Today, as millions of eyes turn towards Washington, we’re staying focused on the communities at the heart of what we do. We’ve brought together members of our team to share their perspectives on our work, our vision for the future, and our collective path forward.

Traditionally, the Núchíú (Ute people) were nomadic, moving across vast ancestral lands to steward the resources, including native plants, that supported their lifeways. Today, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (UMUT) members are restricted to less than 600,000 acres of Reservation and Fee land from which to collect traditional plants, year after year.

TWP has partnered with Utz Ché, a network of over 40 communities and collectives in Guatemala, since 2012. Utz Ché means “good tree” in the Mayan language, K’iche’, and the organization represents approximately 200,000 people throughout the country, more than 90% of them Indigenous.

Fondly referred to as “Hellen with two Ls,” or simply “Castro,” in the office, Hellen Castro has been with TWP since 2020 as our Development and Outreach Manager. Hellen’s work spans departments, focused on the marketing communications, donor relationships, and fundraising efforts that support our programs.

There are many tax-friendly incentives to donate to charities like TWP in 2024. Some of these incentives stem from past tax laws, while others have been long-standing.

Trees, Water & People (TWP) is proud to announce a $1.1MM grant commitment from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for an ambitious environmental restoration project in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, located within the ancestral homelands of several Pueblo communities.

It was one of those nights where you know everything you stand for, everything you work for, and everything you value is being challenged by a dark, countervailing force.

Just as every facet of society was altered by the COVID pandemic of 2020, the nonprofit sector experienced a shift that fundamentally changed the way grantmakers and grantees relate to one another.

We’re excited to announce the upcoming release of In the Right Hands, a short film that explores the importance of long-term relationships, mutual accountability, and deep trust within the practice of philanthropy.

In early 2023, passing through a hard time personally and trying to find my way back to the biology field, I stumbled upon a hidden gem in southern Guatemala, the community of La Bendición, thanks to applying to a job as a researcher assistant. True to its name, this place felt like a blessing from the moment I arrived.

In September, TWP delivered dozens of native plant species to their new home at the Kwiyagat Community Academy (KCA) in Towaoc, Colorado. Grown by Tribal partners within the Santa Ana Native Plant Nursery, these plants will be integrated into KCA’s efforts to develop culturally-relevant education and sustain Native stewardship values.

In 1987, when the Comité Ecológico Aldea de Suyapa (COEAS) began to protect the mountain, it did so with a group of young men and women committed to taking care of the area's water resources

For over 25 years, our home base has been in Fort Collins, Colorado. But as our work in New Mexico grows, we’ve been reminded of the power of simply being there. And being there can mean so much – it’s knowing the landscapes, it’s knowing the people, and it’s investing in close relationships with both.

As we watched smoke from the Alexander Mountain fire fill the skies last month, and remember other devastating wildfires in Colorado and New Mexico over the past years, it’s easy to see fire as only a destructive force. Wildfires are spreading faster, lasting longer, and burning hotter than ever before.

As Mexico experiences one of the hottest and driest years on record, the vital need to protect watersheds remains at the forefront for many of our partner communities. This summer, nearly 68% of the country faces moderate to extreme drought, and large stretches of Mexico City came dangerously close to losing water access entirely.

When our partners say the sky is the limit, they don’t often mean literally. 

But of the hundreds of thousands of trees sown by our partner in El Salvador, Agua y Arboles para el Pueblo (AAP), one has reached new heights. 

In early April, AAP’s executive director, Armando Hernandez, received an unusual call from the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador. Frank Rubio, a well-known U.S. astronaut of Salvadoran descent, was visiting the country and needed help planting some very special seeds.

On August 12th-14th, the TWP team gathered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for our annual retreat. 

Our staff has grown to 18 diverse individuals, representing eight countries and five Tribal nations, and the retreat offered much-needed space to connect, reflect, and renew the relationships that hold TWP together.

On August 10, 1680, the Pueblo nations of New Mexico rose up against the Spanish colonizers. For over eighty years, the Pueblo people suffered violence, cruelty, and hunger; exploitation of labor and resources; harassment and persecution for practicing long-held religious traditions that are interwoven in daily life; and psychological and physical stress. Pueblo leaders realized negotiations with the Spaniards was useless.

SANTA FE, N.M. July 29, 2024 – On July 24th, 2024, Trees, Water & People (TWP) signed two separate agreements with the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) to build upon successful collaborations between TWP, SFNF and local Pueblos on reforestation, watershed improvement and forest restoration within the Jemez Ranger District of SFNF.

From June 17-20, we had the privilege of hosting a week-long knowledge exchange in Guatemala City, marking the conclusion of phase 1 of our pilot project in collaboration with the Coordinadora de Mujeres Líderes Territoriales de Mesoamérica (CMLT).