About Us
Welcome to Taos Soil & Water Conservation District
Taos Soil & Water Conservation District is a member of the New Mexico Acequia Association, New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts, New Mexico Conservation District Employees, Northern Rio Grande Resource Conservation & Development Council and the National Association of Conservation Districts.
The Taos SWCD Office is located at 220 Chamisa Road in Taos, NM
Click Icon at right to open location in Maps
Regular office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. excluding observed legal holidays.
Regular District Board Meetings take place on the third Wednesday of each month in the Taos SWCD conference room. The meetings begin at 9:00 a.m.
Taos Soil & Water Conservation District Board
Mrs. Johnson has served on the Taos SWCD Board since 1996 and is the current Chair. She resides with her husband Steve in Costilla and represents the northern areas of Taos County (Zone 2). Mrs. Johnson is a second generation rancher and mother of two children. Her father, Norman Gwinn, served on the Taos SWCD Board for 20 years. She attended New Mexico State University and majored in Range Science. Maureen has attended the Allan Savory holistic range management school and is an advocate of sustainable Rangeland practices.
| Mr. Trujillo has served on the Taos SWCD Board since 2006. He resides with his wife Diana in Ranchitos near Taos and serves as the current Vice-Chair and at-large representative for all areas of Taos County. Mr. Trujillo has been in the Banking business for 42 years and has served on the Taos County Chamber of Commerce and the Taos Land Trust. He has been on the Taos Valley Acequia Association Board for 16 years and is its current Treasurer. An advocate for many community organizations, Steve supports local Acequia groups and has been instrumental in the creation of local conservation programs. |
Mr. Cruz was raised in the southern Taos County community of El Valle and has served on the Taos SWCD Board since 2014 and currently holds the position of Secretary/Treasurer. He resides in Taos with his wife Frances and represents the central areas of Taos County (zone 1). Mr. Cruz has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to and involvement with acequia and water projects (including serving as commissioner and mayordomo for the community acequias). He is retired from The University of New Mexico (Taos Branch) where he held the Director of Business Operations position. Mr. Cruz received his BA in Accounting from Western New Mexico University and is involved with and supports numerous local non-profit and civic organizations including the Community Against Violence, Taos Coalition to End Homelessness, Taos Community Foundation and Habitat for Humanity.
Mr. Martinez won election to the Taos SWCD Board of Supervisors in May of 2013. He resides in Llano Largo near Penasco and represents the southern areas of Taos County (Zone 4). Andy is both a lifetime contractor and metal fabricator and was born and raised in the Penasco area. Mr. Martinez is committed to representing southern Taos County residents on the Taos SWCD Board. Andy is both a rancher and farmer, and is an avid supporter of the Acequia Program and served as Mayordomo of the Santa Barbara Acequia for over 20 years.
Mr. Archuleta has served on the Taos SWCD Board of Supervisors since 2016 and represents the western areas of Taos County (Zone 3). He is a fifth-generation Taoseño who resides in Des Montes with his wife Delores. Mr. Archuleta grew up farming and ranching and continues to do so today. After high school, he received his Automotive Machinist Certification from the Denver Automotive Institute and later worked for Loveless Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute (then Loveless Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute), Zeke’s Automotive and Molycorp, Inc as a machinist. In 1992, Mr. Archuleta opened Archuleta’s Machine Shop and Welding where his services include manufacturing and installing head gates (irrigation water control structures) – a successful business he still runs today. He brings a lifetime of farming and ranching experience and a broad understanding of irrigation structure logistics to the Taos SWCD Board of Supervisors.
Mrs. Leslie has served on the Taos SWCD Board since February 2014. She resides with her husband Doug at their home north of Taos and is an appointed member of the Board. Mrs. Leslie, a practicing attorney for 35 years, was raised among the many farms and ranches in Lubbock Texas. She owns an Arab grey and is working to restore some ranchland she owns west of Taos. While in northern NM, she has worked as Taos County Attorney, served as a board member for the Taos Land Trust, founded the nonprofit Watch Over Our Friends, Inc. (WOOF) and currently runs her full-time law practice, Leslie Law, P.C.
Taos Soil & Water Conservation District Staff
Ms. Martinez has worked for Taos Soil and Water Conservation District for over 25 years. She resides in Llano Quemado with her daughter. Ms. Martinez is a graduate of Taos High School and has taken Secretarial Administration courses at Northern New Mexico Community College. Charlotte is in charge of the District Animal Damage program, HR, Administrative Services and office sales of conservation related materials. She has an extensive knowledge of Taos SWCD programs and participants. Ms. Martinez is also familiar with the history of Taos SWCD and has experience in working with the local and native conservation communities.
