Aldos Silver City • Entered by Marcia Stout on March 2, 2023
Gila Wilderness Centennial Planning
February 13, 2023 – February 28, 2023
Participants and Hours
| Pre Planning hours | |
| Post Admin hours | |
| Activity Hours | 4 |
| Participants | 2 |
| Total Hours | 8 |
Key Issue: Wilderness & Monument Designation/Protection
Activity Type: Broadband Meeting (prep, implementation & follow up)
Key Partners: Gila National Forest and various wilderness/ environmental organizations
Landscape/area: Gila Wilderness (559040 acres)
Short Description of Activity
The Centennial Celebration of Gila Wilderness designation will be next year. (This was the first designated wilderness area, 40 years before the Wilderness Act was enacted.) Planning for this key centennial celebration has begun and we aim to participate. Our Broadband co-leaders actively participated in an initial Zoom session with various wilderness / environmental organizations and Gila Natl. Forest staff to learn more about initial plans, themes and goals. We then met with other Aldo’s broadband steering committee members to brainstorm ideas on how we might be involved. We would like to offer a Broadwork or Broadwalk, or combination around the centennial next year, hopefully dovetailing it in with other events as well. Co-leaders also attended a monthly centennial planning virtual meeting which addressed working groups. Our discussions / planning will continue.
Reflection/Evaluation
Lots of good discussion and enthusiasm at our brainstorming session, with focus at the end looking toward a Broadwork or Broadwalk. We still need to determine if/ to what extent we can be actively involved in an ongoing working group, such as the Centennial Trail or other group. We know we need to get help from other members in addition to co-leaders but feel there will be enthusiasm to get involved, plus important support from GOBW office / staff.