Laura: I'M LAURA PASKUS.

AND FOR THIS MONTH'S EPISODE  OF 'OUR LAND', WE VISITED THE CARSON NATIONAL FOREST  TO LEARN ABOUT A DIFFERENT TYPE OF FOREST MANAGEMENT  THAT'S BASED ON THE ACEQUIA SYSTEM.

IT'S BASED ON TRADITION AND CULTURE AND MEANT TO HELP  THE FOREST AND THE COMMUNITIES WHO LIVE RIGHT  NEXT TO IT.

>> Laura: A FEW YEARS AGO,  J.R. LOGAN LOOKED OUT ACROSS  HIS BACKYARD IN SAN CRISTOBAL IN NORTHERN, NEW  MEXICO.

IT WAS GETTING ON TOWARD  FALL WHEN HE AND OTHERS WHO RELY ON WOOD TO HEAT THEIR  HOMES DRIVE HOURS TO OTHER PARTS OF THE FOREST.

THEN THEY PAY FOR U.S. FOREST SERVICE PERMITS TO  COLLECT WOOD.

>> J.R.: AND IT JUST MADE  NO SENSE TO ME SITTING IN MY VALLEY THAT I WOULD HAVE TO  GO SO FAR TO GET FIREWOOD WHEN LOOKING LITERALLY OUT  OF MY BACK DOOR THERE'S A BEAUTIFUL STAND OF  PONDEROSAS WHERE THE UNDERGROWTH HAS GROWN IN  THICK AND POSES A HUGE RISK TO THOSE TREES AND TO MY  COMMUNITY AND TO THE WATERSHED.

AND I THOUGHT THERE JUST HAS TO BE A WAY WHERE I CAN, YOU  KNOW, MAKE IT POSSIBLE WHERE WE CAN MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR  ME AND MY NEIGHBORS TO BE ABLE TO CUT THAT WOOD WHICH  IS INCREDIBLY VALUABLE TO US AS FIREWOOD AND IS IN OUR  OWN BACKYARDS AND AT THE SAME TIME MAKE OUR COMMUNITY  AND OUR WATERSHEDS SAFER.

>> Laura: LOGAN MET WITH  ELDERS AND LEADERS IN HIS COMMUNITY.

>> David: TRADITIONALLY, WE'RE A COLLECTIVIST CULTURE  WHERE THE GROUP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE  INDIVIDUAL.

>> Laura: THEY GOT TO  TALKING ABOUT HOW TO CREATE A FOREST COUNCIL AND  STRUCTURE IT AS A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.

THEY TALKED ABOUT ACEQUIAS, LAND GRANTS, AND THE LONG  HISTORY OF PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY IN NORTHERN NEW  MEXICO.

>> David: THE GOVERNANCE,  INSTEAD OF CREATING A NEW SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE, LET'S  USE THE OLD ANCIENT INSTITUTIONAL FORMS OF  ORGANIZATION THAT WE'VE HAD HERE FOR CENTURIES, 300-400  YEARS, AND THAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF WATER HAS  HAD A VERY APPROPRIATE AND VERY SUCCESSFUL GOVERNANCE  SYSTEM.

THE LAND GRANTS ALSO HAVE  HAD A LONG HISTORY OF GOVERNANCE, VERY DEMOCRATIC,  VERY PARTICIPATORY.

>> Art: PARCIENTE IS WHAT  IT'S CALLED.

A PARCIENTE, WHEN IT COMES  TO A DITCH, IS A PERSON WHO HAS A PIECE OF LAND THAT  NEEDS IRRIGATING.

SO THEY NEEDED A MAYORDOMO T  OVERSEE THAT.

>> Laura: THEY WORKED WITH  THE CARSON NATIONAL FOREST, WROTE A GRANT PROPOSAL,  BASED BYLAWS ON ACEQUIAS AND LAND GRANTS, AND THEY  CREATED THE CERRO NEGRO FOREST COUNCIL.

HERE, THERE ARE ALMOST 300 ACRES OF PINON, JUNIPER AND  SAGE FOREST LANDS BETWEEN THE VILLAGES OF SAN  CRISTOBOL AND VALDEZ THAT NEED TO BE TREATED.

THINNED SO THAT THE FOREST IS HEALTHIER, SO IT’S CLOSER  TO HOW IT WAS BEFORE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENTED  FIRE SUPPRESSION POLICIES.

>> J.R.: OUR PROJECT IN  PARTICULAR IS DESIGNED TO REMOVE FUELS THAT OTHERWISE  WOULD REALLY RAMP UP AND SUPERCHARGE FIRE BEHAVIOR  WERE WE TO SEE A FIRE OCCUR IN THIS AREA.

>> Laura: WHEN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT STOPPED LETTING  FORESTS BURN, THEY BECAME OVERCROWDED WITH SMALLER  TREES ALL COMPETING FOR WATER AND SUNLIGHT AND  BECOMING ADDITIONAL FUEL FOR WILD FIRES, FEEDING THEM  ALONG WITH DROUGHT AND RISING TEMPERATURES TO BURN  HOTTER AND BIGGER THAN IN THE PAST.

>> J.R.: THIS ISN'T A RESTORATION PROJECT LIKE YOU  MIGHT SEE IN PONDEROSA PINE WHERE WE'RE TRULY RESTORING  AN ECOSYSTEM TO A PLACE THAT IT WAS MILLENNIA AGO.

