Ciudad SWCD’s Vision for the Mill Levy

Should constituents pass a Mill Levy referendum, Ciudad SWCD would truly be able to expand its operations and capacity to provide additional technical and financial support for natural resource conservation, alongside increased high-quality, high-impact environmental education opportunities for our constituents.  With mill levy revenue, Ciudad SWCD  will improve stormwater and floodplain management, protect drinking water sources, improve forest health to reduce the risk of wildfire, preserve agricultural lands, provide natural resources education to community members, and ensure equitable access to the outdoors. 

Below are a few project ideas for how Ciudad SWCD will get conservation on the ground with mill levy funding! 

As Ciudad SWCD has existing relationships with several school districts and charter schools, the district would pursue gray to green schoolyard conversions to implement low impact development and transition schoolyard from concrete jungles to permeable surfaces in order to allow water to percolate into the soil to filter out pollutants and recharge the aquifer.  The gray to green schoolyard initiative would support the Living Schoolyard Act and could provide initial training to teachers, site support, materials, and more. In addition to such efforts at schoolyards, Ciudad SWCD would like to see low impact development and rainwater harvesting on a residential scale throughout its boundaries. Such efforts would improve stormwater runoff and floodplain management. Ciudad SWCD would promote rainwater harvesting as it has several benefits, including the collection of pollutants, decreased water usage for landscaping, heat mitigation within urban settings, and habitat for wildlife and pollinators. With mill levy funding, Ciudad SWCD would implement a program to assist private landowners in installing passive rainwater harvesting basins through its partnership with the Arid LID Coalition. 

One of Ciudad SWCD’s many objectives is to ensure the ideal of good land stewardship on private and public lands within its boundaries. The District realizes that in order for individuals to become stewards of our land, one must first connect to nature and the environment around them. Furthermore, Ciudad SWCD believes that connecting to nature is an integral part of the dimensions of health, and when an individual gets outdoors, there are positive health outcomes that create resilience behaviors that directly correlates to resilient community outcomes. Thus, it is our hope that everyone will have access and experience the great outdoors, in order to grow to love and care for our forests, watersheds, and our lands. Ciudad SWCD is committed to preserving our natural resources and wildlife habitat to ensure equitable access to the outdoors. With the support of a mill levy, Ciudad SWCD would continue to partner with land managers to increase access to the outdoors and green spaces in urban areas within its boundaries.  Currently, Ciudad SWCD is constructing the GEM Inclusive Sensory Trail at the Tijeras Bio-Zone Education Center and more trails like this would be constructed in partnership with other land managers. 

Agriculture in many ways forms the backbone of New Mexico’s culture, economy, and quality of life. It is the District’s hope to ensure food security for its constituents and keep local produce in New Mexico, as well as helping farmers adapt to the changing climate. Therefore, Ciudad SWCD will facilitate financial assistance for agricultural land stewardship by implementing programs that increase soil health, reduce erosion, and expand regenerative agriculture practices. In order to ensure equity among farmers, Ciudad SWCD hopes to procure and maintain necessary equipment, like no-till drills, that can be lent or rented at an affordable price for all. In addition, Ciudad SWCD hopes to restart its New Farmers Apprentice Technical Assessor program which provides no cost assistance to new farmers. Furthermore, to ensure that agricultural lands remain undeveloped and within the hands of small private landowners, Ciudad SWCD will further its partnership with Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust and other land managers to further conservation easements within its boundaries. 

Ciudad SWCD has been invested with the forest health of the Sandia and Manzano Mountains and has taken steps to improve the forest stand. However, even with countless grant awards over the last twenty years, only a small impact has been made to decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfires. With the support of the mill levy, Ciudad SWCD could provide more financial assistance to landowners who are unable to afford thinning on their lands. Ciudad SWCD would also pursue a program to implement pile burns and community chipping events as a way to effectively and efficiently thin the overly dense forest stand on local public lands and private lands.  Due to limitations with grant funding, Ciudad SWCD has not been able to provide technical assistance to landowners post thinning treatment.  With the mill levy, Ciudad SWCD would be able to provide landowners with adequate resources, guidance, and funding to implement additional measures to improve habitat, reduce erosion, and improve the forest. 

Ciudad SWCD Board of Supervisors and staff understand that to address inequities in access to its programs, resources and assistance, Ciudad SWCD must strategically approach these inequities through initiatives for community engagement that prioritize inclusivity, accessibility, and cultural sensitivity. These initiatives are expected to require diverse approaches to achieve these priorities. However it is important to acknowledge that to do so, Ciudad SWCD staff would benefit greatly from professional development and HR training to improve technical service and outreach to ensure the highest quality of public service.