Upper Pecos Watershed Association

08/29/2026

🌿 HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AS WE HEAD INTO SEPTEMBER! 💧
September is Upper Pecos Watershed Awareness Month, and we have two great opportunities to come together and celebrate the watershed we all care about.
🌲 September 16th — Join us for a community meeting to stand up for our forests, learn more about the proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule, and make your voice heard.
🧤 September 26th — Roll up your sleeves and join us for our annual Pecos to Pecos Road & River Cleanup, bringing communities together along the Pecos to care for our river and surrounding lands.
Will you join us on the 16th? The 26th? Or both?
However you choose to participate, we’re excited to celebrate Upper Pecos Watershed Awareness Month with you and show some love for the place we all call home. 💙
Stay tuned for more details!

08/27/2026

🌲 Community Meeting: The Future of the Roadless Rule
UPWA, together with New Mexico Wild and other partners of the Stop Terrero Mine Coalition, invites you to a community meeting about the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule and what it could mean for our forests, waters, and communities.
📅 September 16, 2026
⏰ 5:30–7:00 PM
📍 Pecos Village Meeting Room
Come learn more about the proposal and the public comment process. We’ll provide free food, information, and guidance to help you write and submit your own public comment before the September 21 deadline.
No experience with public commenting is needed — just come, learn, ask questions, and make your voice heard.
Please RSVP to Janice Varela with New Mexico Wild:
[email protected]

08/25/2026

It’s that time of year again! 🌊

We’re excited to bring back the Pecos to Pecos Road and River Cleanup on September 26th.
This will be our fourth year bringing communities together along the Pecos River, from Pecos, NM all the way to Pecos, TX, for one big cleanup effort.
We’re still working out some of the local details, but wanted to get the date on everyone’s calendar.
Pecos, NM details are coming soon, so stay tuned!
See you September 26th! 🧤

08/20/2026

🌲 Roadless Rule Update: What Does It Actually Mean?

The U.S. Forest Service has formally proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, and the public comment period is now open.

Rescinding the rule does not mean that suddenly all Forest Service roads will be open to the public, nor does it automatically authorize new roads or timber harvest.
What it would do is remove an existing national layer of protection that generally prohibits new road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting within Inventoried Roadless Areas. Removing these restrictions could also provide greater flexibility for access associated with some future mineral and energy development.

For New Mexico, where approximately 1.6 million acres of National Forest lands are protected under the Roadless Rule, this is an important conversation for communities that depend on healthy forests and headwaters.

Public comments are open through September 21, 2026.
Submit a comment:
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FS-2025-0001

UPWA and New Mexico Wild are also organizing a community comment-writing workshop on September 16 from 5:30–7:00 PM. More details coming soon!
Our forests. Our waters. Our voices. 🌲💧

08/20/2026

💧 SEPTEMBER IS UPPER PECOS WATERSHED AWARENESS MONTH! 🌲

Upper Pecos Watershed Awareness Month was established in August 2024, when UPWA, together with Ralph Vigil of New Mexico Wild, brought the idea before the Village of Pecos Board of Trustees. Thanks to the Village’s unanimous support, it became a reality.

Ralph was a tremendous champion for the Pecos, and his commitment to protecting this special place continues to inspire our work. Today, thanks to the leadership and tireless work of Janice Varela, Northern Organizer for New Mexico Wild, UPWA is proud to help carry Ralph’s legacy forward while continuing to honor and protect the place we all call home. 💙

Throughout September, we’ll be bringing the community together for the Pecos to Pecos Road & River Cleanup and other events celebrating our watershed and the people who care for it.

Stay tuned, more details are coming soon!

08/18/2026

🦫 BEAVER REINTRODUCTION EFFORTS 💧
Beavers are keystone species in the natural environment and a passion project of the Upper Pecos Watershed Association. They act as crucial ecosystem engineers, creating wetlands that enhance biodiversity, improve water quality, and provide safeguards against drought and resiliency after wildfire.
The Upper Pecos Watershed Association advocates for re-beavering of the Pecos River to restore these natural, climate-resilient water systems and reverse historical population declines.
For more information about the benefits of beavers, read One Earth’s posting at:
https://www.oneearth.org/the-benefits-of-beavers/

Or watch their video at:
https://youtu.be/xrbAOETh0No?si=GBGAqLpMAwtQl7PC

✍️ Write-up by Frances Schneider
📷 Photo Credit: New Mexico Beaver Coalition/Rio Grande Return

08/16/2026

🎉 WATER, WILDFLOWERS & TROUT 2026 RECAP 🎉

What a wonderful evening!

On July 19th, more than 120 of you joined us under the open sky for our annual Water, Wildflowers & Trout Benefit and to celebrate an extra-special milestone — UPWA’s 20th anniversary! 💧🌿🐟

To everyone who attended, donated, sponsored, volunteered, or helped make the evening possible: THANK YOU!
Your support allows UPWA to continue protecting, restoring, and improving the Upper Pecos Watershed.

It was incredibly special to celebrate 20 years of stewardship surrounded by so many people who care deeply about the Pecos. We are grateful you celebrated this milestone with us, and we’re already looking forward to doing it all again next year! 💙

08/13/2026

🌲 UPDATE ON JONES HILL 🌲

The federal policy landscape surrounding the proposed drilling project on Jones Hill continues to change.

The current administration has canceled the mineral withdrawal that provided additional protections for the Upper Pecos Watershed, while changes to the Roadless Rule are also being considered. Recent changes to federal environmental regulations, including the Endangered Species Act, add another layer as we work to understand what these shifts could mean for the Pecos.

UPWA continues to closely monitor these developments and stay engaged with our partners. There are still many moving pieces, and we remain committed to keeping our community informed as we learn more.

One thing remains unchanged: our commitment to protecting the Pecos, its water, and the communities that depend on it. 💧

Stay tuned for updates.

08/11/2026

Picture the high-elevation streams in the Upper Pecos Watershed being wet and lush during drought periods. Envision a riverscape of balance – wetlands rich with plants, fish, birds, and amphibians. River stretches with deep and slow pools that offer safe breeding grounds and shelter for trout. Other reaches have shallow and swift rifles that mix oxygen into the water, providing habitat for stoneflies, caddisflies, and mayflies. See how the Rio Grande Return restored degraded and drought-stricken wetlands in New Mexico's Jemez Mountains using beaver dam analogs at: Beaver-inspired restoration revives historic wetlands in New Mexico mountains. Support the Upper Pecos Watershed Association in its efforts to support the return of beaver to the region and restore balance to the watershed.

Photo: Animal Protection New Mexico’s 2026 Beavers Landowners Guide.

08/04/2026