Everything about Gila Wilderness totally explained
Gila Wilderness was designated the world's first
wilderness area on
June 3,
1924. Along with
Aldo Leopold Wilderness and
Blue Range Wilderness, the wilderness is part of
New Mexico's Gila National Forest. The wilderness is approximately from north to south and east to west. The
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is found within the wilderness.
Gila Wilderness is located in southwest New Mexico, north of
Silver City and wrapping around
Reserve. It contains the West Fork, Middle Fork and much of the East Fork of the Gila River; riverside elevations of around are the lowest in the wilderness. The
Mogollon Mountains traverse an arc across the southwest of the wilderness. The tallest peak within this range,
Whitewater Baldy at, anchors the western point of the wilderness. At the northeast corner is
Black Mountain at .
History
The
Mimbres people, a subgroup of the
Mogollon were active between 1000 and 1130 in the Gila Wilderness area, leaving cliff dwellings, ruins and other evidence of their culture. The
Chiricahua band of
Apache came into the area between 1200 and 1600. In 1922,
Aldo Leopold, a
United States Forest Service supervisor of the
Carson National Forest proposed that the headwaters area of the
Gila River should be preserved by an administrative process of excluding roads and denying use permits. Through his efforts, this area became recognized in 1924 as the first wilderness area in the National Forest System. Gila became first congressionally designated wilderness Gila contains one of the world's largest and healthiest
Ponderosa Pine forests.
Arizona Sycamore,
walnut,
maple,
ash,
cottonwood,
alder and
willow trees are found along rivers and in canyons. As of 2006, four packs have established themselves within Gila. Because of conflicts with livestock owners, the federal predator control program has killed or removed several animals.
Bighorn Sheep were common throughout the region until about 1900 when they became locally extinct through hunting. Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep were reintroduced to the Gila Wilderness after 1958 from a growing herd of Canadian releases in the
Sandia Mountains. Elk were reintroduced by the
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in 1954 with sixteen animals from
Yellowstone National Park.
Game birds include
Turkey and
Dusky Grouse; birds of prey include
Common Black Hawk,
Zone-tailed Hawk,
Goshawk,
Osprey and
Bald Eagle;
American Dippers are found in mountain streams.
Reptiles such as the Arizona
Coral Snake and
Gila Monster are present.
Brown trout,
rainbow trout,
catfish and
bass are found in rivers and streams.
Recreation
The Gila Wilderness provides opportunities for fishing, hunting, backpacking, horseback riding and camping. It has miles of trails starting at over fifty easily accessible
trailheads.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Gila Wilderness'.
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