from Summer to Winter,” by Gustavo Mendoza.
Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rKwVZ9Ztd0
“I've been lucky enough to hike the Osha trail multiple times now. I've hiked it during summer, fall and winter. Each time the trail is the same but the landscape is different. The colors change completely and the wildlife either appears or disappears.“
It’s the trail just below Cloudcroft, and between the Mexican Canyon Trestle Overlook and the Trestle Recreation Area.
More info:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/lincoln/maps-guides
(in the link above, there is a PDF for Osha under “printable trail maps”)
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-mexico/osha-trail--2
FYI, I think it’s been about 6 months since trail info disappeared from the forest service website, pictured below:
(6/25) Video about White Sands National Park
“Hiking through White Sands National Park,” by Gustavo Mendoza.
Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeT5__c6xCo
“Spent a few hours in White Sands National Park exploring and being part of other worldly Sunsets.“
(6/25) Trestle at Bonnie’s Cabin
By the New Mexico Rails-to-Trails Association (NMRTA).
Up the hill from the Mexican Canyon Trestle, is this trestle. It’s a great spot to visit, when open, for a bit of local history. Through the association’s help, both the trestle, and the canyon, are preserved, and restored, to great condition. It always looks awesome in summer.
(6/30) Virtual Reality of White Sands National Park
By the NMSU Extension Cooperative Service.
“White Sands National Park Personnel Demo Virtual Reality
On May 27, national park personnel visited the college to demo the virtual reality product “White Sands National Park: Beyond the Dunes VR,” created by the NMSU Learning Games Lab in the Department of Innovative Media Research and Extension, in collaboration with White Sands National Park and Dr. Nicole Pietrasiak, Associate Professor of Sustainable Arid Lands, University of Nevada – Las Vegas.
Once released, the immersive Virtual Reality product will allow the public to experience the park virtually and offers an engaging way for visitors to explore groundbreaking research into the microscopic biomes found in the park’s surface soils and sediments. The experience highlights the crucial role these tiny ecosystems play in the park’s environment and underscores the value of ongoing scientific research in the park. White Sands National Park plans to make headsets available for educational programs, and the VR app will be available worldwide on the Meta VR store.” (Source)
More information:
https://www.beyondthedunesvr.com/
There is a Video Preview of the VR Experience:
Video link:
https://www.beyondthedunesvr.com/WS_Trailer.mp4
Topics and presenters that are featured include:
• Biocrust - Nicole Pietrasiak, PhD
• Microbial mat - Dave Bustos
• Groundwater seep - Patrick Martinez
(6/30) County Burn Ban Lifted
By the Otero County Office of Emergency Services.
“Attention!! Please see that the burn restrictions have been lifted. If you would like to do a controlled burn, you still need to follow protocol of calling The Tularosa Regional Dispatch Authority and have a water source readily available. Please call our office with any questions. Thank you!” (Source)
The restrictions had started on 4/10.
2025 Wildfire Season Recap:
• (5/18) Gail Fire, west of Mayhill
• (5/18) Aspen Fire, north of the Capitan Mountains.
• (5/25) Fire at Fort Stanton
• (5/26) Flume Canyon Fire, west of Ruidoso
• (5/29) Seven Cabins Fire, Capitan Mountains
• (6/17) Seven Springs Fire, southeast of Bent
• (6/18) Piñon Draw Fire, northwest of Piñon
(6/19 Reminder) Bigfoot Scavenger Hunt
By the New Mexico Rails-to-Trails Association. Details are here.
Nothing to do with that event, but on YouTube, I keep getting recommendations for artificially generated videos of Bigfoot in the woods, and the videos are getting way too realistic:
Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5keq-OI0vPk
(7/30-8/3 Reminder) Gathering of Circles
By the Gathering of Circles Council.
It’s held out on Pumphouse Canyon Road.
“Gathering of Circles is an annual event held the first week of August in a beautiful natural setting outside of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. It brings together, in community, people of all walks of life, backgrounds, practices and varied levels of experience from the region, the country, continent and world. We convene as warm souls sharing and caring, helping and healing, learning and growing, with and from each other and nature herself. Our practices are diverse and drawn from ancient wisdom and teachings common to many cultures. We invite you to join with us at any of our events. All are welcome!” (Source is website)
More info:
http://www.gatheringofcircles.com/