Albuquerque, New Mexico — mano-Y-ola (mYo) is expanding its outreach in New Mexico with the relocation of Program Manager, Adrian Parrott. In his first three months in Albuquerque, Adrian has formed connections with natural resource conservation professionals, with the aim of strengthening support for Hispanic forest landowners across the state.
As Adrian drove across the United States in June 2023 and stopped for a meeting with Albuquerque-based State Conservationist, Xavier Montoya, he was impressed with the openness of Montoya to partner in tackling natural resource concerns. With the recent wildfires and subsequent watershed concerns, largely on Hispanic-owned forestland, mano-Y-ola’s offers to support through its Hispanic Forest Landowners Outreach (HFLO) Program were warmly welcomed. Furthermore, Adrian noted in the local U.S. Department of Agriculture professionals, a “dynamic attitude towards working with the populations that mano-Y-ola serves, the underserved landowners, due to the complexity of the state with all of its different identities that are allowed to exist and have representation,” including Native American reservation, Pueblo, and land grant governments. Add to this promising working environment Adrian’s own burgeoning love of this arid landscape, and he was soon making plans to relocate and establish a mYo office in New Mexico.
Outreach has gone swiftly for Adrian, stemming from his ethos of community and a priority for people and shared experiences over personal comfort. In March 2024, Adrian arrived in Albuquerque with a U-Haul carrying only a mattress and a few items. A friend of a friend arrived to help him unload and recommended he buy a mountain bike. This Adrian did within 24 hours, before purchasing a sofa or general necessities, and by the next weekend he had gone mountain biking and skiing with new friends, which astonishingly included members or employees of the Forest Stewards Guild, Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service. In the ensuing social meetups focused on outdoor activities such as rock climbing, Adrian met and befriended environmental consultants and other key federal natural resource professionals. Partnership creation and outreach pathways have formed naturally through trust built on friendship.
In the past, mYo has been one of the only experts in an area providing Hispanic forest landowner knowledge and support; not so in New Mexico. According to Adrian, New Mexico has “a lot of energy on the ground” with many active forest conservation and landowner support groups. mYo’s desire is not to duplicate efforts or be a competitor but to add value, for instance, through developing environmental market and carbon credit education. New Mexico presents the opportunity to work with knowledgeable partners to multiply effectiveness.
In this vein, Adrian has provided valuable insight and research for the CRP-TIP program in New Mexico. The Conservation Reserve Program Transition Incentives Program (CRP-TIP), administered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), helps landowners transition expiring CRP land to new farmers or ranchers, including beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged ones. As part of the “Expanding CRP-TIP Access to Hispanic Producers” initiative, this project assesses outreach practices targeting Hispanic farmers, identifies opportunities and challenges, and aims to enhance awareness and participation through optimized outreach and tailored technical assistance across key counties in the state. Adrian’s assistance with this program speaks to the partnerships mYo hopes to develop and support it wishes to extend in New Mexico.
To learn more about the Hispanic Forest Landowners Outreach Program and our work in New Mexico and beyond, visit our website at https://www.latinofarmersusa.com/forestry or reach out to Program Manager, Adrian Parrott, at adrian.parrott@mano-y-ola.com.
-written by Jessica Roqueburg
