Desert

SANTA FE, N.M. — A new conservation agreement will preserve land with breathtaking desert vistas that inspired the work of 20th century painter Georgia O’Keeffe and ensure visitors access to an adjacent educational retreat, several partners to the pact announced Tuesday.

Initial phases of the plan establish a conservation easement across about 10 square miles of land, owned by a charitable arm of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), on the outskirts of the village of Abiquiu.

That easement stretches across reservoir waterfront and native grasslands to the doorstep of a remote home owned by O’Keeffe’s estate, a few miles from her larger home and studio in Abiquiu. Both homes are outside the conservation area and owned and managed separately by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe.

The view from the rangeland should be familiar to even casual O’Keeffe afficionados — including desert washes, sandstone bluffs and the distant mountain silhouette of Cerro Pedernal.

“The stark colorful geology, the verdant grasslands going right down to the Chama River and Abiquiu lake — all that just makes it such a multifaceted place with tremendous conservation value,” said Jonathan Hayden, executive director of the New Mexico Land Conservancy that helped broker the conservation plan and will oversee easements.

Hayden said the voluntary plan guards against the potential encroachment of modern development that might subdivide and transform the property, though there are not any imminent proposals.

Land within an initial easement has been the backdrop to movie sets for decades, including a recreation of wartime Los Alamos in the hit 2024 film “Oppenheimer, ” on a temporary movie set that still stands.

The conservation agreement guarantees some continued access for film productions, as well as preserving traditional winter grazing for farmers who usher small herds down from the mountains as snow arrives.

The state of New Mexico is substantially underwriting the initiative though a trust created by state lawmakers in 2023.

An approved $920,000 state award is being set aside for easement surveys, transaction costs and a financial nest-egg that the Presbyterian Church Foundation will use — while retaining property ownership — to support programming at the adjacent Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center and its use of the conservation area.

The center attracts about 10,000 visitors a year to overnight spiritual, artistic and literary retreats for people of all faiths, with twice as many day visitors, said center CEO David Evans.

Two initial phases of the conservation plan are part of a broader plan to protect more than 30 square miles (78 square kilometers) of the area through conservation easements and public land transfers, with the support of at least one wildlife foundation. That would extend protections to the banks of the Chama River and preserve additional wildlife habitat.

Many Native American communities trace their ancestry to the area in northern New Mexico where O’Keeffe settled and explored the landscape in her work.

Lee writes for the Associated Press.

THE I’m A Celeb campmates have been tucking into camel, even gnawing on the odd hoof or two.

Well, I suppose there’s enough of the beasts Down Under, with 1.2million roaming the wild.

As hosts Ant and Dec told the reality contestants, there are more of the grumpy humps in Australia than in any other country in the world.

They are regarded as a menace there, destroying vegetation and fouling waterholes, but they were once treasured by Afghan traders.

They used them to carry goods across the outback — and the desert trail they used became the route of the famous tourist train, The Ghan, named in honour of the cameleers.

The 2,540ft-long train (that’s 77 London buses lined up) has 36 carriages and trundles along for 1,850 miles between Adelaide in South Australia to Darwin in the Northern Territory.

WAIL OF A TIME

I drove Irish Route 66 with deserted golden beaches and pirate-like islands

TEMPTED?

Tiny ‘Bali of Europe’ town with stunning beaches, €3 cocktails and £20 flights

It’s an amazing bucket-list trip — which my husband and I went on through Journey Beyond.

You can book two or three-night breaks with off-train experiences, do the marathon trip in reverse or go halfway to the town of Alice Springs.

Alice, the spiritual home of the Aboriginal people, is the gateway to the majestic MacDonnell ranges and the breathtaking phenomenon Uluru, or Ayers Rock.

My adventure began by taking Journey Beyond’s overland service from Melbourne to Adelaide, a comfortable ten-hour journey.

It got me into practice for 54 hours on The Ghan.

Uluru was our target, so we split the trip and hopped off at Alice, boarding a four-wheel coach to join an Outback Spirit tour.

For the next eight days, brilliant guides Glenn and Colin brought the area’s history to life through sensational sights, stories and songs.

Our group was a bit like the I’m A Celeb campmates — a bunch of all ages with bossy leaders and faithful followers.

We bonded on our first night, while tucking into juicy steaks and salmon and singing along to Waltzing Matilda at the Original Outback Bush Barbie.

We were up early the next day to visit nearby Simpsons Gap, where the blue sky peeps through rocks, creating beautiful reflections in the nearby watering hole, home to black-footed wallabies.

Alice to Uluru is about 300 miles so we broke the drive at Kings Canyon Resort.

Time for another early morning walk.

And the witchetty grub — often gulped down on I’m A Celeb, which has its final tonight — made an appearance. Fortunately, no Bushtucker Trial

But I chose not to do the 500 uneven steps to the top of the 330ft high canyon followed by four miles round the rim.

Instead, I opted for one-and-a-half miles through the creek on the canyon floor.

In true Bear Grylls style, we learned about bushtucker and medicines used for healing, at the Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Experience.

And the witchetty grub — often gulped down on I’m A Celeb, which has its final tonight — made an appearance. Fortunately, no Bushtucker Trial.

Finally it was time for Uluru itself.

The giant sandstone monolith rising from the scorched earth is staggering in size. At 1,142ft it’s taller than The Shard and twice as old as the dinosaurs.

What’s even more incredible, is that there’s another one and a half miles underground.

The name change from Ayers Rock was made in 2002 to show respect for the Anangu people and acknowledge their ownership of land.

Six years ago, visitors were banned from clambering up it.

But you can still walk or cycle round it, touch it in places, go into caves and peer through others to see Aboriginal rock art.

Besides Alice, The Ghan made two stop-offs.

The first was in Marla for a spectacular outback sunrise, accompanied by a bacon butty and coffee.

After a full-on expedition, we relaxed in 30C temperatures by the pool at the lovely Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade

And then in Katherine for a tranquil boat tour through the gorge to see crocodiles and rock art before The Ghan finally reached Darwin.

After a full-on expedition, we relaxed in 30C temperatures by the pool at the lovely Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade.

We explored the tropical city on the Timor Sea by taking the hop-on, hop-off Big Bus and visiting its brilliant museum and art gallery.

We also went to Mindil Beach market and the bustling waterfront.

But it was soon time to swap a train for a plane and head home.

Like the cameleers, our Australian outback adventure had, sadly, come and Ghan.