Find out how you can get involved at Eagle Nest Lake - with the help of some Friends

Due to a lack of cooperative weather, the year didn’t begin exactly as planned for Friends of Eagle Nest Lake and Cimarron Canyon State Parks.

Approximately two weeks prior to the event, the group announced that the Saturday, Jan. 25, ice fishing tournament would be canceled “because of insufficient ice formation on Eagle Nest Lake.” According to Friends vice president Scott Tousley, it’s the first time since 2017 that the event hasn’t gone forward as planned.

Find out how you can get involved at Eagle Nest Lake - with the help of some Friends

“Last year, we had over 750 people register with at least about 1,500 people on the ice,” Tousley said. “That’s a lot of people. The ice has got to be strong.”

There was at least some consideration in regards to rescheduling the event, but other competing tournaments in the region could diminish the turnout.

“Ice fishing’s growing in popularity right now,” Tousley said. “We’re getting a lot of people from Albuquerque that come up and fish (in the tournament) … So it’s growing. Up in Colorado, it’s become huge. You know, a guy could fish in an ice tournament every single weekend during ice fishing season. It’s almost like a circuit.”

For now, those who want to go ice fishing in New Mexico will have to wait until the conditions on the lake are ideal. Even without the tournament, Tousley says, there are an average of 40 to 50 people ice fishing on the lake daily during the season, which usually runs from January until late February or early March.

However, one setback won’t slow down the Friends’ overall mission in the months to come. According to its website, Friends of Eagle Nest Lake and Cimarron Canyon State Parks “is a group of volunteers assisting with events/activities that enhance and promote park use at Eagle Nest Lake and Cimarron Canyon State Parks.” Members are typically outdoor aficionados who are willing to devote their time to ensure that local resources will be available for the next generation. Those who wish to join the Friends are required to complete a membership agreement that includes a documentation of volunteer hours as well as in $40 annual dues. (Lifetime membership is available for $500).

Entrance fees for events such as the aforementioned ice fishing tournament go primarily toward prize money, but another percentage is set aside to help the parks in a variety of ways. That can be anything from purchasing weed killer to obtaining firewood to helping buy a snowplow.

“Just anything the park possibly needs that’s not in the budget, we supply,” Tousley said. “It is vital for our community.”

Throughout the year, Friends hosts a number of activities for both children and adults. These include interpretive programs, clean-up days and trail maintenance and development, among other things. The upcoming schedule can be found at friendsofeaglenestlake.org.

The next scheduled activity is a spring clean up day — held in conjunction with Enchanted Circle Trout Unlimited — at Cimarron River and Eagle Nest Lake on May 3. According to the Friends website, “trash bags, trash buckets, trash picker tools and orange safety vests will be provided.”

Meanwhile, the next large-scale fishing tournament, the Children’s Fishing Derby, will be held on May 10 for kids ages 3 to 11 at the Gravel Pit Lakes in Maverick Campground at Cimarron Canyon State Park.

“That’s a huge event, too,” Tousley said. “We have over 100 kids that come to it. We receive quite a bit of donations from the community, also.”

Overall, it’s about those with a love for the outdoors coming together for a good cause.

People up here, they’re gonna be outdoors,” Tousley said. “It doesn’t matter what the weather is. They’re gonna go for it.”