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
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
Standard Cost-Share
The District runs two separate programs, each with its own application: standard cost-share for conservation practices on the land, and wildfire mitigation cost-share for defensible space around homes. Both are available for private land located within the District boundary.
Now accepting applications. A 50/50 match on approved conservation projects, capped at $5,000. Eligible practices include:
Applications are reviewed by the board at its regular monthly meetings; one project per applicant per calendar year.
Download the standard cost-share application, fill it out, and get it to the District one of three ways:
To be considered at the next board meeting (the first Tuesday of the month), an application must be received by the Thursday before, so it can be included on the agenda.
Wildfire Mitigation Cost-Share
A separate program with its own application — the standard cost-share form does not apply.
A 50/50 match on defensible-space work around homes, up to $2,500 per home per calendar year. The board set aside enough for ten homes this year, and six of those slots are still open.
Once the last slot is taken, the program is full for the calendar year.
Download the wildfire mitigation application, or pick one up at the Datil NRCS Field Office, then get it to the District one of three ways:
To be considered at the next board meeting (the first Tuesday of the month), an application must be received by the Thursday before, so it can be included on the agenda.
News
Dates announced at the November 3 board meeting: Soil & Water Day is Monday, February 15, 2027, followed by AgFest Evening on Tuesday, February 16, 2027. Both take place at the Roundhouse, the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe.
Kelly Kern took the oath of office at the November 3, 2026 board meeting, filling the supervisor seat left vacant by the untimely passing of Vice Chairman Chris Lilly in September. The oath was administered by the members of the Board.
Welcome aboard, Kelly! The Board and staff are glad to have you with us.
The Board is developing an annual award in memory of the late Vice Chairman Chris Lilly. As discussed on November 3, it would provide at least $1,000 each year to a graduating high school senior who lives in the District. An essay would be required, and the funds would not be limited to paying for continuing education. Supervisor Kelly Kern is drafting the application form.
The Board takes it up again at the next regular meeting: Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 5:30 p.m., at the Datil NRCS Field Office. All are welcome to attend.
On a motion by Supervisor Lee Saulsberry, seconded by Secretary/Treasurer Caleb Kerr, the Board voted 4–0 on November 3 to adopt Resolution No. 2026-11, Protection of the District's Natural Resources from Commercial and Industrial Encroachment. The resolution notes that commercial and industrial interests, including uranium mining and data center operations, are pursuing development within and adjacent to the District, and that its rangeland, pasturage, and forest depend on limited groundwater, springs, and surface water that cannot readily be replaced once depleted or contaminated.
The District reaffirms its mission to protect the water, air, soil, and native species within its boundaries, and opposes any commercial or industrial development within or affecting the District unless the proponent demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the responsible permitting authorities and the public, that the project will not deplete, contaminate, or degrade those resources. It asks county, state, and federal agencies to notify the District of any permit application, lease, or land-use proposal for such development, and to allow the District to consult and comment before a decision is made. The District will take part in public comment and review, coordinating with local governments, landowners, and agency partners. Copies go to the Catron, Socorro, and Cibola County commissions, the appropriate state and federal agencies, and the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts.
The full text is posted with the District's resolutions.
Six of the ten wildfire mitigation cost-share slots set aside this year are still open — a 50/50 match up to $2,500 per home. Details and the application are in the wildfire mitigation cost-share section.
Recommended reading: Defensible Space Equipment: What Actually Clears Brush Safely (Mini Excavator HQ). A practical guide to the tools behind defensible space work: which equipment suits each type of fuel, when to rent or hire, how to handle brush piles, and how mowers, chainsaws, and other gas engines can spark the very fires the clearing is meant to prevent. The zone distances and seasonal timing follow California standards, but the equipment and safety guidance applies just as well here.
After a bidder site visit on October 8 and four quotes received October 16, the District selected Redwood Forestry, LLC, for all three items solicited under its Good Neighbor Agreements with the Cibola National Forest (see September 9, below). The Board approved the service contract on November 3. Work begins once the District issues the Notice to Proceed.
Vice Chairman Anita Hand represented the District at the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts (NMACD) Annual Conference in Albuquerque, October 19–21, 2026, and came away with plenty of new information. She returned with the new NMACD directory of the state's districts and with ideas for future board discussion, among them Rhombo balls, an alternative to shade balls. NMACD also provided the District a rainfall simulator kit, which the District can use to demonstrate how much ground cover matters.
Resolutions adopted by districts at the conference become NMACD's legislative priorities for the coming session. At its October 6 meeting, the Board voted to support two of them: San Juan SWCD's resolution on NMDA grant reimbursement procedures, and a resolution on the role of districts in planning for major land and natural resource development projects.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service hosted this year's Local Workgroup meeting at the Socorro County Annex Building in Socorro, with the District assisting. The session was well attended. Participants weighed in on fiscal year 2027 funding categories, ranking criteria and questions, priority resource concerns, and payment percentage rates — input that helps shape how NRCS conservation dollars are directed in our area.
The District has entered into two Good Neighbor Agreements with the USDA Forest Service, Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands, both signed September 9, 2026 — the Magdalena Mountains Restoration Project and the South Baldy Forest Health Protection Project — bringing more than $542,000 for non-commercial fuels reduction and forest restoration on the Magdalena Ranger District. The work includes hand-constructed fireline and fuelbreak in Hop Canyon and cut-and-pile thinning in the Langmuir units on South Baldy. Under Good Neighbor Authority the District solicits and administers the contracts, while the Forest Service retains environmental compliance and marks the treatment units. The Board of Supervisors accepted both agreements at its September 1, 2026 meeting.
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. Several exhibitors have since sent thank-you notes to the Board.
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 applications, and adopts the budget. Meeting times and location are listed under How to reach us.
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
Just west of Eagle Guest Ranch
Salado SWCD
PO Box 136
Datil, NM 87821
Monthly meetings, held on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the Datil NRCS Field Office, are open for all to attend.
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.