About Us

The Western Hardrock Watershed Team (WHWT) is a program of the Southwest Conservation Corps, headquartered in Durango, Colorado which works with community/watershed improvement groups to confront the challenges that remain from historic mining in New Mexico and Colorado.  To help these organizations address environmental degradation and community impoverishment, we provide them with college-educated, full-time year-long AmeriCorps OSM/VISTA volunteers. Each community or watershed group agrees to support three years of OSM/VISTA volunteers. In return, each OSM/VISTAs pledges to assist with building the capacity of a community or watershed group for at least one year. These commitments ensure sustainability and long-term improvement at each WHWT site.

During their year of service, our OSM/VISTAs work with their groups to accomplish the five core goals of the team:

1. Build local capacity supporting environmental stewardship 
2. Promote environmental stewardship activities in rural communities
3. Engage economic redevelopment around environmental stewardship
4. Enhance outreach and education around environmental stewardship
5. Promote professional development for OSM/VISTA members

How We Work

Partnerships make the Western Hardrock Watershed Team work. Our OSM/VISTA members cooperate with one another, with regional and statewide agencies, and most importantly with  local community partners. These local leaders are the key to the long-term sustainability of our team’s projects.

The WHWT was created in 2006 through an innovative partnership between the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) and AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) at the request of the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety (DRMS). DRMS recognized the value in having a team of dedicated volunteers to build the capacity of local watershed groups. DRMS now provides a cost match for many of our sites.  In addition to OSM, AmeriCorps VISTA, DRMS, the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) has become an important partner. The SCC acts as a non-profit sponsor, assists with office space, and is a close collaborator.

To date the WHWT has placed over 50 OSM/VISTAs in over 25 watershed groups throughout Colorado and New Mexico.  The total contribution of time from these OSM/VISTA members exceeds 55 years of service to local communities. We are currently working on expansion into other states in the Rocky Mountain West with a history of hardrock mining.

OSM/VISTA Teams Coordinator, Dr. T Allan Comp

OSM/VISTA Teams Coordinator, Dr. T Allan Comp

The WHWT was founded and is coordinated by T. Allan Comp, PhD, of the OSM to emulate the successes of the Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team (ACCWT). Dr. Comp started the ACCWT in 2002 to provide rural Appalachian coal communities impoverished by the results of environmental degradation the help they needed to make their local watersheds healthier places to live and work. Before the ACCWT, the inspiration for these watershed teams and the beginning of his experience working with AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers stems from the non-profit which Dr. Comp originated and directed, the AMD&ART Project. A recipient of multiple awards, the AMD&ART Project continues to provide an example of innovative, multidisciplinary partnerships in reclamation and community revitalization.