Santa Fe County Celebrates Earth Month with New GSI Guidebook

Low-tech, high impact nature based solution techniques demonstrated in the County's 4Nature Santa Fe initiative, are cited in the County's Climate Action Plan and by many conservation and sustainability focused organizations, such as the World Resources Institute, as keys to adaptation and resiliency. These techniques also serve to increase carbon sequestration substantially in our arid region, by providing healthier soils, biohabitats and increased vegetation. The Office of Sustainability began working in early 2025 with Raincatcher, Inc., a subject matter expert organization in the field of stormwater capture, bioremediation and infiltration, to create a Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Guide specific to the needs of the Santa Fe County region as a kickoff to the 4Nature programming. Staff are happy to announce that the new, comprehensive guide will be presented at the April 14th Board of County Commissioners Meeting and made available to the public on Earth Day, April 22nd for download here. This essential guide provides the steps required for creating green stormwater infrastructure in both urban and rural settings and covers a myriad of land contouring techniques, plant recommendations, and essential firescaping recommendations to optimize passive irrigation through rainwater capture for home and business owners, developers, engineers, and planners alike. The GSI techniques described, when properly installed, go a long way to decrease irrigation needs while promoting biodiversity in flora and fauna, shade capacity, and decreasing heat island effect, and add a great deal of beauty to the landscape! - Jacqueline Beam, Sustainability Manager

Earth Day at the Railyard Park

The Railyard Park Conservancy, and more than twenty community partners, including Santa Fe County's Office of Sustainability, will come together to host a free Earth Day celebration right in the heart of Santa Fe. This event takes place on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and features a broad range of family-friendly activities, including composting demos, a raptor meet-and-greet, seed ball making, guided plant tours, and face painting. Whatever your age, you’re sure to enjoy the live music, food truck treats, and the entertaining antics of grazing goats.

This year's partner lineup reflects the breadth of Santa Fe's environmental community, including the Santa Fe Raptor Center, Positive Energy Solar, the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, 350 Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Watershed Association, the Xerces Society, the Audubon Society, the Santa Fe Conservation Trust, and many others. Santa Fe County staff will share conservation techniques, tools, and resources, as well as the County’s recently developed Green Stormwater Infrastructure Guide. This Earth Day event is free and open to all ages, and the park is located at 740 Cerrillos Road. The Railyard is also home to the Santa Fe Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings, so consider arriving early to stock up on local produce before the Earth Day festivities begin.

Free Tire Recycling, Green Waste Disposal, and Trash Days

Santa Fe County's free solid waste days are back! These events help reduce illegal dumping, mitigate wildfire risk, and engage the community in keeping Santa Fe clean and beautiful. This year, there are some positive changes that will make it easier for residents to participate. More information is outlined below.

Free Tire Recycling

Illegally dumped tires are a serious fire and environmental hazard, and proper recycling turns them into valuable new products like flooring, roofing, and sports surfaces. This year, the County has expanded free tire recycling from three weekends to a full month with funding support from the NMED RAID grant. Residents can also now show a valid ID and proof of address as an alternative to a solid waste permit to participate.

• When: The entire month of May 2026
• Where: Six County Collection Centers (Eldorado, Jacona, La Cienega, Nambe, San Marcos, and Stanley), not including Tesuque
• Eligibility: County residents with a valid solid waste permit or a valid ID with proof of an eligible address
• Additional Details: Residents can recycle up to eight tires per person per day, and rims must be removed and placed in the scrap metal bin

Free Green Waste Disposal Days

Green waste that is brought to County collection centers is processed into mulch and compost. This is much safer and cleaner than open burning, and the County is offering 12 free green waste disposal days this year.

• When: The second Friday and Saturday of each month from April through August, as well as the first Friday and Saturday of September
  • April 10 and 11
  • May 8 and 9
  • June 12 and 13
  • July 10 and 11
  • August 7 and 8
  • September 4 and 5
• Where: Stanley, Jacona, and Eldorado Collection Centers
• Eligibility: County residents with a valid solid waste permit
• Additional Details: "Green waste" includes yard waste, lawn clippings, leaves, and tree trimmings (under 18" diameter). It does NOT include weeds, cholla cactus, sod, root balls, stumps, lumber, treated wood, dirt, rocks, or construction materials.

Free Trash Disposal Days

The County is hosting two free trash days that coincide with Keep Santa Fe Beautiful's community cleanup events. This gives residents a convenient way to responsibly dispose of household waste while joining a broader effort to reduce litter across Santa Fe County.

