Statement from The Nature Conservancy and Flower Hill Institute on Forest Legacy Grant Award

Today the USDA Forest Service awarded a Forest Legacy grant to the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.  This award will help fund a unique and exciting project in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Flower Hill Institute, and a coalition of Tribes. Through the purchase of the Dawson Elk Valley Ranch, the partners are working on a plan for conservation and Tribal co-management that will expand a mosaic of conserved lands that extend from New Mexico through the Southern High Plains of Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas

Terry Sullivan, New Mexico State Director for The Nature Conservancy:

“We are thrilled to see the Forest Legacy grant awarded to our partners at the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. We have been working together, along with the Flower Hill Institute, to develop an innovative plan that will protect and transform the future of the Dawson Elk Valley Ranch, a critically important parcel of forested lands in northern New Mexico.

“The large-scale conservation, restoration and land stewardship opportunities provided by the purchase and protection of the Dawson Elk Valley Ranch are incredibly important for the future of this landscape and for the people and nature that depend on it. The diversity of wildlife on the property is exceptional, including eight endangered species, 24 threatened species and a large herd of elk as well as a portion of the Vermejo River, a tributary to the Canadian River, which provides clean water supply for hundreds of thousands of people.

“The vision for the larger project, being funded partially through this grant, also includes a plan for Tribal co-management, which is an especially exciting piece of this project. I’m heartened by these collaborative efforts as I believe they are truly the type of tangible and lasting conservation solutions we need for the future of New Mexico.”

Roger Fragua (Jemez Pueblo), Co-founder & Executive Director:

“This is a truly historic moment. This project will create opportunities for participating Tribes to reconnect with each other, reconnect with ancestral land, and perhaps most importantly, strengthen the connections between themselves and microbes, pollinators, finned, winged and four legged beings. At the Flower Hill Institute, we are grateful to be partnering with The State Of New Mexico, the U.S. Forest Service, and The Nature Conservancy to ensure Tribaly led collaborative management of this property. This is a progressive new model that can serve as a blueprint for future projects.”

About Flower Hill Institute: Flower Hill Institute is an Indigenous-led nonprofit dedicated to supporting the resilience of Tribal Nations. Since 2015, Flower Hill has worked closely with Tribal Leadership and their communities to provide complex problem-solving support and direct technical assistance on the most pressing issues facing Indigenous communities across the United States.