FOSM continues to support the partnership between the Forest Service and Talking Talons Youth Leadership/Youth Conservation Corps (TTYL/YCC) whose goal is building “… a collaborative, cohesive and multi-disciplinary continuum of mentorship and support for local youth who are passionate about tackling climate change and pursuing conservation work, including: job and life skills training; youth development resources; leadership opportunities; climate change education; and social action projects.”
June 2025 – Talking Talons Youth Leadership (TTYL) Members Assist FOSM with Restoration of Kiwanis Meadow Fence and Other Projects
June means it time for us old-timers to once again enjoy being around a delightful group of hard-working young adults. Each year at about this time Talking Talons Youth Leadership (TTYL), Sandia Ranger District, and FOSM partner to provide an opportunity for a half-dozen or so TTYL participants to gain boots-on-the-ground experience working in the Cibola National Forest. This year’s activities have focused on a major project to restore dilapidated fencing around Kiwanis Meadow on Sandia Crest. Click on a date below to read the project report for that activity. Click on a photo to enlarge it.
- May 29, 2025 – Lou Romero, FOSM’s youth outreach coordinator, held a training workshop with this year’s TTYL crew.
- May 30, 2025 – A trailer-truck load of pressure-treated materials for the Kiwanis Meadow buck-and-rail fence restoration project arrived at the Sandia Ranger Station. Joelle Hertel, FOSM Special Projects Lead, ordered these materials and associated hardware from United Wood Products in Longmont, Colorado, at a cost of approximately $13,000. FOSM was able to purchase these materials thanks to a generous bequest from the estate of Dr. Charles Wood.
- May 31, 2025 – FOSM volunteers and SRD fire fighters fabricated bucks for the fence at the FOSM Guard Station.
- June 3, 2025 – TTYL crew members fabricated bucks for new Kiwanis Meadow fence.
- June 4 – TTYL crew members helped SRD personnel Manny Chavez and Canyon Young load prefabricated materials onto FS trucks and trailer, haul to the job site, and unload. Construction of the fence began.
- June 5, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped the FOSM trail construction crew led by Laura Leon perform trail improvements in the Kiwanis Meadow area.
- June 9, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped Joelle and Sam Beard stage materials, install sections of the new fence, and obliterate old user trails through the meadow.
- June 10, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped Joelle and Sam Beard stage materials, install sections of the new fence, and obliterate old user trails through the meadow.
- June 11, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped the FOSM general projects crew and Kaitlin Velarde (SRD intern) complete installation of most of the new fence.
- June 12, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped Laura Leon and the FOSM trail construction crew extend the Wagon Trail in Sulphur Canyon Picnic Area.
- June 16, 2025 – The TTYL crew assisted Joelle Hertel and Sam Beard with several small tasks on the last day of the Kiwanis Meadow Fence Project.
The TTYL crew will work with FOSM through Wednesday, June 18.
June 3, 2025 – TTYL crew members fabricated bucks for new Kiwanis Meadow fence.
June 5, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped the FOSM trail construction crew led by Laura Leon perform trail improvements in the Kiwanis Meadow area.
June 9, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped Joelle and Sam Beard stage materials, install sections of the new fence, and obliterate old user trails through the meadow.
June 10, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped Joelle and Sam Beard stage materials, install sections of the new fence, and obliterate old user trails through the meadow.
June 11, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped the FOSM general projects crew and Kaitlin Velarde (SRD intern) complete installation of most of the new fence.
June 12, 2025 – TTYL crew members helped Laura Leon and the FOSM trail construction crew extend the Wagon Trail in Sulphur Canyon Picnic Area.
June 16, 2025 – The TTYL crew assisted Joelle Hertel and Sam Beard with several small tasks on the last day of the Kiwanis Meadow Fence Project.
June 2024 – Talking Talons Youth Leadership (TTYL) Members Assist FOSM with Several Projects
Again this summer FOSM members enjoyed mentoring future environment and climate science leaders from the Talking Talons Youth Leadership program. FOSM members Joelle Hertel, Lou Romero, and Sam Beard developed a program that kept the young people engaged in vigorous and educational activities in the forest from June 4 through June 20. FOSM project leaders unanimously describe the youth as enthusiastic and hard working. We look forward to next year.
Bucking, Splitting, and Hauling Donation Firewood
On June 5 and 12, TTYL members helped FOSM’s Wednesday crew buck, split, and haul donation wood previously felled at the top of the ski area and in Sulphur Springs Picnic Area. Photos from these activities are shown below.
June 5 Photos
June 12 Photos
Restoring and Rerouting Trails
On June 6 and 13, TTYL members helped the trail construction crew build a new trail section reconnecting the recently rerouted 10K North and Osha Loop Trails. Photos provided by Laura Leon.
