El Malpais National Conservation Area Ranger Station celebrates grand reopening

Story and photos by Darren Scott, Public Affairs Specialist

On May 6, BLM New Mexico’s El Malpais National Conservation Area Ranger Station, located near Grants, New Mexico, held a grand reopening ceremony which coincided with the 34th anniversary of El Malpais Day. Among the attendees were Pueblo of Acoma Governor Randall Vicente, BLM New Mexico State Director Melanie Barnes, BLM Albuquerque District Manager Sabrina Flores, BLM Rio Puerco Field Office Manager Kymm Gresset, and Barbara Romero, representing Congresswoman Yvette Herrell. All of them spoke during the ceremony about the importance of El Malpais.

Work to prepare for the reopening included repairing and repainting the interior and exterior, installing new flooring, updating the dormitory, replacing plumbing fixtures, installing a new energy efficient HVAC system, and repairing the fire alarm system. The remodel was completed in April 2021. A multi-year project for a new three-dimensional, interactive exhibit in the main atrium was also completed. The exhibit highlights important natural and cultural history, as well as resources of the El Malpais National Conservation Area. A new Junior Ranger booklet, Junior Ranger badge, and a new visitors’ guide were created thanks to interns, recreation staff, and a partnership with the Public Lands Interpretive Association. 

The El Malpais National Conservation Area was established in 1987 to protect nationally significant geological, archaeological, ecological, cultural, scenic, scientific, and wilderness resources surrounding the Zuni-Bandera volcanic field. The station is open to visitors Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For more than 10,000 years people have interacted with the El Malpais landscape. Historic and prehistoric sites provide connections to the past. More than mere artifacts, these cultural resources are kept alive by the spiritual and physical presence of contemporary Native American groups, including the Ramah Navajo and Puebloan peoples of Acoma, Laguna, and Zuni. These tribes continue their ancestral uses of El Malpais including gathering plant materials, paying respect, and renewing ties.