Silver in the Rust Silver City Shines as a Gateway to the CDT

By L Fisher (they/them) CDTC Director of Trail Programs & CDTC

From time immemorial, the region where the boundaries of modern-day southern New Mexico, southern Arizona, and northern Mexico meet has been a convergence point for landscape connectivity, migration, and diffusion for wildlife, water, weather, and humans. Nestled in this hub of activity, the town of Silver City reflects the surrounding ecology and is influenced by a dynamic landscape and converging cultures.

One of the more recent changes in the evolution of Silver City is the designation of the town as the CDT’s first Gateway Community in 2014, which paved the way for other community-led stewardship of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT). Silver City has been a collaborative partner in connection with the CDT, a role model for future Gateway Communities, and an innovative space for the intersection of recreation and conservation along the Divide. After a decade of official Gateway Community status, Silver City remains a place where the way of life and the landscape meet is evident from mainstreet to mountaintop.

A Brief History of Silver City

At 6,142 ft of elevation, Silver City and the surrounding communities in Grant County are amongst one of the most geographically unique and biodiverse

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landscapes in the world, on the boundaries between the Chihuahuan Desert and the Sky Islands. The combination of open, arid desert and lush, forested mountains provides an ideal habitat and migratory pathway for plants and wildlife. Over half of the migrating bird species in North America move through the area. The Sky Islands Region also connects the subtropical Sierra Madre of Mexico and the temperate Rocky Mountains of the U.S. and provides a glimpse into the incredible biodiversity– lowland deserts to high-elevation alpine areas– within only a few miles. Community-led groups like the Sky Island Alliance have led the way in educating visitors and locals on the significance of the biodiversity hotspot surrounding Silver City and the importance of protecting those lands and waters for the health and vitality of plants, animals, and humans.

The unique mix of wildlife and plant life has made the region an ideal home for humans throughout history, and it is the ancestral home of many Indigenous people, such as the Fort Sill Chiricahua Warm Spring Apache Nation. Vital water sources like the Gila River and the tributaries in the Great Gila Watershed sustain humans, plants, and wildlife in this landscape. Though it is often misrecognized as inhospitable and empty by outsiders, the area has been thriving with life for generations upon generations.

In the shadow of the Continental Divide, the Gila River is one of the longest rivers in the West and stretches over 500 miles from its headwaters on the Divide toward the Colorado River. The Gila River is one of the last free-flowing rivers in the West, and it provides critical river and riparian habitat for wildlife such as the Gila River trout, Montezuma quail, Gila woodpecker, Mexican Grey wolf, and the Gila monster. Recent efforts like the Gila Wild and Scenic Campaign, supported by New Mexico Congressional delegation members Senator Martin Heinrich and Representative Gabe Vasquez, recognize the importance of a freeflowing Gila for preserving the health of the landscape and the way of life in Silver City and throughout southwest New Mexico.

Silver City was founded in 1878 and resides on a site that has been home to Hispanic and Anglo settlers for generations and Indigenous people since time immemorial. The landscape holds a complex history, and Western expansion of industry and trade led to rapid growth in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The introduction of the railroad increased opportunities for those moving West, leading to an explosion of mining in the area as well as ranching and agriculture that continues to contribute to the livelihood of Silver City and the surrounding communities of Hurley, Santa Clara, Bayard, and Tyrone.

Many towns across the West that are rooted in traditions of mining, timber, agriculture, and ranching have sought new opportunities. Silver City has led the way in finding a balance between development and natural, open space, and the area is home to the first designated Wilderness in the world. The Gila Wilderness was designated in 1924– predating the Wilderness Act by forty years– and celebrates its 100th year in 2024. Stewards of the Gila Wilderness and locals across southwest New Mexico commemorate this important centennial milestone and envision the next 100 years in the Gila. Silver City, the CDT’s first Gateway Community, also celebrates the tenth anniversary of its designation. These two achievements, though separated by decades, highlight how Silver City remains at the forefront of leadership to preserve these important lands, waters, and trails, and tell the story of where life meets the landscape.

