Elephant Butte Lake State Park (EBLSP) is happy to announce its third lecture series. Beginning November 16, 2022, and ending March 15, 2023, this season promises to be the best yet, and it’s free. This year the park has expanded its offerings to nine, yes, nine fascinating sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat lectures that will have you talking around the water cooler or bar stool for days afterward. Here’s the rundown of who and what to expect, so mark your calendars! All approximately hour-long presentations are every two weeks on Wednesdays, 6 PM.
Kicking off the series is John Johanek, an avid recreational birder 
for 50 years. There’s great birding on and near the lake, and John can tell you not only what birds you’re looking at but also the best places to go to see them, and when.
NMSU research scientist Dr. Holly Brause is on the agenda for 
November 30, to speak about our most precious resource—water. Elephant Butte Lake’s water provides recreation but even more important, irrigation for agriculture. Holly will discuss the dam’s role in growing cotton, pecans, and our famous Hatch chilies, as well as the depletion and conservation of this liquid necessity.
Another NMSU alum, Dr. David DuBois, is an expert on weather, a topic rarely ignored in any conversation in Sierra County: monsoon, drought, flash floods, heat, and wind, wind, wind. Mark December 14 as the night you find out all you wanted to know about our incredible weather.
After a break for the holidays, on January 4, local historian Dimid Hayes—known for his engaging walking tours of T or C—expands on the history of Truth or Consequences, including how it got its eyebrow-raising name. From gentle notables to local lowlife, Dimid knows it all and loves to share that knowledge.
“Pre-Hispanic Copper Artifacts Recovered from the Gila National Forest—Mimbres Area of Southwestern, New Mexico” is the official title of the January 18 presentation. Many of us are familiar with the name Mimbres, which brings to mind some of the most amazing pottery imaginable, but of course there’s more, and Chris Adams, archaeologist, Gila National Forest, has made this ancient culture his specialty.
On February 1 we’re treated to more-recent history, this time of Elephant Butte Lake Dam, presented by dam historian Will Dooley. Like all series presenters, Will welcomes questions from the audience; he’ll also invite you to visit the Damsite Visitor Center, where he has proudly displayed museum-quality photos and memorabilia.
Park ranger Austin Wilson is a fan of things that creep and slither: tarantulas, snakes, scorpions, and things we didn’t even know existed. Austin’s past lecture on mammals of the butte was standing room only, and this one on February 15 will be no exception.
Park Manager Chris Bolen knows 
more about what’s in and on the lake than anyone. He tells of freshwater jellyfish and guarantees they’re real. But what else is in this body of water? Come on March 1 and find out.
As a tradition, Music of Our Ancestors will close the season. Feel free to tap your feet and maybe even sing along to Mario Portillo, who will play guitar and croon Mexican folk songs, and Harold Dick, who performs songs of his native Apache heritage. Don Hallock has been added to this year’s lineup to play his guitar and belt out old-time tunes. A good time is pretty much guaranteed. Note that this program could run a bit longer depending on encores.
Past lectures have seen more than 100 attendees, and even during the worst of COVID, 75 people wasn’t unheard of. Crowd capacity outgrew the training room, so most lectures have been moved next door to the heated boat garage, which allows safe COVID seating. All presentations begin at 6 PM, every other Wednesday. In addition to the schedule listed here, more detailed individual notices of the next lecture will be posted on this site and around the community. So get off the couch, put away your phones, and broaden your mind at the EBLSP third lecture series—don’t miss a single one.