For the bees and butterflies
The mission of the Camino Land Trust is to conserve and protect land in New Mexico for the benefit of native pollinator species, such as bees, butterflies, wasps, moths, and other vital species.
Through land stewardship, we strive to foster habitats that support the health and biodiversity of pollinators, enhance the ecological resilience of our landscapes, and ensure that these essential ecosystems continue to thrive for generations to come.
Supporting vital pollinators
New Mexico has over 3,000 species of native pollinator insects and an equally diverse number of native flower species.
Native plant communities and their pollinators are closely interdependent. Camino Land Trust aims to have several ongoing projects dedicated to supporting these vital pollinators and their associated flowers.
Research indicates that native bees can fill the ‘pollination gap’ caused by to the global decline in honeybees due to Colony Collapse Disorder. Growing flowering plants to help sustain our native wild bees is thus incredibly important, because these insects pollinate approximately 75% of the crops in this country.
New Mexico lists 235 plant species as rare and imperiled, with 103 species that are considered globally imperiled, and 109 species that occur only in New Mexico and nowhere else in the world. New Mexico’s rare and imperiled species include 13 federally listed species, 45 plant species listed as endangered in the State of New Mexico, 51 species listed as sensitive by the Bureau of Land Management, and 75 species listed as sensitive by the Forest Service.
Camino Land Trust will focus on these species in its conservation and habitat regeneration practices.
Cut Flowers to Bring Joy
Additionally, Camino Land Trust grows pollinator friendly, low-water, good for the soil perennial flowers that are used in bouquets and donated to nursing homes, hospitals, and other organizations to bring joy to people’s lives.
These flowers capture carbon in the soil, reduce water consumption, create sustainable and local jobs, and bring beauty into the world. By providing habitat for native bees and building healthy soils, we hope to serve as a research hub to understand how to grow cut flowers that are less water intensive and more resilient to drought, extreme weather events, and wildfires—all of which will be increasing in the future.
The traditional cut-flower industry has an extremely bad environmental impact—pollution, pesticides, large carbon footprints, and dangerous labor conditions.
As people begin to realize how environmentally damaging their beautiful cut flowers are, there will be a bigger shift toward buying local. We aim to be at the forefront of this movement.
A Place to Gather
Camino Land Trust also hosts art, science, and food residencies on the flower farm, so that we can inspire others and gather in community, helping to create a more regenerative and thriving world.
If you would like to donate or request more information, please reach out here