The fifth annual Gila River Festival - planned in and around Silver City, September 17-20, 2009 - will celebrate Aldo Leopold, America's most influential conservationist, and his historical connection to the Gila River in southwest New Mexico.

The Gila River is the last New Mexico waterway without major dams or other significant water developments. From its headwaters in the spruce and pine forests in the Gila Wilderness Area, the river drops through a stunning series of canyons before reaching Cliff, Bill Evans Lake and Redrock and exiting New Mexico into Arizona. Periodic floods support a rich bosque of cottonwoods, willows, box-elders, sycamores and alders - which in turn support numerous songbirds, beaver and other wildlife.

The Gila River Festival is a regional celebration showcasing the Gila River in New Mexico and its surrounding watershed. A variety of indoor and outdoor educational activities will illustrate the many uses of the river, its surrounding habitat and the rich cultural history of the area.

"Water still flows over some areas of New Mexico almost as freely as it did centuries ago," said Michael Cerletti, secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department. "Fresh water is the shining beauty at the heart of our landscape and must be celebrated, protected and enjoyed. The Gila River Festival will give us the opportunity to honor both our heritage and our future."

The Festival will bring together experts, conservation leaders, authors, and scientists from many disciplines to foster an appreciation of Leopold. It will explore the importance of his conservation ethic to the protection of the Gila River, his influence on the creation of the National Wilderness Preservation System, his relationship to the wild places he loved, the enduring impact of his classic book, A Sand County Almanac, and the legacy of wildness he represents.

This year's Festival kicks off with an Aldo Leopold living history presentation by local actor Tim Evans. This chautauqua, performed in Silver City's historic Silco Theater, will feature anecdotes from Leopold's life and excerpts from his writings.

Other planned activities include an address by Dave Foreman on September 18. In 1998, Foreman was named by Audubon Magazine as one of the 100 Champions of Conservation of the 20th Century. Foreman will explore the connections between Leopold's conservation ethic and Gila River protection.

On September 19, the Silco Theater will present an Aldo Leopold film festival, presenting two films about Leopold's life, his writings, and his work on wilderness preservation. Local writer and fire lookout Philip Connors, whose essays have appeared in The Nation, Harper's, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications, will read from his forthcoming book, Lookout: Seasons of Fire in the World's First Wilderness, about his years spent in the Gila National Forest.

Some Festival events will occur along the Trail of the Mountain Spirits National Scenic Byway:

• September 17: A wildflower hike is planned where participants can delight in the display of wildflowers.
• September 18: Author Michael Robinson will lead an all-day field trip to the West Fork of the Gila River, discussing wolf extermination in the Gila and Leopold's epiphany on the role of predators in ecosystems.
• September 19: Gila National Forest Wilderness District Ranger Al Koss heads up a field trip at the Gila Cliff Dwellings and Gila Wilderness.

Additional field trips include an all-day hiking and fishing trip to the Gila River; two birding trips to the San Francisco and Gila Rivers; a natural history hike along the Gila River; and a Silver City trail tour.

Other activities are a gallery tour and reception in downtown Silver City, a presentation on the flora of the Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness Areas, kayak trips down the Gila River and special Saturday morning activities for the kids at the Silver City Farmers Market.

Ending the Festival September 20 will be a presentation by author Stephen Fox, who will discuss Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, published posthumously in 1949 and considered to be the most influential book in modern conservation.

The Upper Gila Watershed Alliance and the Gila Conservation Coalition are grateful to the Trail of the Mountain Spirits National Scenic Byway for its sponsorship of the event.

For more information about the Gila River Festival, call 575-538-8078 or visit gilaconservation.org For information about meals, lodging, hot springs and other businesses along the Trail of the Mountain Spirits National Scenic Byway, visit TMSByWay.com or silvercity.org