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Taos County presents Cultural Treasures Project, seeks town support after $213,000 county contribution
Summary
County staff outlined a Cultural Treasures Project to map tangible and intangible cultural assets, seek participatory community mapping and create policy recommendations. The project budget estimate is about $650,000; the county has contributed $213,000 to date and is awaiting NEA and other grants.
A county presenter introduced the Cultural Treasures Project as a participatory cultural and outdoor asset mapping effort aimed at preserving local lifeways and informing equitable economic development. The presenter said the project combines community stories, GIS mapping and policy recommendations.
"We are in phase 2 in 2025… We have been in phase 2 and the bold type is what we are working on right now," the presenter said, outlining plans for community engagement, participatory mapping and a publicly accessible ArcGIS story‑map. She described a project budget target of roughly $650,000 that includes the Economic Recovery Corps fellowship valued at $225,000 and said the project had raised "just over $250,000" in cash to date. The presenter also thanked Taos County for $213,000 in cash contributed so far and invited town councilors to consider discretionary and FY26 budget support.
Speakers and council members praised the project's community focus and sensitivity to local culture. Officials noted the project could inform land‑use protections and funding priorities, and that the project team plans to resource advisory group members (including honoraria) to ensure broad representation across the county. The presenter said the ERC fellowship and partner consultants (including the Alliance for California Traditional Arts and UNM Earth Data Analysis Center) underpin the project’s technical and engagement capacity.
Presenters also warned that the ERC fellowship is subject to federal review and could be discontinued; they asked the governing bodies to consider local budget support and contingency planning if federal funding is interrupted. Town and county leaders agreed to continue budget conversations and consider discrete FY26 contributions to sustain the project’s initial-year work.
