Bear Canyon WMA closes weekdays starting Oct. 5 for sediment work

Bear Canyon Wildlife Management Area near Mimbres will be off limits on weekdays. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Oct. 1, 2026, that temporary weekday closures start Oct. 5 so crews can run heavy equipment on a post-wildfire sediment project.

Monday through Thursday the area is closed to all public access. Friday through Sunday it stays open for regular recreational use. The department said the split is meant to keep visitors off the site while equipment is working and still leave a weekend window. The closure is expected to last through the end of 2026, with regular access projected to resume in January 2027.

The project temporarily captures and holds sediment moving through the watershed after wildfire. Visitors are asked to follow posted signs. The department’s Bear Canyon wildlife-area sheet lists year-round fishing in Bear Canyon Reservoir for stocked rainbow trout and some warmwater species, so the weekday closure takes that access with it until the work wraps up.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish — Bear Canyon Wildlife Management Area to Implement Weekday Closures for Mitigation Work (Oct. 1, 2026). Release text also carried by Grant County Beat.