SILVER CITY, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s a gem of the southwestern United States and southwest New Mexico. June of 2024 marks 100 years since the Gila Wilderness became the very first federally designated wilderness area in the U.S.
Early conservation leader Aldo Leopold proposed the idea, realizing the need to preserve the land’s natural state. This week on the podcast, Chris and Gabby discuss the origin story of the Gila, and the efforts to protect it today with Luke Koenig, a Gila Grassroots Organizer for New Mexico Wild.
“It is an authentic, wild experience,” Koenig explained of the Gila. “And we don’t have a lot of opportunity to experience that anymore in 2024.”
“We get to have these remarkable, well-protected ecosystems because people stood up to protect them,” Koenig added. “These types of places, these wild forests, these wild rivers, these wild animals – they don’t really exist by accident anymore.”
Story continues below
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Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Podcast every Tuesday, starting around 5:30 a.m., Mountain time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Podbean among others.
Having trouble finding the show? Try searching your favorite podcast player with the term “KRQE” or “New Mexico News Podcast” (without the quotes). You can also use the links above to find the podcast on each respective service or listen to the audio player at the top of this post.
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion as to who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email the hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com.
