*Important Note: the field day on Friday, June 12 is now FULL. You can still register below for our Thursday, June 11 activities.*

Acequias, communally-managed gravity-fed irrigation systems found across the state and in southern Colorado, have nourished our working lands and communities for centuries. A leading example of a regenerative system that builds social and ecological resilience, acequias are one of our greatest teachers.

Join us to be inspired by acequia systems and collaborative land stewardship at the 9th annual New Mexico Working Lands Summit June 11-12, 2026. Farmers, ranchers, community members, and conservationists will share about cooperative decision-making when it comes to managing waterways, fields, and forests. You’ll learn about  acequia history, and how the ethos of acequia management is being embraced as we protect and care for our agrarian communities. This summit is a space rich with peer-to-peer knowledge transfer and celebrating experiences and resiliency.

Schedule overview:

Thursday, June 11

9 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Talpa Community Center

4 Archuleta Rd, Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557

Join us for panel discussions, presentations, and peer-to-peer conversations on:

  • The history and multi-functionality of acequias
  • How to apply the collaborative ethos of acequia systems to your own working lands
  • Protecting and supporting small-scale, regenerative agriculture
  • Resilience in the face of development and disaster

4:30 p.m. – Happy hour at Taos Mesa Brewing 

201 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos, NM 87571

Big thanks to our partners for Thursday’s activities: Taos Valley Acequia Association, Taos County Economic Development Corporation, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and Taos Land Trust.

Friday, June 12

9 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Carson National Forest

Meet at San José de Gracia Church in Las Trampas

2377-2381 NM-76, Chamisal, NM 87521

Join us in Las Trampas to hear from local leaders and their partners about efforts to promote community stewardship of forested lands in and around their villages. The forests in this part of northern New Mexico have sustained residents for centuries. Today, they are working with local, state, and federal agencies to lead project planning and implementation that prioritizes the values of local communities. We’ll visit completed and active forest restoration units, including areas where local residents have organized themselves (under a model based on acequia water management) to thin forests that are at high-risk to wildfire while simultaneously earning money and harvesting much-needed firewood.

Lunch is included on both days.

Big thanks to our partners for our Friday field day: Las Trampas Land Grant, Rio de las Trampas Forest Council, Taos Soil and Water Conservation District, Forest Stewards Guild, New Mexico Forestry Division, and Carson National Forest.