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5th Annual Gila River Festival a Success!
“Inspirational,” “fantastic,” “informative,” “awesome.” These were just some of the words used by participants to describe this year’s Gila River Festival. Throughout the 4-day event, more than 700 people attended lectures and an Aldo Leopold living history performance, participated in birding and natural history hikes and floated down the Gila in inflatable kayaks, a festival favorite. In honor of the 100th anniversary of Aldo Leopold’s legacy in the Southwest, the 5th Annual Gila River Festival celebrated the historical connection of Aldo Leopold, America’s most influential conservationist, to the Gila. New Mexico’s last wild river, the Gila, originates in the Gila Wilderness, the first wilderness area in the U.S., originally proposed by Aldo Leopold in 1921.
September 17 – 20, 2009
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Aldo Leopold’s legacy in the Southwest, the 5th Annual Gila River Festival celebrates the historical connection of Aldo Leopold, America’s most influential conservationist, to the Gila. New Mexico’s last wild river, the Gila, originates in the Gila Wilderness, the first wilderness area in the U.S., originally proposed by Aldo Leopold in 1921.
The Festival brings together experts, conservation leaders, artists, and scientists from many disciplines to foster an appreciation of Aldo Leopold, the importance of his conservation ethic to the protection of the Gila River, his influence on the creation of the National Wilderness Preservation System, his relationship to the wild places he loved, the enduring impact of his classic book, A Sand County Almanac, and the legacy of wildness he represents. This year’s Gila River Festival features an Aldo Leopold living history presentation, keynote address with Dave Foreman (prominent leader of the conservation movement), guided and educational hikes and field trips, Leopold film festival, kayak trips, kids’ activities, Downtown Silver City gallery tour, and more.
Full Schedule now online! Click here!
To learn about Planning Your Trip, click here!
Maps here!
Dennis Weller Photography • EZ Does It Ranch • New Mexico Humanities Council
Stream Dynamics, Inc. • Trail of the Mountain Spirits National Scenic Byway
Audubon New Mexico • Bear Mountain Lodge • Center for Biological Diversity
Conservation Voters of New Mexico • Far Flung Adventures Mary Hotvedt & Bob Garrett
Rinda Metz • Southwest Environmental Center
Anonymous • Silvia Cerruti & John Rawlins • Conservation By Design • JW Art Gallery
W. Jay Garard, D.D.S. • Melvyn Gelb & Mary Ann Finn • Gila Gestalt Therapy
Merritt Helfferich & April Crosby • Ron Henry • Hometown Initiative • Patricia Clayton Leff
Morningstar • Carol Morrison • Regalos de la Tierra Pottery Co. • Silver City Museum Society
William & Dalelyne Siwik • O’Keefe’s Bookshop • Unitarian Universalists of Silver City
Green Sanctuary Project • Video Stop
Gila Conservation Coalition • Gila Resources Information Project
Upper Gila Watershed Alliance • Gila Conservation Education Center
Western Institute for Lifelong Learning
For more information on the 5th Annual Gila River Festival or to receive a Festival brochure, contact the Gila Conservation Coalition at 575.538.8078 OR info@gilaconservation.org
For more information on the Aldo Leopold Centennial Celebration 2009 and events scheduled in Arizona and New Mexico, click here.
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