A Gateway to the CDT

The Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) was established in 2012, and one of the first priorities was connecting with communities along the CDT. While trail organizations along the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail had been working with trail stewards for decades, the model that worked on these sister trails might not be the best fit for the Continental Divide. The landscapes are more varied and rugged on the Divide, and the people are unique in their histories with the land, water, and way of life in the Rocky Mountain West. CDTC leadership believed that the work to shape long-term community support had to be done differently, and it had to be led by the communities who had lived in the landscape for generations.

The year after CDTC was founded, Executive Director and co-founder of CDTC Teresa Martinez received a call from Nancy Cliff, a member of the Silver City Greenways Committee, about the CDTC Gateway Community Program. In October 2013, Teresa traveled to meet with Cliff and members of the Silver City Greenway Committee in Silver City to discuss the possibility of designation. The trip was made in collaboration with Cate Bradley, who at the time was the National Park Service’s Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance program lead for working with the Greenway Committee. They also visited Hachita, the most southern community in Grant County. Cate and Teresa met with members of the Hachita Community Center Board and discussed the possibility of operating a southern terminus shuttle out of the Hachita Community Center. Those visits were the first of a series of conversations that

“I’m still not 100% sure what being a Gateway Community entails, but when I have welcomed hikers and bikers to our lovely town and the magnificent region where we reside it feels like we are hosting courageous and adventurous newfound family members who are determined and strong and relentless heroes in a sense. Our dream is to be able to continue to assist the CDT travelers with more services and amenities, and to be known as a warm, friendly, loving, and helpful resting point along the trail. We want to be a positive and memorable part of their incredible adventures!”

- Kelly Johnson, Manager at the Murray Ryan Visitor Center

culminated in the designation of Silver City as a CDT Gateway Community the next year. The excitement and enthusiasm from those community leaders marked a significant milestone– one that would transform not just the CDT in the region, but Silver City and the CDTC.

A series of public meetings were held in Silver City in early 2014. Those in attendance at the first public meeting in January 2014 included local leaders from Silver City that CDTC had met with the year before, other community members, staff from Congressional offices like Senator Heinrich’s thenstaffer (now Congressman) Gabe Vasquez, partners like Backcountry Horsemen of America, local Trail Adopters, and the local VFW Chapter who were interested in supporting the 2014 Warrior Expeditions (then Hike) team starting the CDT in April of 2014. All participants were overwhelmingly supportive, highlighting the benefit for local hikers and equestrians seeking opportunities to enjoy and heal in the outdoors, the boost to local business from visitors and thru-travelers, and the continued preservation of the Greater-Gila Region along the Continental Divide.

On April 23, 2014, Silver City, New Mexico became the first Gateway Community of the CDT. The celebration marked the beginning of a new era of community-led stewardship along one of the most world-renowned long-distance trails. The designation also coincided with the launch of a shuttle program for the 2014 season, and the establishment in 2015 of the first CDT office in Silver City in the Murray Ryan Visitor’s Center, a Gateway Community Coordinator Americorps VISTA (with support from the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation), and the first Trail Days in 2015. CDTC’s Gateway Community program was first conceived to connect with and support communities along the CDT, and Silver City has celebrated this relationship with the trail ever since.

Every year since 2015, CDT Trail Days has marked the beginning of a new season of exploring the CDT. Though some years were virtual, Trail Days has remained a constant and a reminder of the joy of being outdoors in community with one another. The first Trail Days was hosted in ‘The Big Ditch’, the park along San Vicente Arroyo in downtown Silver City, and had 25 booths with around 250 people in attendance. Since that first year, Trail Days has continued to grow and has moved throughout Silver City, from the parking lot next to Morning Star Sports to the campus of Western New Mexico University, and in most recent years, to Gough Park. The growth of Trail Days has brought a diversity of activities to attract locals and visitors interested in the CDT in all its forms, including a speaker series, a short film festival, breakfast hosted by the Kiwanis Club, and tree cookies handed out by the U.S. Forest Service. Trail Days is a celebration of the breadth and depth of love for the CDT and the outdoors by all who participate.

