At the end of March, The Taos Land Trust reached out to fans via Facebook for input on its ambassador project. “Listen to morning bird sounds at Taos Land Trust’s Rio Fernando property. We will be asking for your input on how this 20 acre property next to Baca Park can best serve our community with healthful walking trails, restored wetlands and agriculture. Let us know if you want to be involved.”

Kristina Ortez de Jones, executive director of The Taos Land Trust, photographed on the Trust's newest acquisition, a 20-acre property on La Posta.

Kristina Ortez de Jones, executive director of The Taos Land Trust, photographed on the Trust’s newest acquisition, a 20-acre property on La Posta. Photo: The Taos News

For this land trust partner, a communication such as this is no pretense. A real dialog with local residents and stakeholders is fundamental to achieving a deliberate conservation goal: conserving open, productive and natural lands for the benefit of the people and the culture of the area.

In support of this commitment to community conservation, The Taos Ski Valley Foundation, affiliate of Louis Bacon’s Moore Charitable Foundation recently provided the critical funding needed to the Taos Land Trust to engage the diverse communities of Taos to define cooperative conservation outcomes and create a plan for the Rio Fernando Preserve. Through community focus groups and interviews, the Taos Land Trust will create a strategic visioning document that will serve as the blueprint for developing the property, purchased a year ago this month, for community and conservation use. This research will also guide the Taos County Community Conservation Plan and the Enchanted Circle Trails Plan, a collaborative project with the Trust for Public Land.

Read more about Taos Land Trust.