This past weekend marked the third anniversary of the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument. It comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order reviewing national monuments of 100,000 acres or more that were designated as far back as 1996.
Since the designation of the monument, some Las Cruces-area businesses say they have found opportunities to get creative with new brands and expand.
On a weekday morning at Beck’s Coffee in a historic part of Las Cruces; people are catching up with one another, and working on their laptops as co-owner, Tyrell Thacker, tells us about his shop’s Organ Mountain Desert Peaks blend.
“It’s a nice medium to dark blend, very rich and robust, real nice-chocolaty finish. It’s got some great artwork for the label from Wayne Suggs…the wonderful photo of the Organ Mountains,” says Thacker.
Thacker owns Beck’s with his wife, Arianna Parsons. He says he two came up with the idea to support efforts to get the local monument designated.
“We kind of came out with it actually, just for the push to become a national monument, but it’s done so well, that we’ve just kept it around. It’s one of our regulars now,” says Thacker.
The monument has not only inspired a new coffee blend, but also local fashion.
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Chris Lang sells shirts and hats at the Farmers Market in downtown Las Cruces; he and his wife Kerry own and operate Organ Mountain Outfitters, a clothing company.
Lang says that the business is growing and soon will open a storefront in downtown Las Cruces. He says he saw opportunity for the outfitting company once the monument was designated.
“I think the inspiration probably did come right after the designation of the Organ Mountains as a national monument, and you know we saw an opportunity to really build a community and build a culture, and pride among Las Crucens here,” says Lang.
Lang says that he wants the brand to also promote outdoor living and give back to the community by making a donation to the Las Cruces Public Schools after each shirt is sold.
“We just thought to ourselves, what better way to align ourselves with those that are on the reduced lunch program at Las Cruces Public Schools, and so what we do is we take two dollars of every shirt sold and we give the to the Las Cruces Public Schools for the children on the reduced lunch program,” says Lang.
Business has been good for Organ Mountain Outfitters; the company is expanding. Lang says they plan to open a storefront soon in downtown Las Cruces that he says he hopes can house not only clothing but also provide an outlet for local artists and musicians.
His company has recently decided to support the protection of the monument with a new shirt that displays a hiker and the phrase “Stand With Our Land,” along with a supportive hashtag that reads “Monuments for all.” Lang says proceeds from the t-shirt sales will go to support efforts to keep the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument as is. It’s an effort that Ben Gabriel, Executive Director of Friends of the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks says helps reach a different demographic that his organization may not usually interact with.
“Organ Mountain Outfitters has really stepped up to the plate to connect with their base, which is younger people that we typically as an organization haven’t been able to reach out to,” says Gabriel.
Gabriel says that the monument is changing the local economy by offering businesses better branding and other opportunities.
“The real estate agents were hearing lots of positive stories about marketing 15 minutes from Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks. We have doctors that are moving here, because they see a quality of life that wasn’t here before,” says Gabriel.
Quality of life is what David Crider; co-owner Southwest Expeditions says has helped his recreational business thrive. The company offers tours that help people explore parts of the monument.
“It’s grown; we’ve seen our business increase just because of that. We’ve been doing more tours and request for tours. We have an online presence; Facebook presence, and we are getting very positive responses,” says Crider.
Those positive responses have enabled these three local businesses to thrive, thanks to what they say has been made possible with the designation of the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument.