Mr. Vigil has worked for Taos Soil and Water Conservation District for 15 years. He resides with his wife Jeanette in Ranchitos with their 6 children. His first tenure was as Administrative Technician and more recently as District Manager. Mr. Vigil is a graduate of Taos High School and holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He holds numerous certificates in conservation related disciplines. Peter has served for the past 3 years as the Southwest representative for the National Conservation District Employee Association and is active in the New Mexico Conservation District Employees. He served on the Board for the Taos Valley Acequia Association for 5 years and has been a commissioner on the San Francisco de Pauda Ditch since 1996.
Mrs. Duncan, a native of Taos, joined the staff of the Taos Soil and Water Conservation District in November 2013. She resides in Des Montes with her husband Subra and their two children. Mrs. Duncan holds an Associate’s Degree in Business Management with additional courses in GIS, Accounting, Marketing and Design. Before returning to Taos, she ran her own retail business in Burlington, Vermont. She has also taken Spanish language courses at Escuela de Idiomas Falcon in Guanajuato, Mexico. Mrs. Duncan previously worked at the Taos Land Trust (for 17 years) where her responsibilities included managing all aspects of their land projects and GIS mapping.
Mr. Trujillo, a native of the Taos Pueblo Tribe, joined the staff of Taos Soil and Water Conservation District in February 2015. Mr. Trujillo has 20 years of experience in the realm of Landscape Architecture. His progression has taken him through several Architectural and Landscape Architecture Planning firms. He has a long list of project experience and has been a team player in many award-winning designs. He has been instrumental in creating design guidelines and CAD graphics standards enhancing workflow and production. He is a graduate of the former Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute in Architectural Design/Technology.
Mr. Gutierrez was born and raised in Taos, NM and graduated from Taos High school in 2013. He continued his educational pursuits graduating from UNM in 2017. Shortly after he worked for the Bureau of Land Management as a Contracted Wildlife Technician gaining experience with wildlife drinkers and wildlife fencing. Mr. Gutierrez then joined the staff of Taos SWCD in April 2021 to assist cooperators in the Acequia Program with surveying, drafting, designing, and implementing acequia infrastructure projects. Manuel’s passion is hunting and fishing, which he loves to enjoy with his family and friends. Working with Taos SWCD is not only benefiting the land it’s also benefiting his passion by Conserving water and benefiting our future!
Grace Powell was born and raised on a farm in Oregon which fostered a deep connection to land, community and natural resources. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon in Environmental Studies. After working for several years in forestry and ecology in Oregon, she moved to Taos and is currently pursuing a Masters of Natural Resources and GIS from Oregon State University. Her work at the Taos SWCD involves GIS projects, program support, and coordinating the Taos SWCD student forest monitoring teams. Grace is passionate about ecology, land stewardship and helping keep growers on the land. In her spare time, she enjoys running in the mountains with her dog.
Taos Soil & Water Conservation District Program Contractors
Mr. Ruiz is the Lead Designer/Inspector for the Taos SWCD Acequia Program. He lives in Taos with his wife Lorraine and for the past 20 years he has been an active member of the Taos Volunteer Fire Department. Originally from Las Cruces, Danny moved to Taos in 1976 and began working for the Soil Conservation Service. He is now retired after 26 years of service with the USDA-NRCS Taos field office.
Mr. Martinez has worked in wildlife management for over 20 years. He is a graduate of NM State University with a B.S. in Agriculture and Wildlife Science. Mr. Martinez was the County Extension Agent in Rio Arriba County for 7 years. He currently is a Wildlife Biologist for USDA Wildlife Services.
He is a full time cattle rancher and professional elk hunting guide. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Northern New Mexico Stockman’s Association. |
Mr. Lopez is a graduate of NM State University with degrees in Biology/Chemistry and he resides in Talpa with his wife Santana and their three children. He is retired from the Taos Municipal Schools where he taught Science for 34 years. In 1990 he received a Presidential Citation for Excellence in Science Teaching. In 1999, Ernie Lopez was selected International Science Fair Teacher of the Year. Additionally, Mr. Lopez served on the Advisory Council for the National Science Teacher Association for 6 yrs.
Mr. Carpenter has worked with Taos SWCD on our Forest Health program since 2018.
He is a retired forester with the Society of American Foresters. Mr. Swearingen has experience in Forest Management Planning and has participated in various field studies. His list of published articles is extensive and his work has appeared in the Journal of American Forestry.
Kurt advocates a sustainable approach to forest management.
Taos Valley Acequia Association
Founded in 1989 as a 501(c)(3), the Taos Valley Acequia Association has a mission to ensure the long-term sustainability of the traditional agricultural communities of the Taos Valley by protecting water rights and preserving and strengthening the acequia systems. This work is accomplished through community education, the adjudication of water rights, and collaborative partnership with communal, local, state, and tribal entities.
Open Positions at TSWCD
Employment Applications
Completed applications can be emailed to info@tswcd.org, faxed to (575) 751-9253 or mailed to Taos SWCD, 220 Chamisa Road, Taos, NM 87571.
Sample Position
Application Deadline: Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 2pm