On June 20, the TTYL group spent their last day with FOSM this year helping refurbish Acequia Trail.
Other Activities
June 4 – Joelle led the TTYL crew in making improvements in the Juan Tabo Picnic Area including starting to fill a seemingly bottomless latrine build by the CCC in the 1930s with sand from a nearby arroyo.
June 10 – On this rainy day, the TTYL crew practiced using a few different crosscut saws in the SRD vehicle parking shed behind the shop. Sam also discussed the operation of chain saws and demonstrated removal of the bar and chain. In the afternoon, the crew viewed a local USFS video about wildlife drinkers in the large conference room in the Ranger Station.
June 11 – The group returned to the Juan Tabo Picnic Area. Half accompanied Joelle to move more sand into the latrine. The other half helped Sam remove several large graffiti tags in the stone shelter and on three large boulders near the restroom above the stone shelter. After lunch, the crew hiked up the short canyon east of the La Luz Trailhead parking lot. From here they hiked up and around boulders to the CCC dam that was covered with blue characters outlined with silver paint. The tags were partially removed so that the characters could not be read.
June 12 – TTYL group helped inspect Tree Spring wildlife drinker (photos by Sam Beard).
June 17 – TTYL group helped inspect the Cedro wildlife drinker (photos by Dan Benton).
June 18 – TTYL group helped Anne Hickman and Joelle paint stripes on parking lots at the Crest and picnic areas.
June 2023 – Talking Talons Youth Leadership/Youth Conservation Corps Members assist FOSM with Several Projects
After a one-year hiatus, the Forest Service and Talking Talons Youth Leadership partnership resumed. FOSM was privileged to work with an industrious crew of 7 youth lead by Jared Moyers. Other TTYL members were Kineo Memmer, Assistant Crew Leader, Olivia Lopez, Ella Cook, Levi Gloetzner, Mari Salley, and Robbie Larrison.
Four principles were emphasized in training the TTYL crew members: safety, teamwork, work ethics and leadership. Working with TTYL provided an excellent cross-generational, collaborative experience.
Jenny (L) with (back) Jared, Kineo, Mari, (front) Olivia, Ella, Robbie, Levi
September 24-25, 2021 – Talking Talons Youth Leadership/Youth Conservation Corps Assists FOSM in Graffiti Removal at CCC Water System Canyon
In the 1930s, the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) constructed Juan Tabo Picnic Area and included an extensive water system. They constructed a large concrete cistern about 100 feet east of La Luz Trailhead parking lot with buried galvanized pipes connecting it to the water source up the canyon about 1/5 mile. The water source was a dam reservoir located just above an eleven-foot waterfall. The reservoir behind the dam is now filled with silt. Recently the Sandia Ranger District (SRD) found graffiti at two locations in the canyon and requested that FOSM remove them. The TTYL/YCC (Talking Talons) crew worked with FOSM on Friday and Saturday, and their project for these days was removal of this graffiti.
The graffiti removal chemical is applied three times with a waiting period of 3 minutes between the applications to give time for the chemical to dissolve the paint. Frequently, it helps to scrub the wet area with brushes with plastic bristles to improve the removal of the paint. After the paint is dissolved, the chemical and paint mixture is removed by applying water with a brush or the FOSM battery-powered low-pressure washer. Usually, it is not possible to remove all the graffiti; therefore, some color remains on the stone as you will see in the photographs below. A few gallons of the chemical and water were carried by the volunteers from the parking lot to the site of the graffiti.
FOSM members working on this project were Jerry Pekarek and Sam Beard. Talking Talons crew members were Seth Castillo, Rios Fernandez, Orion Francis, Blake Dimon, and Caleb Castillo.
at the west end of the CCC water system cistern
September 22, 2021 – Talking Talons Youth Leadership/Youth Conservation Corps Assists FOSM in Clearing Brush at Capulin Snow Play Area
Seth Castillo mowing snow play area
FOSM volunteers and Talking Talons Youth Leadership/Youth Conservation Corps (TTYL/YCC) crew members mowed the Capulin Snow Play Area (SPA) sledding slopes and completed cutting brush in the parking lot traffic island. Manny Chavez, Sandia Ranger District Maintenance Supervisor, hauled the large self-propelled mowing machines to Capulin SPA and taught the TTYL/YCC crew members how to safely operate them. Manny and the crew members mowed the old and new sledding slopes.
The TTYL/YCC crew members were Seth Castillo, Caleb Castilla, Skyler Mund, and Blaze Dimon. FOSM members were Cliff Giles, Sam Beard, Steve Roholt, Jerry Carroll, and Eric Russell.