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Evan Chandler
Left to Right: Travis Clarke, Raena Kamakahi and Jonathan Hayden all say community engagement is crucial to their work, leading the organization to use its center of operations Petchesky Ranch for more public-facing purposes this fall.
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Evan Chandler
“We are looking to leverage this space as an opportunity,” Jonathan Hayden says, “for the surrounding area to recreate, to serve as a hub for environmental education and then also to provide this natural oasis.”
Just off Richards Avenue, a ranch house sits surrounded by green space. Tall grass sways in the breeze as the sun beams down on the property. On the roof, the occasional bobcat pokes its head out.
The space, now owned by the New Mexico Land Conservancy, once belonged to philanthropist and outdoor enthusiast Jane Petchesky, who donated the 262-acre property in 2009 in support of the organization’s mission.
The New Mexico Land Conservancy, founded in 2002, works to protect and monitor land for the benefit of wildlife and watersheds, and educates the public on conservation efforts. The Land Conservancy’s team often collaborates with private landowners throughout the state. Staff has used the ranch house as its center of operations since Petchesky’s donation, but now plans to use the space for more public-facing purposes starting in the fall, according to New Mexico Land Conservancy Development and Outreach Manager Travis Clarke.
“We certainly see community involvement as critical to our success,” Clarke tells SFR. “[Petchesky] was an incredibly strong supporter of New Mexico Land Conservancy’s vision for the future, so part of this is carrying out her legacy.”
The Land Conservancy will host an open house for the space from 5 to 8 pm on Sept. 5, followed by the soft launch of a speaker series to educate and engage the public on issues, Clarke says. A sunset hike of the trail on the property will begin at 7:15 pm that evening.
Feedback from the community during the speaker series, Clarke adds, “will help us in terms of the programming that we more specifically want to focus on.”
One new issue the group will surely tackle, Clarke notes, is the ongoing fight for open space on the city’s Southside.
“There’s a huge need. This has been identified as the fastest-growing part of the city for families and children,” Clarke says. “All the work we’ve done over the years has helped us gain institutional knowledge and relationships, and now we’re able to apply that to the city. We strongly believe these 262 acres and the Southside that’s been completely ignored has the potential to be a leader in conservation.”
The team will partner with the Santa Fe Community College and other conservation organizations in the city for the speaker series. New Mexico Land Conservancy Executive Director Jonathan Hayden, who took over the role in January, tells SFR the “environmental educational programming” will include interactive exhibits, community conversations and more.
“It’s taken a while for us to realize our vision, especially post-COVID, but now we’re trying to kind of refocus that vision and really capitalize on this space that we have,” Hayden says. “We are looking to leverage this space as an opportunity for the surrounding community to recreate, to serve as a hub for environmental education, and then also to provide this natural oasis and space for wildlife and natural vegetation that is becoming rare as Santa Fe expands.”
Residents have long pushed for preservation of open space on the Southside in light of new developments. For example, community members opposed a now-approved plan from Homewise to build 161 single-family houses, condos and townhomes on land that Santa Fe County purchased over two decades ago as part of its Open Space and Trails Program. Officials then sold the parcel in April 2022 without public meetings and without seeking approval from the Santa Fe County Open Lands, Trails and Parks Advisory Committee.
Clarke says while the intention is to engage the public about the organization’s work, it’s “blatantly clear” the Southside also benefits from the services they offer and the land they own.
“The fact this is happening in Santa Fe is really something for Santa Feans to be proud of, that there is such an emphasis on outdoor access and equity,” he says. “We are a leader nationwide in conservation issues, and we really want to share that and be able to expand that.”
The organization has a goal of conserving 1 million acres of land in New Mexico by 2030, and the team is on track to achieve it. With the recent completion of a conservation easement on Fite Ranch—which protected roughly 5,000 acres—the team exceeded 700,000 acres of total conservation work in the state.
New Mexico Land Conservancy Stewardship Manager Chantell Victorino started work with the organization in the summer of 2022 as an intern. In her current role, she visits land the organization has worked on and monitors it through photographs and documentation. Victorino is from Acoma Pueblo, and because of this, she tells SFR she views land as “a gift” and has been taught to “always help others.” She adds much of her work is speaking with landowners to determine goals, further underscoring the need for community engagement.
“I think that it’s important to continue to build these relationships, because we live in a place where our resources are going to continue to dwindle,” Victorino says. “If we don’t come together, and if we don’t find ways to work together in a healthy way and learn to communicate with each other, it’s only going to continue to separate us and create more barriers.”
Petchesky Conservation Center Open House: 5-8 pm Thursday, Sept. 5. New Mexico Land Conservancy, 5430 Richards Ave., (505) 986-3801
