Bayard, NM — In honor of Earth Day, community members are invited to roll up their sleeves and join in a Trail Clean-Up & Earth Day Celebration on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM followed by a free volunteer dinner. Volunteers of all ages are welcome to meet at the Bayard Community Center to help clean up a nearby trail while enjoying community spirit, fun, and a free dinner!
The clean-up event is a collaboration between Frontier Food Hub (a program of the National Center for Frontier Communities), Heart of the Gila, New Mexico Wild, and the Bayard Public Library / City of Bayard.
Volunteers will focus on cleaning the well-traveled trail that runs from Bayard Elementary, behind the Bayard Police Station, to the vacant lot where Frontier Food Hub is re-establishing the Bayard Community Garden. This trail holds special significance for the community, as Bayard Elementary students will soon be using it for regular field trips to the garden—a vital, coming soon resource for hands-on learning, food education, and environmental stewardship.
"I feel very passionate about cleaning up this trail because I used to walk it often when I attended Bayard Elementary" said Elysha Montoya, Mining District Organizer for the Frontier Food Hub. "It is important to me to make a safe and accessible pathway for our youth and to connect them to a community space that will grow both food and knowledge."
"I grew up in Bayard and went to school at Bayard Elementary." said Cindy "Renee" Provencio, Head Librarian at Bayard Public Library. "It means a lot to me to be a part of this collaboration to clean up the path to the community garden for our elementary students. Growing food was a skill that so many of our ancestors had and that knowledge is waiting to be reclaimed, and I am grateful for the work that Elysha and Frontier Food Hub and other organizations are doing to help our community reclaim that knowledge."
After the work is done, all volunteers are invited to enjoy a free community dinner to celebrate Earth Day and community.
What to bring: sturdy shoes, a water bottle, friends and family with plenty of community spirit! Trash bags, gloves and food and drinks will be provided.
Event Details:
What: Trail Clean-Up & Earth Day Celebration
When: Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Where: Meet at Bayard Community Center for clean-up of trail starting at Bayard Elementary and ending at the future site of the Frontier Food Hub Community Garden
Dinner: Free volunteer meal provided at the conclusion of the event. Although it is not required to participate, email Luke Koenig at
For more information, contact: Bayard Public Library
575-537-6244
