Gila National Forest March 31, 1979 Sandy Schemnitz and son took me for an all day cruise of the Gila. He set out at 6 AM for Silver City. Saw two coyotes trotting along together about 10 mi. East of Deming (along Highway 10) and a roadrunner 10 mi. NW of Deming along Highway 180. This is the first roadrunner I have seen. Six antelope were bedded down on an open grassy hill just next to Hurley (Kennecott Copper mine at melter). At Fort Bayard we met Larry Dingle, research biologist for NM Game and Fish Dept. He took me on a tour of his study area of 16 square miles - the Fort Bayard tract was operated by the Forest Service. This area has had no grazing for several decades and is magnificent. Dusty juniper juniper with fine stands of blue grama (and in some areas side oats grama) on openings. There were parks along streams with big cottonwoods and other hardwoods. Saw "the worlds largest alligator juniper" - 16th about 5 feet. Mountain mahogany everywhere, showing bronze but not excessive. Albolote of grey oak, some gambel oak. The area carries a lot of game - elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer (along bottoms), javelina, and wild turkey. Gambel quail and meadow quail locally. He saw a band of about a dozen elk (no recognizable bulls but their antlers are shed now) and three mule deer, one of which was a fine 4 points buck still carrying antlers.