Footsteps to a Shared Future

Since its Gateway Community designation in 2014, the town of Silver City and the surrounding community have been a model for how communities and partners can work together inspired by a love of a landscape. Using the CDT as the roots for this work, Silver City and other Gateway Communities have since demonstrated how the CDT can impact communities in times of transition to explore new benefits from the outdoors, support local livelihoods, and identify renewed value in the connectivity between person and place while sustaining the way of life for those who live in and love the West.

Community members and leaders, partners, CDT travelers, visitors, trail organizations, Tribes and Indigenous people, and others who love the CDT came together in Silver City to celebrate Trail Days and 10th anniversary as a Gateway Community in April. It is important to reflect on the past and envision the shared future of the landscape, the community, and the trail. The first of twenty-one Gateway Communities, Silver City opened the door for an untold number of communities to connect to the CDT and began a legacy of opening hearts and homes to those who love the trail. Much like the legacy of those who choose to explore the CDT, Silver City’s rising to the challenge of being the first is not something that happened alone or overnight. The ability to rise to that challenge happened in community and support–one step after another.

Then (since GC Designation in 2014)

Trail Promotion CDTC supports communities’ ability to identify needs for communicating information, access points, and planning materials for locals and visitors alike.

Now (celebrating 1 Decade of GC Status) The Future (What comes next?)

Murals completed by the Youth Mural Project in Downtown Silver City & the Kiosk at the Visitor Center tell the story of the CDT around Silver City.

Silver City tells the evolving story of the CDT through interpretive information, art, and different forms of media for visitors and locals to ensure the CDT experience is enjoyable and accessible to all.

CDT Trail Days Trail Days starts in the Big Ditch with 25 partner booths and 250 attendees.

Trail Days attracts thousands of attendees to nearly 100 partner booths and a range of activities.

The annual Trail Days celebration becomes a destination for the region, attracting locals and visitors to activities that highlight the breadth of interest in the CDT.

Shuttle Riders CDTC Shuttle launched on April 10 and went through May 5, 2024, and hosted 101 passengers.

Popularity of the CDT 100- 125 CDT hikers attempt the entire CDT, with hundreds enjoying the CDT for section-, overnight-, and day hikes.

500+ riders take the shuttle to the CDT Southern Terminus.

Approx. 1000+ CDT hikers and equestrians attempt the entire CDT, with thousands more enjoying the CDT for section-, overnight-, and day hikes

CDT Connectivity 85% Complete 96% Complete

CDT Signage Signage and information regarding the CDT is minimal and limited to a handful of major trailheads and access points

Gateway Community Ambassadors The Gateway Community Ambassador program did not yet exist.

Trail Stewardship

The CDT is signed in its entirety after the “Blaze the CDT” event in 2018

Cindy Provencio and Simon Sotelo III and become the first two community ambassadors for Silver City in 2018.

2 or 3 sections of the trail adopted in Grant County.

CDT Business Member The 1st Small Business Member comes from Silver City!

The entire section of the CDT around Silver City has been adopted.

The CDT Small Business Program has approx. 30+ members every year across the trail.

The Southern Terminus is accessible and sustains the impact of the growing number of CDT travelers.

The use of the CDT continues to grow and diversify, welcoming an ever-growing number of first time CDT travelers, new user groups, and even locals exploring the National Scenic Trail in their own backyard.

The CDT is complete, and connector trails provide access to locals and visitors alike to enjoy the Divide.

CDT kiosks and signage are up-to-date at every road crossing and access point

Silver City Gateway Community Ambassadors grows to include a diversity of local leaders!

Growing community-led stewardship on all CDT sections and connector trails inspires the next generation of CDT stewards.

Dozens of Silver City businesses engage with the CDT to boost the local economy and connect with CDT Travelers!