Ute Lake to host inaugural Outdoor Day event on July 29

Jul. 23—The inaugural Outdoor Day at Ute Lake State Park could potentially serve as a gateway to a lifetime of activities. That, at least in theory, is the hope of Tucumcari District game warden Larramy Roberts, who is the driving force behind the debut of the event. "There's been a few other outdoor days around the state that other officers have put on," Roberts said. "Just seeing the success they've had with it and getting involved with the communities ... I just (went) to the Tucumcari District and I wanted to bring something like that to the district. I thought, 'What better way than an Outdoor Day?' " The Ute Lake Outdoor Day will take place on Saturday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be numerous activities on site, including the Poach Coach, pellet gun trailer, casting demonstrations, wildlife identification presentation, archery and a water safety presentation by New Mexico State Parks. Many of those are geared to catch the attention of the younger audience. "We want them to come and be around game wardens," Roberts said. "And then hopefully hook a lot of those younger generations for hunting and fishing in the future." While some of the options are self-explanatory, others, such as the Poach Coach, might not be as well known. That's OK, because education is one of the primary goals of the event. "It's a trailer that (New Mexico Department of) Game & Fish has put together," Roberts explained. "It highlights what conservation officers do. It has some wildlife and things that we've seized during cases — more just to highlight and show that sportsman dollars are being put to good use and game wardens are out there detecting violations." Multiple officers will be in attendance to guide visitors through the respective activities. Some stations, like the pellet gun trailer and archery, will be hands-on. Others are more focused on presentation and demonstration. "I guess you could call it a free-for-all," Roberts said. "You show up and walk around the event. You can go station to station at your own pace, participate as you would like to." Roberts hopes that Outdoor Day can become a regular occurrence at Ute Lake, with donor contributions helping to set up cookouts and other activities as it continues to grow. For now, he is planning a raffle to give away fishing equipment to one lucky attendee. "We want to see how this year goes and hopefully grow off of that," he said. "... This year is our test run." Ute Lake holds appeal behind the inaugural Outdoor Day. At nearly 13 miles long, it's one of the longest lakes in New Mexico, and there's plenty of room for boating, camping, fishing, swimming and hiking. According to Roberts, it's the perfect opportunity for a quick getaway. "If you've got any interest in hunting and fishing, it'll be a chance to hang out with your local conservation officers, get to know them," Roberts said. "Once you're done with Outdoor Day, you could take your family swimming, check out the local marina, local restaurants. Logan's a pretty cool little community just to hang out for the weekend and take a little vacation with your family."