Salado Soil & Water Conservation District helps landowners in west-central New Mexico pay for the practices that keep water on the land and soil in place.
The District
The District covers roughly 3,899 square miles of west-central New Mexico — portions of Catron, Socorro, and Cibola counties — at elevations from about 5,500 feet to over 10,000 feet. The land here is rangeland, pasturage, and forest, worked by ranching families across long distances and thin infrastructure.
Salado is one of 47 soil and water conservation districts in New Mexico and one of the districts in Region 3. Districts are political subdivisions of the state, governed by a five-member board of supervisors, and are required to meet monthly, comply with the Open Meetings Act, file quarterly budget reports with the Department of Finance and Administration, and be audited.
What the District does
The District's core work is paying part of the cost of conservation practices on private land. Projects are built to NRCS conservation standards.
The District also connects landowners with conservation information and resources from other agencies.
Partner agencies
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)USDA's conservation agency; field office in Datil
U.S. Forest Service (USFS)Grazing allotments and national forest land
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), New MexicoPublic rangeland administration
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD)State forestry and wildfire programs
Cost-Share
A 50/50 match on approved conservation projects, capped at $5,000.
The District pays 50% of approved project costs, up to $5,000. Applications are reviewed by the board at its regular monthly meetings; one project per applicant per year.
Download the application, fill it out, and get it to the District one of three ways:
Applications received before the meeting packet goes out are taken up at the next regular meeting.
A separate, grant-funded program for defensible space around homes: 50% match, up to $2,500 per home per year, for up to ten homes. Download the application, or pick one up at the Datil NRCS Field Office. Same three ways to return it.
News
Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. at the Socorro County Annex Building, 198 Neel Ave., Socorro (additional parking in the dirt lot across the street). Topics for fiscal year 2027 include funding categories, ranking criteria and questions, priority resource concerns, and payment percentage rates. Open to local landowners; federal, tribal, state, and local governments; and anyone interested in conserving natural resources. RSVP to Leslie Ramzel at leslie.ramzel@usda.gov; Microsoft Teams attendance is available — contact Leslie for details.
The Gila, Lincoln, and Cibola National Forests are recruiting members for the Southern New Mexico Resource Advisory Committee (RAC), which reviews and recommends Title II project proposals under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act — work such as noxious weed control, trail and road improvements, range and campground infrastructure, and watershed restoration.
Applicants must live in New Mexico, preferably in Grant, Catron, Sierra, Socorro, Otero, or Lincoln counties. Members serve voluntarily for a four-year term and attend quarterly meetings in person or virtually; travel costs for in-person meetings are reimbursed. Seats are filled from three interest categories: commercial land use; environmental, wildlife, watershed and historical interests; and elected officials, tribal representatives, educators and the public-at-large.
To request an application or learn more, email SM.FS.SouthernNM.RAC@usda.gov. More on the Secure Rural Schools Act: fs.usda.gov.
The District's Annual Report of Activities for fiscal year 2026 — July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 — has been submitted to the Soil and Water Conservation Commission and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. It covers cost-share activity, interagency work, information and education, administration, and the year's financial summary, and is posted under Applications, agendas, minutes.
The District paid a $100 add-on to every youth who showed an animal at the 2026 Catron County Fair — 51 exhibitors in all, $5,100 total. The add-on went to all showing youth, not only to those who placed or sold.
The board approved a wildfire mitigation cost-share for defensible space around homes: a 50% match up to $2,500 per home per year, for up to ten homes.
Forms & Records
Meeting notices and agendas are posted at least 72 hours before a regular meeting, as required by the Open Meetings Act. Draft minutes of the last meeting are posted after that meeting and replaced with the approved version once the board adopts them.
Board of Supervisors
The board sets District policy, approves cost-share awards, and adopts the budget. Regular meetings are held monthly on the first Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and are open to the public; the notice and agenda for each meeting are posted in advance.
Service Area
Salado SWCD boundary. The District takes in roughly a third of Socorro County, a quarter of Catron County, and a small portion of Cibola County — about 2.5 million acres in all. Base map © 2016 National Geographic Society, i-cubed.
Contact
Datil NRCS Field Office
7714 W. Hwy. 60
Datil, NM 87821
Salado SWCD
PO Box 136
Datil, NM 87821
Tuesdays, 12:00–4:00 p.m.
at the Datil NRCS Field Office.
contact-us@saladosoilandwater.org
Email is the fastest way to reach the District.
Salado Soil & Water Conservation District on Facebook
Meeting notices, office hours, and news are posted there.