Earth Works Institute

Galisteo Watershed Restoration Project

In 1998, Earth Works Institute (EWI) launched a multi-year, watershed-wide initiative for the ecological restoration of the Galisteo Watershed. This project grew out of four years of experiments and studies on the application of permaculture and land restoration techniques on the Earth Works Institute Demonstration Ranch, east of Cerrillos. The goal of the Galisteo Watershed Restoration Project (GWRP, 1998-2005) has been to develop a working landscape in the Galisteo Watershed that reflects people’s sense of stewardship and caring for the land. The project emphasized the rehabilitation of ecological processes and functions to enable landowners and communities to continue using the land in a productive and care giving manner.

In the past ten years, the project followed five implementation strategies:

• Community organizing and collaboration
• Collaborative partnerships
• Demonstration areas of pilot restoration projects
• Education and outreach
• Economic incentives

Community Organizing and Collaboration
EWI hosted numerous community meetings to get a sense of community needs, interests and concerns about ecological health and community well-being in the watershed area. The meetings helped formulate new projects and led eventually to the establishment of the Galisteo Watershed Partnership in 2005. Also in 2005, EWI and community partners presented an updated version of the Galisteo Watershed Restoration Action Strategy. This document presented an overview of ecological problems and proposed solutions. Some of the proposed solutions included the establishment of the Galisteo Watershed Partnership, the development of a project called Planning for Wetlands in the Galisteo Watershed,  and the development of a “green infrastructure” and open space prioritization plan for the watershed. Additionally, in 2007 and 2008, EWI spearheaded the Watershed-Wise Communities Initiative, which led to Community Stewardship Teams in Galisteo and Eldorado. In the last few years, community members, landowners, local government agencies, schools, and partner organizations have been learning collaboratively, which leads to new actions for a healthy watershed.

Collaborative Partnerships
The GWRP’s accomplishments have been the result of many different partners working together. EWI has built strong partnerships between landowners, area schools, government agencies, community groups, and conservation organizations. Each project under the GWRP features its own task-oriented partnerships, while the over-arching partnership is reached in the Galisteo Watershed Partnership (GWP) and the GWP’s working groups.

Demonstration areas of pilot restoration projects
EWI established many different pilot restoration projects across various neighborhoods throughout the Galisteo Watershed. Demonstration areas include forest lands, neighborhoods and communities along the Galisteo Creek, and private or public open space areas with significant wetlands or springs.

Education and Outreach
EWI made great efforts to restore people’s connection to the land and grow a stewardship ethic in local communities through educational outreach to landowners and in area schools. EWI held numerous workshops for lay people and professionals on a spectrum of bio-technical watershed restoration techniques. EWI also included landowners and students in field monitoring to gauge the effect of restoration work. EWI partnered with schools to bring kids out in the wild to experience nature and get a sense of locally appropriate land stewardship work. Age groups spanned from fourth to twelfth grade as well as college students. Students from the University of New Mexico have conducted field studies in association with the GWRP from 2000 until the present.

Economic Incentives
Restoration of ecological processes and functions in a working landscape means that it is essential to protect and increase the economic values of land and its resources. Little is known, however, about the monetary values of specific ecological processes in this region. Yet, the GWRP has sought to find and protect leverage points, such as homes, roads, wells, and other objects of economic value. Additionally, we have worked with the Santa Fe Conservation Trust to encourage landowners to place conservation easements on their land for permanent protection of landscape amenities. The protection and restoration of Galisteo Watershed’s stunning scenic beauty attracts people as residents and visitors, and serves the State’s movie picture industry, ranches, artists, and many other sectors of our economy.

The GWRP received financial support from:

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the authority of the Clean Water Action (Section 319(h)) and distributed and managed by the New Mexico Environment Department Surface Water Quality Bureau
• The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Partners for Wildlife Program
• The U.S. Forest Service – Community Wildfire Preparedness Education and Planning
• The Five Star Restoration Fund Program (managed by the National Association of Counties)
• The McCune Charitable Foundation
• Many private landowners and individuals

The GWRP includes a series of spin-off initiatives that will be described in separate web pages.

Planning for Wetlands in the Galisteo Watershed

The Galisteo Watershed Restoration Action Strategy of 2005 suggested the development of a project that would study the wetland in the Galisteo Watershed and propose a strategy for their rehabilitation. The project Planning for Wetlands in the Galisteo Watershed (2004-2008) includes:

• The integration of wetland planning and protection in local and state watershed-scale management of natural resources and land use planning activities
• An assessment of contemporary and historical natural wetlands
• A Wetlands Action Plan that describes the functions and values of the wetlands in the Galisteo Watershed, a prioritization for wetland rehabilitation, and an overview of future rehabilitation steps and funding opportunities
• The implementation of two pilot demonstration restoration sites
• Community education about the importance of restoring wetlands in the area

The project was made possible through a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant managed through the New Mexico Environment Department Surface Water Quality Bureau – Wetlands Section. EWI received additional in-kind support from landowners, Santa Fe County, conservation groups, and schools.

