L Bar H Ranch

December 12, 2024

In a fitting end to the 100-year anniversary of the Gila Wilderness, the New Mexico Land Conservancy recently protected 1,260 acres along the San Francisco River near Alma—a landscape surrounded by the Gila National Forest. Conservation of the L Bar H Ranch contributes to an interconnected system of protected lands known as the “Greater Gila Ecoregion”—a concept pioneered by visionary conservationist Aldo Leopold during his time in New Mexico.

“Thinking in terms of ecoregion conservation helps create linkages across landscapes, enabling wildlife and plant species to migrate, adapt, and flourish” said Jonathan Hayden, Executive Director of the New Mexico Land Conservancy. “The protection of L Bar H Ranch is a great example of putting Leopold’s ideas into practice, protecting a critical stretch of the San Francisco River that is surrounded by the Gila National Forest.” By connecting landscapes and preventing the fragmentation of habitat, conservation efforts can protect more than just land they can help ecosystems and watersheds survive and thrive.

Situated on over four miles of the San Franciso River and Deep Creek, much of L Bar H Ranch is susceptible to development into residential housing or ranchettes, so protecting this critical parcel ensures areas that are important to water quality and ecosystem function will not be degraded with the construction of subdivisions and their associated roads, power lines, and septic systems.