How We Took Root
In the late 1980s, a quiet crisis unfolded in Taos, New Mexico. A beloved stretch of open land was lost when its owners faced steep inheritance taxes. Forced to sell, the family watched as decades of stewardship slipped away. This loss galvanized a group of local visionaries to act, sparking the creation of the Taos Land Trust (TLT) in 1988, the first land trust in New Mexico.
With a dream to protect Northern New Mexico’s land, water, and cultural heritage through education, advocacy, and conservation, our founders championed voluntary conservation easements, a tool allowing families to retain ownership while safeguarding land from development. In 1991, novelist Frank Waters and his wife Barbara stepped forward, donating TLT’s first easement of 8 acres bordering Taos Pueblo, the first ever conservation easement in New Mexico
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The Story Continues
By the 2000s, TLT’s impact grew. We partnered with Trust for Public Land to donate nearly 17,000 acres of public lands for conservation to the Bureau of Land Management. In 2009, TLT acquired the 22-acre Rio Hondo Fishing Park and is playing a pivotal role in establishing the Red Clay Trail Cultural and Traditional Access Easement, ensuring permanent access for Taos Pueblo to ancestral routes.
Our policy advocacy helped shape state conservation laws and ensured tax incentives reached low-income families. Notably in 2007, we successfully advocated for New Mexico’s transferable conservation tax credit system through legislative reforms aimed to incentivize private landowners to protect ecologically and culturally significant lands by making conservation easements more financially viable.
Growing Through Collaboration
Rio Fernando Park was purchased in late 2015, encompassing 20 acres adjacent to Fred Baca Park. The park’s 7 acres of wetlands and adjacent Rio Fernando River were severely degraded and our restoration efforts, including replanting native vegetation and reestablishing natural river channels, have revived habitats for beavers, migratory birds, and fish. Additionally, we restored 13 acres of fallow farmland, reintroducing traditional irrigation via the Vigil y Romo Acequia (reopened in 2019 after 40 years of disuse). Today, Rio Fernando Park is a vital part of our community and mission.
In 2019, we created Working Lands Resiliency Initiative to tackle the big challenges facing Taos’ farmlands like development, climate change, and losing younger generations. We’re teaming up with legal experts, policymakers, and locals to protect our 400-year-old farming traditions through conservation easements, equipment sharing, and mentorship programs.
A Legacy of Stewardship
Now an accredited member of the Land Trust Alliance, TLT has safeguarded over 25,000 acres—from high-desert vistas to working farms. We balance rigorous standards with creative solutions while addressing food insecurity, restoring vital ecosystems like the Rio Fernando watershed, and fostering “land literacy” through youth programs that connect new generations to their natural heritage.
Yet the heart of our story remains rooted. We’re doing more than saving land, we’re sustaining a way of life. Whether through conservation, education, or advocacy, TLT weaves a future where the “Land of Enchantment” thrives in partnership with those who call it home. Every acre protected is a testament to the power of collective care—a promise that Northern New Mexico’s landscapes and cultures will endure for generations yet to come.
Join the Story
Today, the Taos Land Trust continues to write new chapters. From that first easement to today’s exciting projects, TLT proves that conservation grows from community. You are a vital part of our work. We’re not a faceless nonprofit. We’re your neighbors, the ones weeding beds at the community garden or teaching teens to map wetlands. That’s why 100% of your gift stays right here, rippling through our community. Donate today and become a part of our story.