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Is the Galisteo Basin Preserve the same thing as the Galisteo Basin? What about the Village of Galisteo?
Actually, they are all different and all related. Here’s the explanation:
The Galisteo Basin is a geographic region in north-central New Mexico defined by the Galisteo Creek watershed and several mountain ranges: the Sangre de Cristo to the north, Ortiz to the west, and the Sandia and Manzano mountains to the south. Because of its size—approximately 470,000 acres—and position amid several mountain systems, the Rio Grande Valley, and the Great Plains, the Basin has long been a critical migration corridor for wildlife and an important travel route for prehistoric and historic traders and explorers. Read more about the natural history and ecology of the Galisteo Basin in the Natural Features section.
The Galisteo Basin Preserve occupies 13,522 acres within this significant geographic region—and is dedicated to preserving its major viewshed, wildlife habitat, cultural history, and natural resource values, while at the same time promoting a new model of resource-efficient and stewardship-based community building in Santa Fe County. The Preserve is a land-conservation and community-development initiative of Commonweal Conservancy, a Santa Fe-based nonprofit organization. Located roughly 13 miles south of the city of Santa Fe, the Galisteo Basin Preserve includes large-scale protected open space, public recreation trails, private conservation properties, and a proposed Village development.
The tiny village of Galisteo is a “traditional village” in the parlance of New Mexico cultural geography. The community is home to less than 180 residents. It is located about 19 miles south of Santa Fe and 5 miles south of the Galisteo Basin Preserve’s entrance. The current site of the village of Galisteo was established in 1816. An earlier Galisteo settlement was founded west of the present site. Prior to the Spanish settlement, the area was inhabited by Pueblo people for thousands of years. Read more about the cultural history of this area in the Cultural History section.
How big is the Galisteo Basin Preserve? How much of the Preserve will be protected open space?
The goal for the Galisteo Basin Preserve is to protect and restore open space on a landscape scale. Here’s what we mean by that:
The Galisteo Basin Preserve is 13,522 acres. Less than 4 percent will be impacted by development (e.g., buildings, roads), leaving approximately 97 percent of the entire Preserve as open space. Conservation lands open to the public—accessible via a planned 50-mile trail network—are projected to account for 62 percent of the Preserve. Privately held properties overlaid with conservation easements will make up the Preserve’s remaining 35 percent of land area.
How will the Galisteo Basin Preserve be publicly accessible? How much of it will be open to the public? Can I explore there now?
We are excited for you to come explore—and keep exploring—the Galisteo Basin Preserve! Our hope is to continue to build a community of people who care deeply about the health of this land.
The Preserve’s public conservation lands will be accessible via 50 miles of proposed hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trails. The majority (62 percent) of the Preserve area is planned as public open space. Carefully sited trail corridors within the Preserve will connect it with nearby federal, state, and Santa Fe County lands and with regional trail networks. The open lands associated with the Preserve open space, in combination with other public lands, will create a significant regional conservation area totaling almost 30,000 acres. It will facilitate trail connections that link the city of Santa Fe, the Community College District, and Eldorado with the communities in the central part of the county.
Since 2006, Commonweal Conservancy has developed nearly 6 miles of public hiking and mountain biking trails at the Galisteo Basin Preserve. We have also mapped more than 8 miles of ranch-road and arroyo trails to accommodate equestrians as well as hikers and bikers. Trails volunteers from the Santa Fe Conservation Trust are working to construct the link between the Rail Trail and the Preserve’s Thumb Trailhead, which should be ready my fall 2009.
Please visit our Trails page to download the current version of the Galisteo Basin Preserve Trails Map.
Is there enough water for the proposed Village at the Galisteo Basin Preserve? Where will the Village water come from?
There is more than enough water to serve the Village’s needs for the next 100 years and beyond, according to the extensive geologic mapping and well testing we have completed. In order to formalize its right to draw water from the local aquifer, Commonweal Conservancy is working through a process of transferring approximately 31 ac/ft of water rights to the Village well field. At this stage, Santa Fe County’s review process is focused on the initial phase of development, and it has confirmed that a 100-year water supply is available for the Phase I development plan (149 homes).
