New Mexico Magazine

07/11/2025

Since opening in August 2015, Oso Grill has become more than a place to eat—it’s a source of local pride, a culinary destination, and the village’s de facto living room. “People walk in and go from table to table,” says Brian, a longtime restaurant manager. “Everybody knows everybody.”

Best known as the birthplace of Smokey Bear, Capitán has become a pilgrimage site for green chile cheeseburger lovers.

07/10/2025

Who lives here? 📍
Across 25,000 ecologically diverse acres, Bitter Lake draws 357 migratory bird species—avocet, 20 types of ducks, and sandhill cranes—as well as a menagerie of other creatures, from majestic gray wolves and tiny Roswell springsnails to the Pecos pupfish that inhabit its many gypsum sinkholes.

💡Did you know? Bitter Lake’s wetlands host over 100 species of dragonflies and damselflies each summer.

Read more: https://www.newmexicomagazine.org/blog/post/wildlife-refuges-new-mexico/

Photograph by Christina Selby.

07/10/2025

Wetlands boost biodiversity, resist burning during wildfires, filter contaminants, and, crucially, bolster streamflows through the hottest, driest summer months for communities and farms downstream. They function like a high-elevation reservoir with a slow leak. But over centuries, wetlands have been dredged and drained; damaged by logging, mining, and oversized wildfires; and chopped to pieces by grazing cattle, sheep, and elk hooves. Now, wetlands cover just 0.6 percent of New Mexico’s land and face increased threats by a hotter, drier Southwest.

See how wetlands restoration is helping fish, elk, ranchers, and water quality in northern New Mexico.

07/09/2025

No one can say for certain who was the first to slap green chile and cheese on a hamburger. (We CAN say that this person was a genius.) Most experts agree that the Original Owl Bar & Café, in tiny San Antonio, New Mexico, has one of the most convincing arguments for being the first to sell them. 🍔

How New Mexico became the undisputed champion of the green chile cheeseburger.

07/09/2025

Did you know? 🐏
New Mexico is home to Rocky Mountain and desert bighorn sheep, often seen near the Río Grande Gorge Bridge. Conservation efforts are helping their numbers grow.

Discover more wildlife across New Mexico: nmmag.us/wildlife

Photograph by Minesh Bacrania.

07/08/2025

GIVEAWAY ALERT! We’re teaming up with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale to give YOU a chance to win tickets to one of their incredible summer performances in Santa Fe! ⁠Three lucky winners will each receive 2 tickets and get to choose which concert they’d like to attend! ⁠Plus, we are throwing in a 2026 Route 66 Calendar for FREE!
⁠
📌 Head over to our Instagram page and click on the first pinned post for details on how to enter: https://www.instagram.com/newmexicomag

07/08/2025

Did you know? 🐟
The Rìo Grande cutthroat trout, with its bright scales and dark spots, is a descendant of Pacific salmon stranded in New Mexico rivers during the last Ice Age.

Check out more about New Mexico’s wildlife: nmmag.us/wildlife

Photograph courtesy of New Mexico Game & Fish.

07/07/2025

Did you know? 🐻
About 8,000-9,000 black bears live in New Mexico, often near streams in the northern mountains. If you see one, stay calm, wave your arms, and back away slowly.

📸: Andre, a six-month-old black bear cub, was photographed for Randal Ford’s "Animal Kingdom."

Learn more about the wildlife you can find in New Mexico: nmmag.us/wildlife

07/07/2025

Did you know? 🐍
The Western diamondback rattlesnake can grow up to six feet long and plays a key role in controlling rodent populations in New Mexico. It will rattle to let you know you’re too close. Remember: it doesn’t want trouble, it just wants personal space.

Discover more about wildlife in New Mexico: nmmag.us/wildlife

Photograph courtesy of Adobe Stock/Dennis Donohue.

07/07/2025

Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? 👀

Our July Wildlife issue is packed with stories, photos, and expert tips for spotting New Mexico’s wild residents…without getting this close!

Find it on newsstands now, or subscribe at nmmag.us/subscribe.

Video courtesy of The Holliens.

07/07/2025

Ready for your next New Mexico adventure? The New Mexico True Adventure Guide is packed with road trip ideas, outdoor escapes, hidden trails, and can't-miss stops across the state. Start exploring! 🔗 https://www.newmexico.org/plan/guide/

07/06/2025

Did you know? 💡
Tens of thousands of sandhill cranes visit New Mexico each fall, stopping along the Río Grande during their migration. These five-foot-tall giants can cover 400 miles a day in flight!

Learn more about New Mexico's wildlife here: https://nmmag.us/wildlife

Photograph by Pam Dorner.