Getting to know you
If these NM state parks aren’t already familiar to you, then you should see what you’re missing
Learning to fish can be a lifelong activity, and fishing is one of the most popular activities at Portales’ Oasis State Park. “We usually have around 50 to 70 kids or so,” said Ray Drake, Oasis superintendent, of the park’s Nov. 3 Kids Fishin’ Clinic. “It’s more of an education-type of deal for the kids. They have about eight different stations that they go through.”
The budding anglers learn everything from ethics and conservation to fish identification to fly-fishing and casting.
“It gets the kids out here, and they come in with a parent, so it’s a good family activity,” Drake said. “They get to learn about fishing and get more involved in the outdoors. They do some casting, what to do and how to clean the fish. It gets them outdoors. Anymore, there are a lot of indoor activities.”
Volunteers from the Eastern New Mexico University Wildlife Club help with the outing, as do the Friends of Oasis and the retired senior volunteer program of Portales. The local Veterans of Foreign Wars donated about $1,000, so that each child gets some kind of prize. The Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife donated 25 new rods and reels to supplement the gear provided by the other organizations. Participants must preregister by calling 575-356-5331.
Oasis State Park is centered on a 3-acre pond that is up to 8 feet deep, Drake said. Its water is pumped from nearby wells.
The park is rife with wildlife, including deer, quail and waterfowl.
“We even had a kingfisher out here last week,” Drake said.
Oliver Lee Memorial State Park,
outside Alamogordo, is steeped in history with a re-creation of a late1800s ranch house on site.
Park personnel give tours every weekend, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays, said Kate German, park superintendent.
“The ranch house was rebuilt from ruins,” she said. “It is a really good example of the type of residence that ranchers would have been living in the turn of the (19th) century. Southeast New Mexico has a really rich ranching history, but this is about the only example in the area that you can get in to see.”
The tours take about an hour and include a history of the area and a bit about Oliver Lee and his family. The home is decorated in period furniture, and there are many items on display that were uncovered during the excavation of the home, German said.
Horse tack, doorknobs, pieces of eyeglasses and children’s toys such as dominoes, little metal train cars and a china doll highlight some of the finds on display.
The park will be hosting its final star party of the season on Nov. 10, with an in-depth study of the constellation Cassiopeia. Also see the Andromeda galaxy, the closest to our Milky Way. See several colorful double stars, along with the mysterious Double Cluster. A waxing crescent moon will be highlighted against the western sky shortly after sunset.
Oliver Lee also serves as the trailhead for the popular Dog Canyon Trail, which rises 3,100 feet over the course of 5.5 miles into the Lincoln National Forest.
The trail is “a really intense climb,” German said. “You get amazing views looking over the Tularosa Basin all the way to White Sands. You don’t have to go very far to get good views, because it goes up 600 feet in the first half-mile.”
Sumner Lake State Park is a quiet retreat centered on the lake.
“We have families that come here with their kids and older, retired people who just like to hang out and have a good time in a quiet environment,” said Amanda Stinson, park superintendent. “We’re considered a destination lake because we’re not off one of the main roads and not really a big lake, but when you come out here, you come out specifically for the lake.”
Popular for personal watercraft riders and kayakers, the lake has been become a leader in kayak fishing tournaments with several each summer.
Fishing is popular with largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, catfish, crappie and bluegill, she said.
Santa Rosa Lake State Park has one of the state’s largest lakes, and many species of waterfowl and other birds visit during migratory seasons.
About 5.5 miles of hiking and equestrian trails meander along the shorelines, and there are several wildlifeviewing blinds throughout the park.