BLM National Public Lands Day tradition continues in Roswell, New Mexico

Oct 7, 2026

The Oxbow Day Use Area’s beach next to the Pecos River. Photo BLM.

In Roswell, it wouldn’t be National Public Lands Day without the members of Girl Scout Troop 18044. They have shown up consistently for more than 25 years to help the Bureau of Land Management with a variety of cleanup events.

This year they helped the BLM on Sept. 12 at the Oxbow Day Use Area, where they filled the beds of two pickup trucks with trash.

Members of Girl Scouts Troop 18044 try to pull a large piece of trash from under a tree during a National Public Lands Day cleanup event at the Bureau of Land Management Roswell Field Office’s Oxbow Day Use Area on Sept. 12. BLM Photo.

Michael McGee, a hydrologist for the BLM’s Roswell Field Office, has helped organize the annual National Public Lands Day cleanup event for about 20 years. He invites Troop 18044 every year, he said, because the event is a good way for troop leaders to teach the importance of keeping public lands clean.

Cheryl Martinez, troop leader of Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest Troop 18044, said she has lost count of how many times the troop has participated in the event, but it is more than 25 times.

Members of Girl Scouts Troop 18044 and a parent pick up trash during a National Public Lands Day cleanup event at the Bureau of Land Management Roswell Field Office’s Oxbow Day Use Area on Sept. 12. BLM Photo.

“It’s an amazing way for the girls to learn that they need to take care of the area around them and participate in as much community service as they possibly can as kids, so as adults they’ll do it too,” Martinez said.

Blake Ingram, an outdoor recreation planner for the BLM’s Roswell Field Office, has helped with the events for 10 years. As an outdoor recreation planner, he is familiar with the importance of teaching Leave No Trace principles.

Members of Girl Scouts Troop 18044 and their parents pick up trash during a National Public Lands Day cleanup event at the Bureau of Land Management Roswell Field Office’s Oxbow Day Use Area on Sept. 12. BLM Photo.

“It is always important to follow Leave No Trace guidelines when visiting your public lands,” Ingram said. “The philosophy of ‘take only pictures and/or memories, leave only footprints’ goes a long way in protecting your natural resources.”

The group of 14 Girl Scouts, parents and troop leaders concentrated on picking up a part of the day-use area next to the Pecos River.

Blake Ingram, left, an outdoor recreation planner for the Bureau of Land Management Roswell Field Office, and a Girl Scout Troop 18044 parent pick up trash during a National Public Lands Day cleanup event at the Bureau of Land Management Roswell Field Office’s Oxbow Day Use Area on Sept. 12. BLM Photo.

“What a hidden gem,” Helen Cheromiah, assistant troop leader, said in amazement when she saw the beach area next to the river. A line of trees and other vegetation hides most of it from view until visitors are right on top of it.

The Roswell Field Office acquired the 240-acre parcel of land next to the river about a year ago and is in the process of developing it for a variety of recreation uses that include fishing, kayaking, and bird watching.

Cheryl Martinez, troop leader of Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest Troop 18044, places trash in the back of a pickup truck during a National Public Lands Day cleanup event at the Bureau of Land Management Roswell Field Office’s Oxbow Day Use Area on Sept. 12. BLM Photo.

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest, single-day, volunteer event for public lands. Held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, the event brings together thousands of volunteers to help restore and improve public lands around the country.