Meet Zack Crockett, Heart of the Gila’s Trail Crew Leader and owner of Gila Backcountry Services. Zack has been working with Heart of the Gila since 2017. He is a seasoned trails professional, provides packing services with his string of mules, trains our trail interns, and has been involved in numerous conservation projects on the Gila including the removal of invasive Salt Cedar, monitoring impacts from feral cattle, and providing guiding services to National Geographic reporters and photographers during the 100th anniversary celebrations.

At Heart of the Gila, we believe in providing local young adults with opportunities to learn the skills to work in the outdoors, particularly because we are a community surrounded by public lands. We created our Trails and Stewardship Internship program in 2017 and have provided opportunities for dozens of young adults, many who have gone on to work with the Forest Service and other agencies and organizations in New Mexico.

In 2023, we dedicated our internship program to Alex Mahl, pictured here, who died by suicide at the age of 27. Alex loved the Gila, and was born and raised here, was a firefighter, and loved to roam the Gila with his dogs. We miss Alex, and want other young people to know that they have a place of value here with Heart of the Gila. We want to encourage young people to develop the skills and confidence to work in outdoor settings, and to continue to love the wild places that surround them.

Pictured here, left, are our 2023 Trail Crew Interns, funded with a grant from the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Department, Trails Plus Grant Program. They completed 14 miles of Gila River Trail maintenance!

Our mission at Heart of the Gila is to educate about the intrinsic value of rivers and watersheds in the Southwest. So, we focus our trail work on the hundreds of miles of river corridors along the Gila River and its tributaries, including the popular Middle Fork trail that leads to Jordan Hot Springs. It’s difficult work that requires extensive logistics, packing in supplies, and restoring trails obliterated by floods.

Our work includes not just maintaining trail, but mitigating impacted backcountry recreation sites, removing non-native plant species from high-value locations, and educating visitors in Leave No Trace practices. Our goal is to instill a sense of love of place with everything we do, because we believe the protection of wild places is based on that love.

If you want to help us with this work financially, consider donating to Heart of the Gila Today.
Want to get out in the field with us? We use volunteers for much of our stewardship work. Reach out! heartofthegila@gmail.com
Or sign up here: Get Involved.