Indigenous Sovereignty, MAP Ray Tollison Indigenous Sovereignty, MAP Ray Tollison

Conclusion of our Pilot Project in Puebla, Mexico

Our Mesoamerica program has seen great change over the past 2 years, taking on a new country, a new name, and an increasingly complex set of regional challenges. 

But we’re always reminded why we do what we do. Our growth has meant new relationships and new impact, and we’ve seen both through completion of a pilot project with our first partner in Mexico, Red MOCAF.

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People Over Projects, ILP Ray Tollison People Over Projects, ILP Ray Tollison

People Over Projects: Jason Baldes

Jason Baldes is the executive director of the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative (WRTBI), led by the Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of central Wyoming. One of many groups managing buffalo from the TWP-supported Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd, WRTBI has been a leader in restoring buffalo as wildlife within Tribal lands.

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Dignified Livelihoods, MAP Ray Tollison Dignified Livelihoods, MAP Ray Tollison

Economic Alternatives in Mesoamerica & The Caribbean: Welcoming Our Research Team

Amidst the economic turmoil of USAID closures, tariffs, deportations, and other shifts in Mesoamerica, the need to invest in resilient economies has become even more clear. The region’s long-term stability will come from supporting the communities who know it best, and many of those communities are already finding ways to sustain their livelihoods while also protecting their landscapes, culture, and people.

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Dignified Livelihoods, ILP Ray Tollison Dignified Livelihoods, ILP Ray Tollison

Remembering the Why

In June, TWP’s Indigenous Lands Program team participated in a 3-day staff retreat with our partner, Montezuma Land Conservancy. Bringing together 6 staff from each team in Cortez, CO, the retreat focused on visiting sites of the traditional harvest program and river restoration structures, planning shared work in coming years, and celebrating our new joint staff member, Wyatt Wilson. TWP’s ILP resource coordinator, Zoe Bashkin, shares her experiences and insights from her days with the team

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1000000 Trees For Lucas Hellen Castro 1000000 Trees For Lucas Hellen Castro

The many gifts of Lucas Wolf

A little over a month ago I got to visit some dear old friends in Honduras that I’ve known for over 20 years. I have photos of Isis, (in the cherry shirt), as a toddler running around the Santos-Mata farm in central Honduras, and remember building one of my first Justa stoves in Fanny and Gerardo’s kitchen. 

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ILP, Indigenous Sovereignty Ray Tollison ILP, Indigenous Sovereignty Ray Tollison

Leading Locally

This spring, members of the TWP team had the honor of attending an annual blessing for the local bison herd of Soapstone Prairie. Led by elders and spiritual leaders from various Tribes, the blessing was part of honoring land, reaffirming culture, and recognizing the crucial role of bison in both.

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Indigenous Sovereignty, MAP Ray Tollison Indigenous Sovereignty, MAP Ray Tollison

The Communal Value of Ejidos

Before the Spanish conquest, many Indigenous communities throughout Mesoamerica maintained communal structures of land ownership and management, some of which inspired Mexico’s contemporary ejidos. Though ejidos were outlawed in the 19th century, land reform reinstated the system, resulting in the return of significant land areas to Indigenous communities throughout Mexico in the 1970s.

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Trust Based Philanthropy Ray Tollison Trust Based Philanthropy Ray Tollison

Working in the Same Direction

Our growing practice of trust-based philanthropy, made possible by our incredible funding partners, keeps this understanding central. In addition to long-term and unrestricted support, trust-based philanthropy encourages reporting processes that reduce burdens upon organizations, ultimately freeing more staff time and resources for direct support to communities. 

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Environmental Stewardship, ILP Ray Tollison Environmental Stewardship, ILP Ray Tollison

Letting Nature Lead the Way

This week, Indigenous youth crews from the Ancestral Lands and Southwest Conservation Corps are carrying out TWP-supported efforts in Southwest Colorado to restore degraded areas of the Mancos river. Much of this riparian corridor is managed under conservation easement, and new collaborations with private landowners are facilitating restoration activities within some of the most impacted stretches.

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MAP, Environmental Stewardship Ray Tollison MAP, Environmental Stewardship Ray Tollison

United for Suyapa Wildlife Refuge: Forest Fire Prevention and Ecological Restoration

The dry season in Central America, which extends from January to April, presents a high risk of forest fires every year; March and April are usually the most critical months. In 2024, this situation worsened considerably with the presence of the El Niño phenomenon, which raised temperatures to historic levels.

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People Over Projects: Gustavo Sánchez Valle

In April, we had an incredible week in Mexico visiting our newest partner, Red Mexicana de Organizaciones Campesinas Forestales (Red MOCAF). Amidst inspiring trips to see their work in action, we also learned more about the incredible people who’ve kept the organization running for nearly 3 decades – amongst them, Gustavo Sánchez Valle, Red MOCAF’s president.

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