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Starry Nights and Intro to Night Photography at Pecos National Historical Park

Pecos, NM:– Join us for an evening under the wonderful Western sky on Saturday, May 4^th at Pecos National Historical Park near the 18^th century mission church.

Brass Band Music and Night Sky Viewing

7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Kick off the evening with the Santa Fe Brass Quintet as they perform a star-themed 30-minute music session at 7:30! Afterward, park staff will bring out telescopes and binoculars to gaze at the stars and check out Venus, Jupiter, and other planets. Visitors are also invited to bring their own telescopes and spotting scopes to explore the night skies. This event is weather-dependent and red-bulb flashlights and appropriate clothing are strongly recommended. No reservations are required, but parking is limited to the first 40 vehicles for this event.

Introduction to Night Photography – Methods and Practice

6:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Park volunteer and former Pecos National Historical Park artist-in-residence, Stan Pecos Mission - Kiva night view - Stan Ford Ford, will lead an introductory night photography session for a limited number of participants. Participants should plan to bring their own manual mode-enabled cameras, tripods, red-bulb flashlights, and weather-appropriate clothing. Reservations are required and space is extremely limited; please call the visitor center at 505-757-7241 to make reservations. The class will cover basic methods of nighttime photography at the Pecos Room by the Visitor Center starting at 6:30 and will be followed by practice at the Church area around 7:30.

The park entrance gate will open at 6:00 p.m. and will shut at 8:00 p.m. Please note that after 8:00 no further entry will be permitted.

You will also find our listings on the New Mexico True website (newmexico.org) and Tourism Santa Fe (santafe.org). Please like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PecosNHPnps or follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pecos_nps).

Pecos NHP and National Park Trust Host Kids to Parks Day Events

Park Events

Pecos, NM: Pecos National Historical Park is honored to have been selected to host a Kids to Parks Day event in conjunction with National Park Trust and Buddy Bison Student Ambassador Bryan Wilson. Kids to Parks Day is a nationwide celebration of the great outdoors organized by National Park Trust and is designed to connect kids and families with their local, state, and national parks and public lands. Together, we invite you to help us celebrate at Pecos National Historical Park on Saturday, May 18^th.

Schedule of Free Family Events:

Junior Ranger Activity Books

12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Families and children of all ages are invited to earn their Junior Ranger badges, pins, and patches. Challenge yourself with the Junior Angler Book, Pecos Junior Ranger Book, the Not-So-Junior Ranger Activity Book, the Santa Fe Trail Junior Ranger Book, or the Wagon Master Junior Ranger. Junior Rangers will have fun rolling up their sleeves and trying their hands at fish printing and corn grinding with a mano and metate! Kids who complete any of the Junior Ranger Books will receive a free plush Buddy Bison from National Park Trust. (Supplies are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis). All kids are encouraged to enter the free raffle to win wonderful prizes courtesy of Western National Parks Association.

New Mexico Wildlife Center Presents: Wild New Mexico

1:00 p.m. – 1:45p.m.

Join us as we meet some unique animal ambassadors from the New Mexico Wildlife Center including snakes and raptors.

Yucca Sandal Making Workshop with Mary Weahkee

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Come learn how to make yucca sandals in the style of the Ancestral Puebloans with Archaeologist Mary Weahkee, who is a member of both Santa Clara Pueblo and the Comanche Nation and is an Assistant Archaeologist for New Mexico’s Office of Archaeological Studies.

About Junior Ranger Ambassador Bryan Wilson

In May of 2018, Bryan Wilson was named a Buddy Bison Student Ambassador for the National Park Trust, one of four in the country, to promote public lands and share what he learns. He represents National Park Trust by supporting its mission and programs. He is a steward of our parks and loves to discover different public lands and waters and share what he learns with other kids. On May 18^th, he will kick off his Kids to Parks Day event by partnering with Santa Fe Boy Scout Troop 414 and local Eagle Scout candidate Ryan Cordova on a conservation service project related to the park’s three Civil War Monuments.

About National Park Trust

National Park Trust (NPT) is a non-profit dedicated to preserving parks today and creating park stewards for tomorrow. NPT is the only land trust with a comprehensive mission of protecting national parks through land acquisition, and creating a pipeline of future park stewards by getting kids to parks. Since 1983, NPT has completed 70 land projects in 31 states, 1 US Territory, and Washington, DC. This school year, NPT will provide an estimated 25,000 under-served kids with park trips through their nationally recognized Buddy Bison Programs and Kids to Parks Day National School Contest, both of which support Title I schools. Learn more at www.parktrust.org.

Many thanks to Eastern National Parks Association, Western National Parks Association, National Park Trust, New Mexico Wildlife Center, and Boy Scout Troop 414 for their invaluable assistance.

Park Offers Special Hikes to Backcountry Pueblos

Park Tours

Pecos, NM:– Pecos National Historical Park will offer two special backcountry hikes this May.

Arrowhead Pueblo

Join rangers for a free tour of the seldom-seen Arrowhead Pueblo on Sunday, May 26th. This one mile roundtrip visit to the 14^thcentury pueblo will explore the historical, archaeological, and cultural significance of this 100+ room ruin. Visitors interested in the tour are required to reserve a spot, as space is limited. Attendees will meet at the Visitor Center at 1:00 p.m. and caravan to the trailhead with the ranger.

Forked Lightning Pueblo

Explore the site of the Forked Lightning Pueblo on Saturday, May 25^th. Along the two mile roundtrip backcountry hike to the remnants of this 13th century pueblo, you will explore the fascinating history of a large settlement that sits on the western bank of Glorieta Creek. The pueblo, which housed hundreds of people primarily between 1225 and 1300 AD, was described and mapped by noted archaeologist A.V. Kidder in the late 1920s. Much has been learned about this historical treasure since then—come see for yourself!

