Projects

Upper Pecos Watershed Association

Contact Information:
OSM/VISTA: Rachel Folk
Supervisor: Doug Jeffords
Address: PO Box 489, Pecos, NM 87552
Phone: (505) 757-3600
Email: rachel_fo AT yahoo DOT com
US Congressional District: 3
County: San Miguel

Description of Organization and Mission:

The UPWA is a community-based grassroots organization with a common interest in protecting, maintaining and improving the health of the watershed and the local economy and cultures. Additional purposes of the UPWA are:

• To provide information about the watershed and provide a forum for discussion and development of strategies to meet recreational needs, honor historical uses, and improve the health of the watershed.
• To seek funding to improve the condition and management of the Upper Pecos Watershed through the implementation of the Watershed Restorative Action Strategy, educational outreach, and hands-on restoration projects.
• To organize volunteer projects such as river clean-ups and field trips that engage stakeholders and anyone with an active interest in benefiting the watershed.
• To engage in a process of improving the health of the river itself through monitoring issues of turbidity, excessive nutrient levels and temperatures.
• To collaborate with other groups vested in the protecting the Upper Pecos Watershed.

Goal of OSM/VISTA in the Upper Pecos Watershed Association:

As a pioneer OSM/VISTA for the Upper Pecos Watershed Association, Rachel is responsible for organizing and coordinating programs and events to promote awareness and raise funds for the watershed. The OSM/VISTA will be responsible for helping with the organization of bi-annual river clean-ups and celebrations of the river that are organized by the UPWA. She will be fostering collaborations between UPWA and other area watershed and environmental groups for joint projects to protect and rehabilitate the Pecos River, its riparian areas, and its tributaries.

The OSM/VISTA is responsible for working with the Watershed Watch program coordinated by RiverSource, Inc. and the local Pecos Independent School district to monitor water quality of the Pecos River with the students. She will be teaching children the importance of clean water and the relevance of temperature and turbidity in certain impaired stretches of the Pecos River and how those relate to fish and wildlife habitat.

Rachel is also involved in the progress of grants that the UPWA has received, including a River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative grant and a Collaborative Forest Restoration Program grant. Furthermore, finding other grant opportunities and developing methods of fundraising is a responsibility for the OSM/VISTA.

The OSM/VISTA will also be involved in the status and updates in the newly-formed Pecos Canyon State Park. Working with government entities and other non-profits to ensure its success is vital. Meeting with local, county, and state elected government officials to discuss the importance of preserving the Upper Pecos Watershed is also a task to be undertaken by the OSM/VISTA.