La Poza Grande Airstrip

The closure was likely due to a combination of factors rather than a single event. The primary reasons are believed to be:
1. **Economic Obsolescence:** The airstrip primarily served local agricultural interests (ejidos). As agricultural practices changed and transportation logistics consolidated, the need for a small, private dirt strip diminished.
2. **Consolidation of Services:** The proximity of the larger and better-equipped Ciudad Constitución Airport (MMDA / CUA) made small, unpaved strips like La Poza Grande redundant for general aviation and business transport.
3. **Government Security Initiatives:** During the late 1990s and 2000s, the Mexican government and military actively worked to close and disable remote, unsupervised airstrips across the country to prevent their use for illicit activities, particularly drug trafficking. Many such strips were rendered unusable by having trenches dug across them, though La Poza Grande appears to have been abandoned rather than actively destroyed.

The site is completely abandoned and non-operational. Satellite imagery confirms that the former dirt runway is no longer maintained. It is heavily weathered, overgrown with desert scrub and vegetation, and bisected by faint farm tracks. There are no remaining aviation infrastructure, such as hangars, lighting, or terminal buildings. The land has effectively reverted to the surrounding agricultural and desert landscape and is indistinguishable from adjacent fields from the ground.

La Poza Grande Airstrip was never a commercial airport. Its significance was purely local and utilitarian. It served as a private/utility airfield for the agricultural community of the Ejido La Poza Grande in the Santo Domingo Valley, a major agricultural region in Baja California Sur. Its primary operations would have included:
- **Crop Dusting (Fumigación Aérea):** Supporting the large-scale farming in the valley.
- **General Aviation:** Used by light aircraft for transporting ranch owners, managers, parts, or high-value supplies.
- **Logistical Support:** Providing quick access to a relatively remote agricultural area before road infrastructure was fully developed.
It was a typical example of the many 'ranch strips' that dotted rural Mexico in the mid-to-late 20th century, essential for the local economy before being superseded by modern infrastructure.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening La Poza Grande Airstrip. The airstrip is considered permanently closed and obsolete. Any regional aviation needs are adequately met by Ciudad Constitución Airport, which has paved runways, fuel services, and official oversight. The cost to clear, regrade, and certify the old strip for any modern use would be prohibitive and without any economic or logistical justification.