Growing for Our Community – Thank YOU for Making 2020 Possible!

Friends,

The uncertainties of 2020 inspired us to take a long look at how Taos Land Trust could protect not just the land and water of northern New Mexico, but also our neighbors, our children, and our elders. We saw immediate needs that TLT had the power to address, and the results of our work in 2020 have been truly remarkable, thanks to your feedback and support. Here’s a look at how you helped make happen:

Because of climate-conscious supporters like you, we created an affordable equipment leasing program for local farmers to use a brand-new no-till seeder, supporting healthy soil and regenerative agriculture.

DONATE ONLINE HERE

Because of your hard-working kids, we doubled our gardening space this year! We hired 10 Youth Conservation Corps members and created a partnership with Vista Grande High School to begin our Emerging Young Farmers program. We increased food production at Rio Fernando Park by 500% from 2019. Hundreds of pounds of fresh produce grown by our youth were delivered to Vista Grande families, Shared Table and St. James and Questa Food Pantries.

Because you also support Taos Community Foundation, we received a grant from TCF to work directly with the community to foster food security by building and giving away—for free—80 planting-ready garden boxes complete with soil, a built-in irrigation system and choice of seeds. These boxes reached 250+ community members and over 150 children facing food insecurity in Taos.

WE ALSO:

• • Continued to protect 8,000 acres of land in New Mexico, and created 2 more conservation easements in Taos, including Not Forgotten Outreach’s property across from Cid’s. This land will be protected from development forever;
  • Expanded our Healthy Soils work and other educational programs and shared what we’ve learned with the public via free webinars;
  • Improved existing trails at the park, removed more invasive trees from the river-side forest and wetlands and planted 150 indigenous saplings and shrubs, and
  • Kept the park open whenever possible, as a place for Taoseños to get exercise, sunshine, and much-needed quiet time in nature during this psychologically and emotionally challenging time.

Your support, combined with this once-in-a-lifetime situation, gave us the impetus to do more than we’ve ever done.

A NEW SEASON IS COMING

A challenging year lies ahead. Your tax-deductible gift not only helps us continue to protect the places we love, it also helps educate our children and protect the people we love by creating a sustainable culture of food security.

• $150 provides a Taos County family valuable gardening space to grow food for years, through our garden box program.
• $2,500 can bring 10 acres of agricultural land back into production, using regenerative agricultural techniques. Your automatic monthly donation of $30 can enable local farmers to use our no-till seeder for free.
• $89 will help us pay our utilities for a month.

You can easily donate online here, or mail a check to Taos Land Trust, PO Box 376, Taos, NM 87571. We’re happy to chat with you, so give us a call at 575-751-3138 or email us at info@taoslandtrust.org.

Por la tierra,

TheTaos Land Trust team