The project generated and/or influenced a large suite of spin-off initiatives, such as:

• A springs and wetlands restoration project in the Cerrillos Hills State Park, which is a Santa Fe County Open Space Area, with funding from the Santa Fe County Open Space and Trails Division
• Several springs and wetlands restoration projects on the Galisteo Basin Preserve, a program of the Commonweal Conservancy of Santa Fe, with funding from the Santa Fe Conservation Trust, Commonweal Conservancy and the State of New Mexico River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative
  Wetland protection and saltcedar treatment in the Galisteo Dam reservoir by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Wetland and wet meadow restoration on the 3-Horse Ranch between Galisteo and Cerrillos
• Wetland and stream protection in and around the Village of Galisteo
• Expanded wetland protection and restoration and trail management in the Eldorado Wilderness
• Planned stream and wetland restoration in the community of Valencia along I-25 east of Santa Fe, the Arroyo Hondo (Santa Fe County) Open Space wetland, the Las Carrizales springs and wetland in La Cienega (Santa Fe County Open Space), and in the San Marcos Arroyo on both sides of State Highway 14.

The Hogan Project: Developing Small Diameter Utilization and Stewardship Capacity in Navajo Communities

• Hogan construction training and demonstration projects in the Torreon and Ojo Encino Chapters and in Pine Hill on the Ramah Navajo Reservation.
• With funding from the U.S. Forest Service Collaborative Forest Restoration Program.
• Duration: 2003-2008.

Galisteo Watershed Conservation Initiative (GWCI)

• Pilot restoration and conservation project in the Galisteo Basin Preserve.
• With funding from the State of New Mexico (2004 Legislative Appropriation) through the Santa Fe Conservation Trust and Commonweal Conservancy.
• Duration: 2005-2008.

Reading the New Mexico Landscape: Watershed Awareness Signs

• To make people aware of our streams, the watersheds that feed them, and the divides that separate our watersheds, several land and water management organizations and government agencies have teamed up to develop a unique awareness program in New Mexico.
• As part of this watershed awareness program, this partnership of institutions has produced a series of road-side signs that indicate stream crossings and watershed entrance points on divides.

Increasing Riparian and Wetland Health in the Galisteo Creek Watershed

• Restoration projects at the Galisteo Spring and Arroyo de los Angeles in the Galisteo Basin Preserve and at the Finger Lakes on the 3-Horse Ranch.
• With funding from the State of New Mexico (River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative) through the New Mexico Environment Department – Surface Water Quality Bureau.
• Duration: 2007-2010.

Comprehensive Wetland Restoration and Protection in Santa Fe County

• Restoration projects at the Santa Fe County Arroyo Hondo and in the San Marcos Arroyo, west of Highway 14.
• With funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the New Mexico Environment Department – Surface Water Quality Bureau, Wetlands Program.
• Duration: 2007-2010.

Wetland and Spring Restoration in the Cerrillos Hills, Santa Fe County

• Restoration projects of several spring-fed arroyo wetlands in the Cerrillos Hills State Park (Santa Fe County Open Space property).
• With funding from Santa Fe County.
• Duration: 2007-2009.

Arroyo de los Chamisos – Adopt-an-Arroyo Pilot Project

• Coordination of community organizing and mobilization for stewardship support to the City of Santa Fe’s Adopt-an-Arroyo Pilot Project for the Arroyo de los Chamisos in Santa Fe, and assessment, design, training of City staff and supervision of a pilot restoration project in the Arroyo de los Chamisos between Camino Carlos Rey and Avenida de las Campanas.
• With funding from the Santa Fe Community Foundation and the City of Santa Fe and in-kind support from local businesses.
• Duration 2007-2008.

Restoration of the Arroyo de los Pinos at Museum Hill

• Site assessment, design, and supervision of implementation of channel restoration work in the headwaters of the Arroyo de los Pinos at Museum Hill. Property of the City of Santa Fe at the location of the planned Santa Fe Botanical Garden. Also, planning and implementation of community workshops on erosion control and woodland rehabilitation.
• With funding from Santa Fe Botanical Garden
• Duration: 2005-ongoing.

Landscape Restoration of the Building Site of the Academy Center, Seton Village

• Site assessment, design and supervision of implementation of comprehensive site restoration work in conjunction with the construction of the Academy Center, the headquarters of the Academy for the Love of Learning.
• With funding from the Academy for the Love of Learning.
• Duration: 2005-ongoing.

Landscape Planning and Rehabilitation of the Building Site of the Querencia Conference Center, Cerrillos

• Site assessment, design and supervision of implementation of driveway improvements, stormwater runoff systems, and comprehensive site restoration work in conjunction with the construction of the Querencia Conference Center.
• With funding from Catherine Salveson and Karen Keeney.
• Duration: 2005-ongoing.

Landscape Planning and Rehabilitation of the Upper Padre Springs Area, Glorieta Mesa

• Site assessment, design and supervision of implementation of rural road improvements, stormwater runoff systems, and comprehensive woodland and grassland restoration work, in conjunction with establishing an environmental stewardship team in the neighborhood.
• With funding from Brad and Kathleen Holian.
• Duration: 2006-ongoing.

Gully and Erosion Control in a Multi-Jurisdictional Forest Restoration Project

• Site assessment, design, and supervision of gully and erosion control work as part of a multi-jurisdictional, collaborative forest restoration project in the vicinity of Truchas and Chamisal, New Mexico, in collaboration with Forest Guild.
• With funding from Forest Guild (U.S. Forest Service Collaborative Forest Restoration Program).
• Duration: 2007-2010.