RATHER, THIS IS RESTORATION FOR THE BENEFIT OF PEOPLE,  BUT ALSO THE BENEFIT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE SENSE  THAT WE'RE PREVENTING WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE AN  UNCHARACTERISTIC FIRE, ESPECIALLY AS WE SEE, YOU  KNOW, THE CLIMATE GETTING WARMER, HOTTER AND DRIER  OVER THE LONG RUN.

>> Laura: THE FOREST  SERVICE AND THE COUNCIL DIVIDED THE FOREST HERE INTO  ONE-ACRE BLOCKS AND ASSIGNED THEM TO LEÑEROS, OR WOOD  CUTTERS.

TREES TO REMAIN ARE MARKED,  AND THE OTHERS CAN BE CUT.

A MAYORDOMO OVERSEES THE  WORK AND LEÑEROS CAN USE THE WOOD AT HOME OR SELL IT, AND  THE COUNCIL PAYS THEM $300 AN ACRE FOR THEIR WORK.

THAT’S LESS THAN WHAT THE FOREST SERVICE PAYS  CONTRACTORS.

AND ALTHOUGH THE WORK CAN BE  SLOWER, IT’S A MODEL FOR OTHER PLACES, TOO.

ALREADY COUNCILS HAVE POPPED UP IN SOUTHERN TAOS COUNTY.

>> Richard: MY ROLE IN THIS IS I'M BASICALLY THE LEÑERO,  THE GUY THAT CUTS IT AND BUCKS IT, TAKES IT HOME,  CHOPS IT UP, AND I USE IT FOR HEATING MY HOME.

IT'S MY SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR HEATING BACK AT THE HOUSE.

BUT, YEAH, I'VE BEEN ON THIS AND I'VE ALREADY  ACCOMPLISHED THREE ONE-ACRE BLOCKS, AND I'M CURRENTLY  WORKING JUST ABOUT FINISHING UP MY FOURTH, AND I'VE GOT  YET ANOTHER ONE THAT I'VE BEEN ASSIGNED THAT I'VE GOT  TO GET STARTED ON AND TRY TO GET THAT DONE BEFORE THE END  OF THE WINTER.

>> Richard: HAVING TO DRIVE  15 MINUTES AS OPPOSED TO TWO HOURS TO GET A GOOD LOAD OF  THE BEST WOOD THAT I CAN SAY THERE IS TO BURN, PINON,  THIS IS AWESOME.

I'M REALLY GLAD THIS OPENED  UP, BECAUSE I WAS GETTING KIND OF WORRIED ABOUT  FINDING PLACES TO GO GET WOOD.

>> Laura: FOR LOGAN AND LEÑEROS LIKE CORDOVA, THEIR  TIME IN THE FOREST ISN'T JUST ABOUT CUTTING WOOD,  IT'S ABOUT CONNECTING WITH THE PAST AND SPENDING TIME  WITH FAMILY.

>> Richard: SOMETIMES I  JUST COME OUT HERE AND JUST SIT AROUND.

I WORK REALLY SLOW.

AND I'M   ALWAYS LOOKING FOR DEER, OF COURSE.

NOW THAT IT'S SO OPEN, AFTER THEY'VE CLEANED THIS UP, YOU  CAN REALLY SEE MORE OF AN ABUNDANCE OF DEER THAN WHAT  WE USED TO IN THE PAST.

>> Laura: HISTORICALLY THE  RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE AND  COMMUNITIES IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO HAS BEEN FRAUGHT, TO  SAY THE LEAST.

THE FEDERAL AGENCY TOOK OVER  COMMON LANDS WHEN IT WAS FORMED IN THE EARLY 20th  CENTURY, PUSHING PEOPLE OFF THEIR GRAZING LANDS AND  HUNTING GROUNDS, REQUIRING PERMITS FOR WOOD CUTTING AND  PINON GATHERING, CLOSING ACCESS TO THE FORESTS PEOPLE  HAD VISITED FOR GENERATIONS.

THIS COUNCIL IS A STEP  TOWARD HEALING NOT JUST THE LAND, BUT COMMUNITIES.

>> Art: I THINK THIS SITUATION RIGHT NOW IS  REALLY NICE IN THIS RESPECT THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH THE  FOREST SERVICE.

THE FOREST SERVICE IS  COOPERATING WITH US, WE'RE COOPERATING WITH THEM, AND  THINGS ARE GETTING DONE.

IN SOME CASES, NOT IN ALL  CASES, IS WHERE A FAMILY COMES OUT, YOU KNOW, A MOM  AND DAD AND THEY BRING TWO OR THREE KIDS WITH THEM, AND  THEY'RE ALL HELPING.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, THEY  TAKE THEIR LITTLE BREAKS FOR THEIR LITTLE LUNCH OR  WHATEVER, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, AMAZING.

IT'S LIKE NICE.

>> Laura: BEING A LEÑERO IS  HARD WORK, BUT THERE’S AN ART TO IT, TOO.

AND JOY AT  BEING HOME IN THE FOREST.

>> Richard: WELL, LET'S SAY  THIS.

THIS, IN A SENSE, IS A  RANCHO, RIGHT?

RANCHO DE LEÑA DE PIÑON.

SO WHY DON’T WE SAY: (SINGING IN SPANISH)  ALLÁ EN EL RANCHO GRANDE, ALLÁ DONDE VIVÍA.

HABÍA UNA  RANCHERITA, QUE ALEGRE ME DECÍA.

QUE ALEGRE ME DECÍA.

THERE YOU GO.

FROM THERE ON, IT COSTS A  DOLLAR!

[LAUGHING]  >> Laura: FOR 'OUR LAND' AND NEW MEXICO InFOCUS,  I'M LAURA PASKUS.