Heart of the Gila, 9 Airstrip Road, Mimbres, NM 88049
Welcome! At Heart of the Gila, we promise to use your money wisely. Our non-profit has a volunteer Director, so our administrative costs are low. When you donate to Heart of the Gila, we put your money to work on the ground—educating, stewarding and protecting the public lands of the Southwest. Check out some of what we accomplished in 2025, and what lies ahead in 2026.
Children’s Butterfly Garden The garden was originally planted in 2015, in honor of Ella, Ella, and Michael. After our 2024 rennovation, the butterfly-shaped learning space is now more accessible, holds more plants, and allows more learning inside of its wings. Visit the butterfly at Silva Creek Botanical Garden in Silver City after the monsoon rains, when butterflies abound, and we hold our Monarch tagging workshops & Endangered Species Education.
Keep us going!
DONATE with PAYPAL (No Fee!) GIVING FUND
or by CREDIT CARD
In the past 6 years, we have focused on creating broader and more equitable access to outdoor programming throughout our region. Your donations fund our Outdoor Equity Watershed Education Programs. In 2024, we reached hundreds of children during the Gila Wilderness Centennial Celebrations. In 2025, we focused on creating opportunities for families to recreate and learn in the Mimbres River watershed, and offered free programs at the Gila headwaters. We also began our partnership with Amigos Bravos, doing water quality monitoring on 4 sites on the upper Gila River. We plan to expand this opportunity to young citizen scientists. We also take our message into the schools-seen above, board member, Lexa Jobe, teaching flower anatomy to Bayard Elementary students, making the connection between forests and food.
Roadless Area Conservation Rule!
in the Gila!
Some of our work:
In 2026, we implemented myultiple trail projects, removed hundreds of acres of non-native species along the Gila River, and installed front country & backcountry signage to help reduce impacts at our precious Hot Springs
We advocate for the wild places of the Southwest. In 2025, there were multiple attempts to weaken enviornmental regulations and open up fragile and vulnerable lands in New Mexico to oil and gas extraction.
There was also a national backlash at the attempts to sell off large swaths of public lands. Heart of the Gila was here, with you, supporting federal workers, and advocating hard for public lands in public hands. Thank you for being part of this effort.
DONATE with PAYPAL (No Fee!) GIVING FUND
or by CREDIT CARD
In 2025 we continued to advocate for Wild and Scenic Designation for the Gila River through our film, Journey Down the Gila, which just completed a Santa Fe, NM and Durango, CO tour. If you are in the Albuqurque area, plesae attend our
January 14th, 2026 screening at the South Broadway Cultural Center.
One night only!
Tickets Here! 
No matter who is in the White House, there are always new environmental challenges. Now is not the time to give up hope! All our advocacy activities are funded strictly through your donations. Thanks to all of you who support our work and the work of other environmental champions.
