Tularosa sits at the western edge of the Sacramento Mountains, about a fifteen minute drive away.
Personally, I´ve only been out there a handful of times, but I did write my travel story for journalism school on it years ago. I think it’s a pretty cute place, and it definitely has a lot of potential for business ventures, particularly with all that farmland. As of the last census in 2020, the population sits at about 2,533.
Along the main street into the village, St. Francis Drive, there are several buildings dedicated to daily functions: the travel center, Loredo’s Bakery, St. Francis de Paula parish, the fire station.
As we drove further, we rounded the corner right behind the village hall to reveal one of the cutest, most finely-manicured parks I’ve seen in this area in a long time!
Named James Vigil Park, it features plenty of shaded areas to escape the heat, picnic tables, a gorgeous plant-lined gazebo, playground equipment, and grills. And hopefully, in a small, hidden-away pocket of land, seven+ thriving garden beds and cooking classes if Greg Gutierrez has anything to say about it.
In March of this year, Gutierrez approached Courtney McCary-Squyres about how to get a garden going in his community as well. After all, inflation and food insecurity affects most of our neighbors as much as it affects us here within city limits, despite how small (and in theory, manageable) these communities are. Luckily, the village hall approved the project fairly quickly, and community members from both Tularosa and Alamogordo installed the garden beds, donated by Keep Tularosa Beautiful, late that August.
For the Tularosa community garden, soil was donated and delivered by the local initiative 100% Otero, and the seeds and plants were donated by nearby retailers Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Bonnie Plants.
I remember when I visited for my travel story mumble, mumble years ago, I was very nervous, because I wasn’t sure exactly what would come of it. No offense meant, but Tularosa only really had a handful of attractions to the area back then. Happily, my travel story turned more into a straight story about how local businesses and officials were trying to develop the area and attract new business. All of that to say I know it’s been an issue for a while, and I can see why the village hall was so eager to approve the garden project.
St Francis may not be ¨downtown¨ Tularosa (that would encompass Granado St.), but the efforts to improve not just the business district in the village, but also the natural spaces is very impressive. Please forgive me if I undersold James Vigil Park, but maybe you should take the opportunity to see for yourself! Flower beds and things like a native plant garden would only enhance its beauty, and hopefully draw in more community members to socialize, garden, send their kids to play, walk their dogs, ensure a meal for their family…
On top of this, Gutierrez, and pretty much anyone who has spent any time at the four gardens around the county, can attest that a main function of the projects associated with the Public Land for Food campaign is bringing these communities together in a hopefully far-reaching common goal that we can all feel proud of: ¨to create food security locally,¨ and to take care of each other in what smalls ways we can.
Thursday I will continue to focus on the location in Tularosa, future plans for the village, and more, hopefully closer to noon because I won´t be watering the Maryland location.
Until then,
Salud!
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