The Galisteo Basin Preserve is the flagship project of Commonweal Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation-based community development organization located in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In 2003, Commonweal Conservancy negotiated a multi-year contract to acquire the Galisteo Basin Preserve—formerly known as the Thornton Ranch—for a combination of conservation and community development purposes. Since then, Commonweal has advanced the vision, planning, and development of the Village at the Galisteo Basin Preserve, and the protection and restoration of the Preserve’s open space. Commonweal developed water wells, roads, and utilities to serve the initial phase of the project—the conservation neighborhoods of Southern Crescent, West Basin, New Moon Overlook, the East Preserve Properties, and the Conservation Ranches. Currently, Commonweal is working with community leaders and a team of environmental, planning, engineering, legal, and architectural professionals to advance the Village development.

For Commonweal and its partners, the Galisteo Basin Preserve is intended to be a model for stewardship-based community development in the Southwest—one that respectfully accommodates public values of viewshed and environmental protection, habitat restoration, and recreational access. For residents of the Galisteo Basin Preserve, the design and development values of the project will support a lively and engaging quality of community, as well as a tangible quality of connection to the ecological and cultural resources of the region.