Collaborative Forest Restoration in the Estancia Basin, New Mexico

New Mexico's Estancia Basin is located in the central part of the state, adjacent to the heavily forested Sandia and Manzano Mountain Ranges. Land ownership in the mountains is a mixture of U.S. Forest Service, Tribal lands,... [ view full abstract ]

New Mexico's Estancia Basin is located in the central part of the state, adjacent to the heavily forested Sandia and Manzano Mountain Ranges. Land ownership in the mountains is a mixture of U.S. Forest Service, Tribal lands, land grants, and private non-industrial forest and grazing lands. Due to their proximity to a major urban area, the lands are heavily used for recreation, and watershed protection and water production are significant concerns as well. Drawing on participant-observation, structured interviews, and document review, I present a case study of the Estancia Basin Watershed Health, Restoration and Monitoring Project, a collaborative group that brings together four soil and water conservation districts, the Forest Service, Land Grant leaders, State and County officials, and private businesses and NGOs with the mission of improving watershed health and reducing wildfire risk. I address the question - what makes a collaboration successful? Based on an impressive record of fundraising to support forest management, many would consider this collaboration a success. Drawing on community development theory and the social science literature on collaborative conservation, I consider elements of success that go beyond economics, and evaluate how this group has stuck together despite early challenges and turf-based squabbles. I also briefly discuss three other collaborative groups that have formed and examine the role the Estancia Basin Watershed group played in expanding a collaborative approach to regional forest and watershed health.