10/16/2026
The recent rains in northern New Mexico were intense, and at the Wells Petroglyph Preserve on Mesa Prieta, erosion brought down a few boulders. A couple with petroglyphs on them.
We're heartbroken. When a petroglyph boulder falls, we lose the context: exactly where it sat on the landscape and its relationship to the place around it.
Because of our previous documentation work at this spot, not all of that context is gone. These boulders were recorded. But we could have done better, and with your help, we can.
Earlier this summer, with support from the NM Outdoor Recreation Division Trails Plus grant, the Summer Youth Intern Program, and New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors ,we started erosion control in some spots on the preserve, and it is holding. Grasses are growing where we reseeded, and the soil is staying put. There is much more to do before the next big rainy season.
Water has always shaped this landscape, and it always will. But heavy downpours in the Southwest are becoming more intense, and the ground here needs help handling them. Your support lets us keep working with the land through preservation, documentation, and education. Please donate to the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project today.
https://www.mesaprietapetroglyphs.org/ways-to-donate.html
