reviewING OUR accomplishMENTS and SETTING priorities for the future
On a warm and sunny morning in late June, representatives from the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Stewards Guild, and other Collaborative partners gathered in the Cibola County Community Room in Grants, NM to reconnect in-person, revisit the Collaborative's accomplishments over the past 10+ years, and discuss priorities for ongoing and future land stewardship in the Zuni Mountains landscape.
Over coffee and homemade scones, around 20 attendees introduced themselves and chatted, many who hadn’t seen one another in-person since the start of the pandemic. They talked about where the past few years have taken them, what work has been accomplished on the landscape, and what challenges they have faced, before looking towards the future.
District Ranger Yolynda Begay addresses all attendees to kick off the day.
Mt. Taylor District Ranger Yolynda Begay led a discussion about new funding sources and ongoing and planned project work on Forest Service land. As was made evident time and again throughout the day, the success of this Collaborative is built not just upon the hard work and resources of this federal agency, but upon the funding leveraged by collaborators, the restoration work done by non-federal partners on non-federal lands, and a general commitment to foster the ecological and social health of this landscape across jurisdictional, political, and financial boundaries.
Eytan of the Forest Stewards Guild reviews existing CFLRP project boundaries.
The meeting was held as hybrid virtual/in-person, allowing attendees online to interact with attendees in the room.
Some highlights of the day included celebration of significant incoming federal funding, the green light on the Zuni Mountains CFLRP extension proposal, lots of new trail construction, wetlands restoration, ancestral crews getting back out after a long pandemic-prompted hiatus, and a recommitment by the Collaborative to do good work together. Attendees broke out into smaller groups to discuss priorities for ecological and socioeconomic monitoring - whose goal is to understand how our work impacts ecosystems and communities - and to share opportunities to bring in new partners and support.
The day was wrapped up with a sobering yet important reminder that a changing climate means changing environmental conditions - these lands are hotter, drier, and more prone to disease and extreme wildfire than ever before. We all recognize that, moving forward, these changes will impact our ability to achieve forest restoration and resiliency safely and effectively.
It was truly wonderful to be together again and we look forward to the next time. Until then, please take a moment to read through the meeting’s Executive Summary or view the full document by clicking on the photo to the left. If you’re itching to get involved with the Collaborative this summer, please consider helping to restore Shush Ken Fen by volunteering for a pipe fence construction project happening the week of August 22nd! Details and sign-up information may be found on the ZMC events page.
Be well and we’ll see you in the woods,
Rachel