Upcoming Events for January 1, 2024
Advertise with the Dispatch: If you are considering advertising with the Mountainair Dispatch, please get in touch with me at todd@mountainairdispatch.com or 719-496-1660. I can help with graphics and copywriting. Consider sponsoring free public access to a month's worth of news. It's a cheap - but effective - way to get your products and services in front of Torrance County readers.
Locations three hours or less from Mountainair, NM, are included. Do you want to advertise your Torrance County event in the Mountainair Dispatch? I’d love to publish it. Email todd@mountainairdispatch.com with the details.
Federal Government
Pecos National Historic Park
Pecos National Historic Park has reported that winter tour times may vary due to limited staffing.
Ancestral Sites Tour
- 10:30 AM Friday through Monday
- 2:00 PM Friday
Battlefield Hike
- Saturdays 10:30 AM
Civil War Walking Tour
- Fridays and Sundays 1:30 PM
Forked Lightning Ranch House Caravan Tour
- Saturdays and Mondays 1:30 PM (Reservations Required)
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
Ranger Choice Program
- every Friday at 11:00 AM, no registration required
- Abó, Quarai, and Gran Quivira unit visitors centers.
Pueblo and Mission Program
- Every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 AM
- Abó, Quarai, and Gran Quivira unit visitors centers.
State Government
Caballo Lake State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Cerrillos Hills State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Elephant Butte State Park
Fenton Lake State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Hyde Memorial State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Manzano Mountains State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Pecos Canyon State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Percha Dam State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Rio Grande Nature Center State Park
Guided Bird Walk
- Every Saturday and Sunday - 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
- Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, 2901 Candelaria Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107. The Park’s Day-Use Fee is $3.00 per vehicle (exact cash or check). Friends of the RGNC and NM State Parks annual permit holders enter free with a valid permit displayed.
- Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars, insect repellent, and sunscreen as needed. Meet at the Candelaria Viewing Area (Northeast side of the parking lot).
Our Sun and the 2024 Solar Eclipse
- Saturday, January 13, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- Rio Grande Nature Center Education Building
- by Thomas Grzybowski, NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador.
- Part of the "Nature in Winter Festival." Learn about our closest star, the Sun, and how it provides life-giving light to Earth. Get a preview of the Sun’s surface features that will be visible through the special solar telescopes in the parking lot. Discover how the sun interacts with the Earth’s moon to generate eclipses.
- Find out about the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024, (It will be only partial in the local Albuquerque area). Learn about safe solar eclipse viewing methods and eclipse-related NASA-sponsored Citizen Science projects.
- Day-Use Fee: Cost $3.00 per vehicle (exact cash or check)
- Friends of the RGNC permit holders and NM State Parks annual permit holders enter free with valid permits displayed.
- Contact: Front Desk 505-344-7240
Interconnected Conservation: Lessons for New Mexico from Southeast Asia
- Saturday, January 13, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM;
- Rio Grande Nature Center Education Building
- Tod Emko, President of Darwin Animal Doctors - Wildlife Conservation Global Strategies, will share stories and ecological lessons learned in Southeast Asia.
- Day-Use Fee: Cost $3.00 per vehicle (exact cash or check)
- Friends of the RGNC permit holders and NM State Parks annual permit holders enter free with valid permits displayed.
- Contact: Front Desk 505-344-7240
Tour of Candelaria Nature Preserve
- Saturday, January 13, 2024, from 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
- Rio Grande Nature Center Group Shelter
- Part of the "Nature in Winter Festival." Come explore the Candelaria Nature Preserve, where wildlife abounds, and a major restoration effort is underway to convert farm fields to a mosaic of wildlife habitat.
- Day-Use Fee: Cost $3.00 per vehicle (exact cash or check)
- Friends of the RGNC permit holders and NM State Parks annual permit holders enter free with valid permits displayed.
- Contact: Front Desk 505-344-7240
Santa Rosa Lake State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Storrie Lake State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Sumner Lake State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Villanueva State Park
Nothing is scheduled at this time.
Torrance County
Torrance County Planning and Zoning Board
- January 3, 2023, at 9:30 AM
- Torrance County Government Offices, 205 S 9th Ave, Estancia, NM 87016
Local Emergency Planning Committee
- January 23, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is a new, voluntary organization that is being formed in our Emergency Planning District(s). LEPCs are community-based organizations that assist in preparing for emergencies, particularly those concerning hazardous materials.
- Torrance County Commission Chambers, 205 S 9th Street, Estancia 87016
Mountainair
Mountainair Town Council Regular Meeting
- January 2, 2024, at 6:00 PM
- Mountainair Town Council Building, 107 1/2 North Roosevelt Avenue, Mountainair, NM 87036
How to Motivate Your Child
- January 10, 2024, at 6:00 PM.
- Participation is completely anonymous.
- The registration link for this event does not work. Additional details can be found here.
Mountainair Board of Education Regular Meeting
- January 23, 2024, at 6:00 PM
- Mountainair Public Schools Administrative Building, 512 N Ross Ave St, Mountainair, NM 87036
Other Organizations
Mountainair Rotary Club
- 12:00 PM every Thursday
- Claunch-Pinto SWCD Conservation Center, 1206 NM-55, Mountainair, NM 87036
- Attendees should bring their own lunch.