Rocky Mountain Youth Corps asks Taos officials to help replace lost federal forestry funding

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps officials briefed the Taos Town Council on Sept. 26 about a sudden federal funding loss that ended most local urban and community forestry work in 2024 and left crews and projects in Taos unfunded.

"That grant that was canceled at the federal level — we had $1,500,000 in funding that was lost," said Quinn Mendelson, conservation program director for Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. "Viewing it as funding half of that work based out of here, that was $750,000 of funding that was taken directly from the Taos community."

Mendelson and Kate Sorell, the corps' forestry and chainsaw program coordinator, described work done in 2024 under the federal grant: removal of "just under 2,000 hazardous or invasive trees" to reduce wildfire risk, cutting 65 cords of firewood that were donated to local households, hundreds of trees planted, and tree-plot sampling and pruning in town parks including Kit Carson Park. Mendelson said the corps based crews in Taos for about 30 years and that the lost funding paid youth wages and AmeriCorps scholarships.

The presenters asked the council to support an alternate funding approach using the New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program, which subsidizes crew wages and reduces partner costs. "We're looking for 16 weeks of work. The cost to the town is $59,999 where it would otherwise be $192,000," Mendelson said, adding that the YCC proposal deadline was very near — the application window closes Oct. 7 and the group hoped to finish materials by the end of the week.

Council members and staff discussed possible matching sources in the town budget. Assistant Town Manager Mark Flores and Parks staff indicated there is existing budget for the disc-golf project in Kit Carson Park that could potentially be used as local match or leveraged in the application; council members suggested midyear budget reallocations or using vacancy-savings to cover a one-time cost.

Council member Tim Fambro urged staff to review department budgets immediately to see whether a $59,999 commitment could be made and then reimbursed at midyear, noting the council has authority to approve adjustments below $60,000. Several council members said they supported exploring a short-term commitment to preserve crew jobs and keep parks maintenance work going while staff pursues longer-term options and other grant matches.

The corps said it is coordinating with local partners named in the original grant — including Amigos Bravos, Taos Land Trust and the Rio Grande Conservancy District — and with offices in Albuquerque to pursue multiple funding sources. Mendelson said the corps aims to keep the program operating in Taos despite the federal cut.

Council members encouraged the presenters to continue work with town staff and with potential funders, and to meet with the town's finance and management staff to see whether an urgent, one-time town contribution is feasible prior to the YCC deadline.