Ute Lake to host inaugural Outdoor Day event on July 29
The Ute Lake shoreline near Logan is shown in an undated photo. A lawsuit seeks to block a portion of a pipeline that would tap water from the lake for communities in eastern New Mexico.
The inaugural Outdoor Day at Ute Lake State Park could potentially serve as a gateway to a lifetime of activities.
That, at least in theory, is the hope of Tucumcari District game warden Larramy Roberts, who is the driving force behind the debut of the event.
鈥淭here鈥檚 been a few other outdoor days around the state that other officers have put on,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淛ust seeing the success they鈥檝e had with it and getting involved with the communities 鈥� I just (went) to the Tucumcari District and I wanted to bring something like that to the district. I thought, 鈥榃hat better way than an Outdoor Day?鈥� 鈥�
The Ute Lake Outdoor Day will take place on Saturday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be numerous activities on site, including the Poach Coach, pellet gun trailer, casting demonstrations, wildlife identification presentation, archery and a water safety presentation by New Mexico State Parks. Many of those are geared to catch the attention of the younger audience.
鈥淲e want them to come and be around game wardens,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淎nd then hopefully hook a lot of those younger generations for hunting and fishing in the future.鈥�
While some of the options are self-explanatory, others, such as the Poach Coach, might not be as well known. That鈥檚 OK, because education is one of the primary goals of the event.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a trailer that (New Mexico Department of) Game & Fish has put together,鈥� Roberts explained. 鈥淚t highlights what conservation officers do. It has some wildlife and things that we鈥檝e seized during cases 鈥� more just to highlight and show that sportsman dollars are being put to good use and game wardens are out there detecting violations.鈥�
Multiple officers will be in attendance to guide visitors through the respective activities. Some stations, like the pellet gun trailer and archery, will be hands-on. Others are more focused on presentation and demonstration.
鈥淚 guess you could call it a free-for-all,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淵ou show up and walk around the event. You can go station to station at your own pace, participate as you would like to.鈥�
Roberts hopes that Outdoor Day can become a regular occurrence at Ute Lake, with donor contributions helping to set up cookouts and other activities as it continues to grow. For now, he is planning a raffle to give away fishing equipment to one lucky attendee.
鈥淲e want to see how this year goes and hopefully grow off of that,鈥� he said. 鈥溾�� This year is our test run.鈥�
Ute Lake holds appeal behind the inaugural Outdoor Day. At nearly 13 miles long, it鈥檚 one of the longest lakes in New Mexico, and there鈥檚 plenty of room for boating, camping, fishing, swimming and hiking. According to Roberts, it鈥檚 the perfect opportunity for a quick getaway.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e got any interest in hunting and fishing, it鈥檒l be a chance to hang out with your local conservation officers, get to know them,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淥nce you鈥檙e done with Outdoor Day, you could take your family swimming, check out the local marina, local restaurants. Logan鈥檚 a pretty cool little community just to hang out for the weekend and take a little vacation with your family.鈥�
