Eight years ago, Franky DeAngelis pointed to a map and his finger landed on New Mexico. “I just got in my van and drove there and went out on the Rio Grande Bridge and looked into the Rio Grande,” he said. That’s when he knew his next home would be New Mexico.
Photo courtesy of Franky DeAngelis
Now, this Guardian lives in Silver City, a vibrant town on the edge of the Gila National Forest.
An artist and a radical, Franky did not expect to get involved in the fight for the Wild parts of the Southwest. But, as he fell more and more in love with the wild lands of New Mexico, and explored the backroads of the Gila, he began to realize the beautiful landscape was under threat from mining development.
He recalls driving with a friend to the ghost town of Mogollon: “There’s a real wild winding road through the mountains that gets there, no guardrails. There’s one turn where there’s a mirror in case another car is coming down. The road is so thin.”
“A few months after that,” Franky told me, “I saw a letter in the Silver City Daily Press from a gentleman that lived in Mogollon talking about how a mining company called Summa Silver was test drilling in that area. I read that letter and I was in shock.”
That’s when Franky started working with WildEarth Guardians to defend the wild places at the heart of New Mexico. Since he first became aware of the Summa Silver mining efforts in the edge of the Gila Wilderness, Franky has discovered more and more about the deep history of Nde benah (the name for these traditional Apache homelands) and has learned much from two Chiricahua Apache leaders.
Lightning over Gila National Forest (Nde benah). Photo courtesy of Franky DeAngelis
One of Franky’s biggest passions is lightning photography, which he describes as a spiritual connection to lightning. And in New Mexico, the monsoon brings a season of lightning. You can find Franky out on the Lordsburg Playa many nights capturing lightning bolts. His fascination with lightning is a key part of his awe of the power of wild forces, and the cycles of regeneration on national forest lands that accompany wildfire.
“One of my favorite spots is Emory Pass in what’s called the Black Range” he shared. “And much of it had burned about a decade ago. And it’s all coming back and that gives me hope. It’s greening up again. Animals are back since it got scarred and burned and it’s beautifully regenerating.”
To Franky, Guardians has an edge as a grassroots, fierce, even in-your-face force for nature. He recently became a standing declarant for Guardians’ legal cases to ensure the Bureau of Land Management takes the environment into consideration, rather than solely focusing on mineral extraction, timber, grazing, and other exploits.
“What inspires me to be a Guardian,” Franky said, “is that I love New Mexico and I love the Southwest. I can’t even believe how much I love it. And so I want to protect it.”
What gives Franky hope? “Being out in the wild and seeing it,” he said. “And also seeing how it bounces back.”
Stay in touch! Follow Franky on Instagram @frankydeangelisart.
Lordsburg Playas Sunset. Photo courtesy of Franky DeAngelis