• When: Saturday, April 18, 2026 (in support of the Great American Cleanup) and Saturday, September 19 (in support of the Toss No Mas Cleanup)
• Where: All Seven County Collection Centers
• Eligibility: County residents with a valid solid waste permit 

Notes from the Field: Ranger's Corner

Greetings! If you haven’t met me yet, my name is Rose Masters, and I’m the first (and only) Open Space Interpretive Ranger for Santa Fe County Open Space, Trails, and Parks. For the spring edition of the Santa Fe County Sustainability Newsletter, I thought I’d share about one of my favorite projects: wildlife monitoring with a remote camera. Over the past two years, the special spot where we’ve placed our camera has been graced by the presence of dedicated habitat builders: the North American beaver. These industrious rodents have created a complex of interlinked ponds, and the wildlife has taken notice!

I placed this monitoring camera on one of the dams, strapped to a willow (risky, I know!), and it has not disappointed. Each time I download the images, I send out a collection of the best shots and a note to some of my colleagues here at Santa Fe County. For this edition of the newsletter, I thought it would be fun to share some of these photos with you, along with my reflections from January 2026.

January was an exciting month for wildlife monitoring at our favorite beaver pond: for the first time, starting January 14th, we had American Widgeons on camera here. You’ll recognize the male widgeons by their white-striped heads and pale blueish beaks. Very strange and lovely! The green-winged teal have been hanging around since November, and they seem to have multiplied. The coots and mallards live here year-round. I’m happy to report that the mallards are continuing their synchronized water aerobics. Also note the multi-species photo with coots, mallards, and teals. A Wilson’s snipe also continues to poke around the beaver dam with her long beak. The mammals on camera this month are some very cute, very large raccoons who treat the dam like a trail built specially for them (and maybe it was — who knows the mind of a beaver?).

All of these wildlife photos are a great reminder of why the North American beaver is a keystone species: the beavers’ dam-building creates habitat that supports an astonishing array of wildlife and plants (and also fungi, which help out with the decay of wood). Many of the wildlife we’re seeing in these photos simply would not be here without the beaver.

In dry New Mexico, beaver habitats benefit everyone by helping to replenish our groundwater supplies and filter toxins. Fur traders killed so many beavers that the species was believed to be extirpated from Northern New Mexico by 1830. It’s hard for most of us to imagine just how much more water would have been in our rivers, streams, and groundwater tables before the widespread, for-profit destruction of the beaver. Habitats like this one can help us reimagine a future with more water, a huge boon in the face of climate change. This is one of the big reasons the State of New Mexico allocated $10.5 million in 2025 to the Department of Wildlife to support beavers and beaver habitat. It doesn’t just help beavers - it helps all animals, including humans.

What Can I Do?

Take Steps to Protect Your Home During Wildfire Season.

As spring begins to unfold in earnest here in Santa Fe County, it's the perfect time to take some thoughtful steps to prepare your home for the wildfire season ahead. Much of the county is situated in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), where developed land meets wild vegetation. The steps you take around your home can make a meaningful difference in terms of safety, and the single most effective thing you can do is create defensible space. This is a carefully managed buffer between your home and surrounding vegetation, and it can be helpful to think in terms of the three main zones:

• Zone 1 (0 - 5 feet): Keep the immediate perimeter around your structure entirely free of combustible materials, choosing gravel, stone, or concrete rather than bark mulch or wood decking.
• Zone 2 (5 - 30 feet): Maintain a lean, clean, and green area using fire-resistant, low-water landscaping. Locally adapted Firewise plants like Apache plume, rabbitbrush, and desert willow are drought-tolerant and less likely to carry a flame toward your home.
• Zone 3 (30 - 100 feet): Reduce ladder fuels, such as low-hanging branches and dense brush, to slow the approach of any nearby fire.

Beyond the yard, consider taking a look at your home's structural vulnerabilities. Windblown embers, not walls of flame, are the leading cause of home loss in wildfires, and they can travel miles ahead of an active fire. Replacing wood shake roofs, installing ember-resistant vents, and keeping decks clear of flammable furniture and potted plants in dry wood containers are all helpful strategies for reducing wildfire risk. If you live in the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed, you can schedule a free home hazard assessment to receive individualized guidance on your risk factors and recommended actions. You can also learn more information about wildfire prevention in our region through the Santa Fe County Wildland Fire Division and the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition.

Source: EMNRD Fire Prevention Programs