The Village water strategy anticipates two sources of water for the community. Municipal-grade water wells will draw water from a deep aquifer below the Preserve—a different and noncontiguous aquifer from those serving the village of Galisteo or the Eldorado subdivision. Additionally, the Village will be supplied with water from a regional/Santa Fe County water system that is planned for development in 2011. The two water sources will allow the Village to draw water from local and regional sources—a strategy that will ensure a stable and continuous water supply for generations to come.
The projected domestic water demand for each household in the Village is 0.16 – 0.12 ac/ft per year; significantly less than the domestic water budget for Santa Fe and Eldorado. This modest level of demand—in combination with community-scale water conservation measures, water catchment, and water-reuse technologies—will ensure that the water-efficiency standards of the community are fully realized.
Read more about the Village plan in the narrative for the Preliminary Phase I Plat, which can be downloaded from the Village pages.
Can I buy a house in the Village yet?
Not quite yet—but we’re glad you asked!
Commonweal Conservancy is still navigating the Santa Fe County approval and pre-construction process for the proposed Village’s first-phase neighborhoods. The fall of 2010 may be the soonest that Village home sites will be marketed for sale, although we may be able to take “hand-shake” reservations prior to that. Please join our list of friends by clicking here—we send periodic emails to this group with updates about the Galisteo Basin Preserve, events and programs, and properties; and the folks on this list will be among the first to know when Village home sites become available.
There are currently available properties within the Galisteo Basin Preserve, each of which offers a unique opportunity to build a innovative green home surrounded by thousands of acres of open space. To learn more about what’s on the market now, visit our Properties page or contact us directly at 505.982.0071, ext. 105, and ask to speak with Lauren; or you can send an email inquiry to property@commonwealconservancy.org.
What all has happened with the Galisteo Basin Preserve so far?
Quite a lot, actually! Here are some highlights:
- Land Acquired
- 8,235 acres (Commonweal Conservancy is engaged in a phased land-acquisition contract for the remaining 4,987 acres of the Preserve)
- Land Permanently Conserved
- 909 acres = Conservation easements held by Commonweal Conservancy
- 320 acres = Conservation easements held by Santa Fe Conservation Trust
- 468 acres = Property sold to Santa Fe County Open Space Program
- 948 acres = private open space awaiting near-term conservation easements
- Land Restoration + Habitat Improvements
- 1 acre of wetlands and arroyo restoration within the Arroyo de los Angeles (Earth Works Institute)
- 100-tree orchard planted in Southern Crescent
- Prairie dog relocation agreement established
- Trails Developed
- 3 miles of private trails
- 6 miles of public trails
- 6 miles donated to Santa Fe County Open Space + Trails Program
- Properties Sold
- 468 acres to Santa Fe County for public open space
- 4 West Basin parcels, all off-the-grid, to private owners
- 20 New Moon Overlook parcels to private owners
- 9 Southern Crescent parcels to private owners
- 3 parcels to private owners who have agreed to overlay their land with conservation easements
- Village Progress
- June, 2007—Santa Fe Board of County Commissioners approved the master plan for the Village at the Galisteo Basin Preserve
- June 2009—Santa Fe County Development Review Committee approved preliminary plat for Phase I of the Village
- Village Accolades + Related Honors
- Inclusion in National Building Museum “Green Community” exhibition (2008/2009)
- Washington Association of Landscape Architects award (2008)
- The Urban Land Institute showcases the Galisteo Basin Preserve in its forthcoming book on new standards of conservation development (expected 2010 publication date)
- Paper on “Integrative Conservation” solicited from Commonweal by the National Park Service (2009)
- Numerous mentions in local, regional, and national press outlets. Read more on our News + Press page.
- Community Participation
- More than 200 hours of community dialogue and collaborative planning with representatives and citizen committees in Galisteo, Lamy, and Santa Fe about development and open-space priorities and concerns
- A path-setting agreement with the traditional village of Galisteo that sets out the protocols and standards for testing and monitoring the effect of Galisteo Basin Preserve water development on the Galisteo Creek.
- Active participation in the Santa Fe County growth management process and Land Use Code rewrite
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