The landscapes that inspired some of Georgia O'Keeffe's most recognizable works will be preserved thanks to a new collaborative conservation effort between The National Ghost Ranch Foundation, The Presbyterian Church Foundation, The State of New Mexico and The New Mexico Land Conservancy. The Ghost Ranch Conservation Plan will use conservation easements to protect 6000 acres of pristine land, water and wildlife habitat in Northern New Mexico without impacting Ghost Ranch’s educational programs.
New Mexico Land Conservancy Executive Director Jonathan Hayden stopped by the KSFR studios with more on his organization’s mission, how a conservation easement works and what this project means for the future of conservation in New Mexico.
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity
KSFR: For folks who may not be familiar with your organization, what is the mission of the New Mexico Land Conservancy, and how does it work toward that mission?
Jonathan Hayden: The mission at New Mexico Land Conservancy is pretty simple. We help people conserve the land they love, and there are few places that are as beloved in New Mexico as Ghost Ranch. So, it was a fantastic opportunity to advance our mission goals by partnering with them to ensure that that landscape is protected in perpetuity and for future generations to enjoy.
And how does the legacy of Georgia O'Keeffe and the Ghost Ranch fit into your organization's mission?
Most people associate Ghost Ranch with the striking landscape paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe but it's really so much more than that. Ghost Ranch itself extends from Kitchen Mesa all the way down to Abiquiu Lake and the Rio Chama. By preserving this entire ranch, what we're doing is connecting conserved spaces from the Santa Fe National Forest through Ghost Ranch down to Abiquiu Lake in a manner that helps facilitate wildlife connectivity. It also allows traditional cultural practices like winter grazing by a cooperative of local Abiquiu area ranchers to endure. It's essential to highlight that component of keeping people on the land, being the good stewards of the land as they've done for generations.
In addition, I want to highlight the importance of this landscape from a cultural resource protection standpoint, being so close to the Chama River. This is an area that's been inhabited since time immemorial, and we're looking forward to working with local tribes and pueblos to help identify cultural resources in need of protection so that we can ensure that those are not degraded in the future.
Why is this project aimed particularly at the Ghost Ranch? Is that land under threat of development?
Not at the moment, but at the New Mexico Land Conservancy we are always forward looking. All of our protection projects are in perpetuity, which means, in theory, that they will stand the test of time and ensure that some of New Mexico's most iconic landscapes are protected for future generations to enjoy.
I understand that this project uses conservation easements. In your view, what are the pros and cons of using a conservation easement for something like this?
Great question. Conservation easements really do three things. First, they protect the natural resources of the landscape from development. Second, they allow cultural practices like the traditional grazing that takes place on Ghost Ranch in the winter, the recreation activities that they offer, and even the low impact commercial filming that they entertain every few years to continue on the land. And then third, it enables future generations to continue using and loving Ghost Ranch.
Moving forward, what specific role will the New Mexico Land Conservancy have in this Ghost Ranch conservation effort?
By establishing a conservation easement, the New Mexico Land Conservancy is going to, in essence, purchase the development rights on Ghost Ranch and hold them in trust for the public good. We will ensure that there will not be any subdivision of the land or any development that's going to degrade the natural resources of Ghost Ranch. And we will ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to use Ghost Ranch for recreation as offering the Ghost Ranch Foundation to continue its operations.
Will your organization do any kind of monitoring of the property to make sure that neighboring developments are not having a negative impact?
Yes, one of the first things we do in the conservation easement process is go out and establish what's called a baseline documentation report. That's something that surveys all the conservation values of the land—from the natural resources that support so much wildlife to the cultural resources that we're looking to protect, and also things like the water rights infrastructure that's present on the land. Then we can come back in future years and ensure that the land is not being degraded and is not being developed in a way that violates the terms of the conservation easement.
What about natural things like climate change or drought? Will you be able to combat anything like that with this conservation effort?
The baseline documentation report is essentially a snapshot in time of the ecological characteristics of the land. So that does allow us to go back in future years and monitor what the landscape is looking like, and then we will often partner with landowners to identify resources for them to conduct land management practices that will help nourish the land, or in some cases, rewild the land. And that is becoming more and more important in a time of a warming climate.
I understand this project is funded by the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, and that's a relatively new state fund. Do you think we'll see more projects like this from the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund in the future?
Absolutely. In our view, this is a great first step towards using State resources to protect New Mexican landscapes that are so iconic across the state, and to ensuring that those landscapes are protected and the traditional cultural practices endure. This is definitely a marquee project for the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, and we hope that we can undertake similar projects in the future, and future phases at Ghost Ranch.
For more information on this project visit ghostranchconservation.org
