Adopted Trail: Palo Flechado Trail
Year Adopted: 2024
Interview with Nora Corbett Wicks: Education Director for the Taos Land Trust
What motivated you to adopt a trail?
“Our yearly Youth Conservation Corps does a lot of work in town at Rio Fernando Park, where they learn about and practice soil restoration, regenerative agriculture, construction, and ecological monitoring. Another big goal of our program is to give back to the community by engaging in land-based volunteering around Taos County. Adopting a trail is a way for our young crews to give back to our local lands while learning about forestry, trail work, and tool safety.”
What has been the most rewarding part of the AAT program?
“After spending a day making new trail at Palo Flechado, one of our interns returned to the trail the following weekend with his family in tow. He said the flowers up there were so lovely and he really wanted his mom to see them, plus he wanted to show off all the hard work he’d done. Watching a young adult have a valuable experience and want to share that with others – that’s the biggest reward there is.”
What does your group do? What is your mission?
“Taos Land Trust empowers people to protect the land and traditions they love through education, advocacy and conservation. Our vision is to create a legacy of open, productive, and natural lands for future generations.”
What are your hopes and goals for the 2025 trails season?
“In addition to doing more work on our adopted trail , we also plan to restore the trail system at Rio Hondo Fishing Park, a public-access property off of Rim Road in Arroyo Seco. We will have our YCC crews out there for a week at the end of June to fix some erosion problems and help make the trail to the Rio Hondo more accessible.”
Favorite Trail?
“Personal favorite – the Deer Creek trail off of Columbine trail.”
Favorite Tool?
“It’s not a trail tool, but I really love my wheel hoe. ”
How can folks get involved with or support your organization?
“We are currently hiring for our 2025 YCC season. This includes full-season (May through October) positions, open to ages 16 – 25, plus a summer only (June and July) crew open to ages 14 – 18. We also welcome volunteers in the summer and fall to help out with our educational gardens and invasive weed mitigation at Rio Fernando Park. Anyone interested in volunteering can email info@taoslandtrust.org to learn more.”