This 2.5 hour program is an off-trail hike along uneven terrain through areas frequented by snakes. There is at least one stream crossing, please plan to bring appropriate footwear. Visitors interested in the tour must reserve a spot, as space is limited to 20 participants. Attendees will meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Upper Parking Lot adjacent to the ruins of the mission church.

For more information and to make reservations, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241.

Park Offers Forked Lightning Ranch Open House

Park Events, Park Tours

Don’t miss your chance to visit one of northern New Mexico’s most iconic locations—the Forked Lightning Ranch. On Saturday, May 11th, Pecos National Historical Park will open up the Ranch House from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for visitors to explore at their leisure. The Forked Lightning Ranch, which overlooks a wild stretch of the Pecos River, is steeped in history. Once home to such notable personalities as rodeo promoter Tex Austin and Hollywood actress Greer Garson, the ranch house transports you back to the formative years of dude ranching in the Southwest. Rangers will be on site to help answer questions and to orient visitors to this architectural gem.

Please note, space is limited to a total of 50 vehicles. Access to the ranch is down a 1.5 mile dirt road. For safety reasons, parking reservations are required. For more information and to make reservations, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241.

For more information about the park in general, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/peco. You will also find our listings on the New Mexico True website (newmexico.org) and Tourism Santa Fe (santafe.org). Please like on us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PecosNHPnps or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pecos_nps).

Park Offers Special Hike to the “Lost” Church

Park Tours

Pecos National Historical Park will offer a hike with Park Archaeologist Jeremy Moss to the site of the Lost Church on Sunday, May 5th. Along the one mile round trip hike to the ruins of the church, also known as the Ortiz Church, you will explore the fascinating history of some of the earliest missionary efforts in Northern New Mexico. The church, which dates from 1617-1621, was first described and mapped by Adolph Bandelier in 1880. Much has been learned about this historical treasure since then—come see for yourself!

This two hour program is an off-trail hike along uneven terrain through areas frequented by snakes. Visitors interested in the tour must reserve a spot, as space is limited to 15 participants. Attendees will meet at the Visitor Center at 8:30 a.m.

For more information and to make reservations, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241.

You will also find our listings on the New Mexico True website (newmexico.org) and Tourism Santa Fe (santafe.org). Please like us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/PecosNHPnps or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pecos_nps).

Park Offers Special Hikes to Backcountry Pueblos

Park Events, Park Tours

Pecos, NM:– Pecos National Historical Park will offer two special backcountry hikes this April.

Arrowhead Pueblo

Join rangers for a free tour of the seldom-seen Arrowhead Pueblo on Saturday, April 27th. This one mile roundtrip visit to the 14^th century pueblo will explore the historical, archeological, and cultural significance of this 100+ room ruin. Visitors interested in the tour are required to reserve a spot, as space is limited. Attendees will meet at the Visitor Center at 1:00 p.m. and caravan to the trailhead with the ranger.

Forked Lightning Pueblo

Explore the site of the Forked Lightning Pueblo on Sunday, April 28^th. Along the two mile roundtrip backcountry hike to the remnants of this 13th century pueblo, you will explore the fascinating history of a large settlement that sits on the western bank of Glorieta Creek. The pueblo, which housed hundreds of people primarily between 1225 and 1300 AD, was described and mapped by noted archaeologist A.V. Kidder in the late 1920s. Much has been learned about this historical treasure since then—come see for yourself!

For more information and to make reservations, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241.

Pecos NHP Set to Rehabilitate Historic Trading Post

Park Events

Pecos, NM: Pecos National Historical Park has been awarded funding to rehabilitate the historic Kozlowski’s Trading Post along Highway 63 in Pecos, NM. The project, which begins in late February 2019, will transform the building into a visitor contact station, museum, and employee office space. Weil Construction from Albuquerque, NM, is the General Contractor and is teamed with Avanyu General Contracting of Española and Pat Taylor Historic Preservation of Mesilla, NM, for the rehabilitation phase of the project. No tax dollars will be used for this project, instead receipts from visitor entrance fees from parks around the country will fund the rehabilitation of this building.

The Trading Post has a storied past. A Polish immigrant named Martin Kozlowski originally constructed the Trading Post along the Santa Fe Trail in 1858. It served as one of the last stage stops before trail-weary travelers arrived in Santa Fe after months on the dusty trail. During the Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass, this building served as a Union hospital. In 1925, rodeo-promoter and entrepreneur Tex Austin purchased the building and turned it into ranch headquarters for his famous Forked Lightning Ranch. In the 1940s, E.E. “Buddy” Fogelson bought the ranch and then brought his Hollywood actress wife, Oscar-winning Greer Garson, to the Forked Lightning Ranch. Together, they worked the land as a hobby ranch and entertained many Hollywood guests. In 1990, the National Park Service acquired the ranch and Trading Post and used it as office space, until 2006, when the building was deemed unfit for occupancy.

For more information about the park in general, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/peco. You will also find our listings on the New Mexico True website (newmexico.org) and Tourism Santa Fe (santafe.org). Please like on us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PecosNHPnpsor Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pecos_nps).

Park Offers Special Geology Walks

Park Events

Pecos, NM: – Join park volunteer and career geologist Laura Reich for monthly geology walks at Pecos National Historical Park this spring. This one mile roundtrip walk along the main trail will introduce the landforms, geological concepts, and rocks that influenced why people settled or traveled through the Upper Pecos River Valley.

These free programs will take place on the following Sundays from 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: February 17, March 10, and April 28. Visitors are advised to dress appropriately for the weather, bring water, and apply sunscreen in advance.

For more information contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241.