The First Steps in the Process
The view looking south from Ridgeline Road.
A Resource Survey
The very first task of all is to understand the land. One aspect of that is to gather the raw data about the bones of the land itself. We put the following kinds of information into that category:
- Site Hydrology: underground & surface water resources
- Geologic Data: soil types, soil analysis, topography & fault lines
- Plant Communities: existing and potential, given resources and proper practices
- Human Resources: local community organizations and trades people
- Maps: survey, aerial photograph, topographic and GIS resources
More Than Just Data
The next category of information is more subtle, but just as important. It requires that one, or better, more than one, observe what is most beautiful about a place. Do you know where the elk will lounge on a hot afternoon, or where there will always be a cool summer breeze? Do you know where the land will protect its last drop of water at the end of a long drought? What locations are people drawn to?
Identifying these subtleties provides more design input. We use this information to intensify the beauty of a place, or at the very least not interfere with it. The design wraps itself around what is naturally beautiful and it does not just impose a grid of development. The effect over time is to magnify what is beautiful and appealing, and use the rest to intensify those qualities by setting them properly within the whole.
Agriculture in Rio Arriba County
The County Comprehensive Plan emphasizes agricultural use. However, only less than 1% of the workforce in Rio Arriba County, or around 200 people, are currently engaged in farming, fishing or forestry. If you add hunting and mining to the mix there are still less than 450 people in the County employed in these areas. (link to source)
If the County Comprehensive Plan is any indication, there is an interest in returning to the community's agricultural roots. In Rio Arriba County, and other rural areas, it is nearly impossible for people who engage in single use ranching or farming to make their land profitable. As a result, people naturally focus where there is opportunity, in health care, construction, education, real estate, and government jobs.
We found the most important agricultural resource in the area to be the cultural memory and the land itself. A cooperative system for weaving, grazing, and water allocation still exists. There is a tradition in Rio Arriba County that values agriculture and it is a place where people understand that the land can provide.
The area needs a business model that works. Yellow Hills Ranch is one attempt to create a profitable agricultural/ecotourism model. Only if profitable models can be found will it be practical to revive an agricultural economy. If not, no amount of planning can make agriculture in Rio Arriba County work. Read more on agriculture here.
