The beginning of a new story…
For those of you who may not already know, in November 2017, the Mil Abrazos Community Land Trust, which sprang out of the Gaia Gardens experiment in Santa Fe, purchased irrigated farmland in Dilia, New Mexico, 30 miles south of Las Vegas off Highway 84 along the Pecos River.
I have been at the property for nine months, purposefully by myself, focused on building the first camp and embedding myself in this traditional ranching and farming community, part of the large Anton Chico land grant.
I can wholeheartedly say that I have fallen deeply in love with this ancient agricultural land, its people, Acequia, wildlife and powerful spirit.
Having been immediately recruited as a commissioner for the Vado de Juan Pais Ditch Association (12 mile-long ditch, serving 1,800 acres and dating back 200 years), I have begun my immersion into the Acequia culture, stories, wounds and conflicts that have been part of this tight-knit community.
As a stranger, I have felt immediately welcome. Our Mayordomo calls me cousin. My 75 year-old neighbor Kiko, a vacero (rancher) from Chihuahua, Mexico, runs 100 cattles next door and rides his horse to the fence to chat with me. He’s been running cattle since he was a young boy. The other day, I invited him for coffee and cookies, and wanted to show him what I was up to, in case he wondered…
After briefing him on what I see as possibilities here for the Mil Abrazos project, he said he has been wishing for a farm school to be created in the area. His son and daughter are school principals in the area, and his son grows hay and raises cattle as well. Kiko’s grandkids, a 10 year-old daughter in particular, want to farm. She’s always working with her grandpa when out of school.
I experienced a mild winter, with abundant ditch water, and marveled at the abundance of bird life in the area. A flowing river, ponds, irrigation ditches, pastures and deciduous trees (we have 100 + year-old Osage Orange) make for perfect wintering ground for migratory birds. Surrounded all day by Hawks, Blue Heron, Cranes, Geese, Ducks, Pigeons, Doves, Woodpeckers, and a multitude of brightly colored finches and warblers, I began building the first camp, starting with the remodeling of a 400sq’ studio perched on top of two shipping containers, a structure we inherited with the land.
My previous experiences with land trusts, homesteading, farming and many more enterprises has taught me that if a first impression is pleasant, inspiring and fun, people come back. So bringing people for gatherings to a place 1.5 hr from Santa Fe requires parking, bathrooms, lodging, safety (it’s rattle snake country!), kitchen, dining hall and more (like fast speed internet, yes we have fiber optics up to 1Gig of speed for the techies, laundry facility, shower and bath for our mermaid visitors, etc.). The basecamp will be a place to accommodate the first gatherings of elders, advisors, community leader, artists, poets, musicians, parents, kids and farmers. The gatherings will be designed and facilitated to engage the community to collectively imagine a village-community and discuss how the property will be designed, structured, planned, financed and built to foster a permanent human settlement on degraded farmland (a definition of permaculture).
We’ll explore what assemblage of diverse people (social engineering), cottage industries (planned industries) and governance/practices can sustain a rural settlement aimed at reclaiming and regenerating farmland for the benefit of future generations.
This process will draw upon the experience of many other successful and well-established land trusts around the country such as the Evergreen Land Trust (WA), Vashon Land Trust (WA), Dancing Rabbit (Mo) and FindHorn (Scotland). Conversations will be centered on how to create a living and educational environment that can serve the needs of kids, young adults, parents and elders. Holistic land management and permaculture experts will be consulted for the regeneration of this 32 acre track of land that has been farmed and grazed extensively for generations.
The wisdom and experience of the land grant local culture will be drawn upon to design a varied agriculture that is capable of dealing with the unpredictability of climate change.
Our experiment will be shared with our neighbors on this 2,000-acre swath of irrigated land to bring a return of food production (besides meat) and inspire the return and permanent settlement of the younger generation of locals. Having lived and build a house on a community land trust in WA state (4 community farms and 2 in-town community residences), and having been on its Board of Directors , I have experienced first hand the difficulties for a group of people, with kids, to live in a rural setting and make a living, tend a large property, etc. I have also experienced first hand the importance of having a very solid governance model as otherwise communal life can become quite… difficult.
I have also attained the beautiful age of 60 and have been reflecting on my life so far and how I wish to live forward. I have been looking at aging and dying. Early on, a well-known educator suggested that we consider elder care as one of the cottage industries on the land. The biggest insight I received during my stay on the land is that not only would the property be ideal for someone to finish their life if they like community, children, nature, quietness and birds of course, thus an eldercare cottage industry, but that taking care of the resident elders needs to be embedded in the community philosophy, design and contractual agreements.
Mil Abrazos has a deeply permanent nature. The land is not to be resold and speculated on, no longer considered a commodity. Future residents of the community will pass on their property (equity) rights to their children. Children will be born on the property. Some people will naturally finish their life there.
In this public announcement, it is important that I, along with my beloved Board members Dominique Pozo (my partner during Gaia Gardens) and Marlene Fischer, lover, nurturer and protector of life and wise elder, present a picture of what we see the project being so you can not only understand why we are approaching things slowly and deliberately, but how you can participate with your knowledge, visions, skills, resources or encouragements.
After 9 months on the property, focused on building the first camp and embedding myself in the local culture, going to mass, participating in the ditch association duties and befriending the local wildlife, I am now getting ready to start building the 900sq' camp dining hall and kitchen.
A friend donated metal to build the 900sq' structure and the truck is loaded. However I have to strengthen the bridge going over the ditch to make sure the 25-some ton truck can drive over.
To be continued...
Love, Poki
