Origins
First, some clarification: FOSM began not as “Friends of the Sandia Mountains” but as “New Mexico Friends of the Forest,” which was incorporated by co-founder Sam Beard as a non-profit corporation on April 7, 1997.
The articles of incorporation state:
New Mexico Friends of the Forest is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to working in partnership with the United States Forest Service and other groups and individuals to maintain, protect, and restore the natural, cultural, and scenic resources of New Mexico’s forest lands for the enjoyment and use of present and future generations. Our focus is on conservation and education activities within the Sandia and Mountainair Ranger Districts of the Cibola National Forest and adjacent lands.
Sam prepared a document in 2006 describing the history and operating procedures of the organization as well as the reason for the name change. According to Sam, the new name “Friends of the Sandia Mountains” was adopted “…to better reflect the mission of the organization and reduce the possibility of confusing the Friends with other organizations having similar names.”
The name “Friends of the Sandia Mountains” was trademarked in late 2004, but the legal name of the organization was not changed, which is why you’ll see the original name when using PayPal to pay your membership dues or donate.
Sam’s document summarizes the organizational details found in the articles of incorporation including:
- Bylaws
- Election of officers and board of directors
- 501(c)(3) status
The document also discusses the following:
- Reasons for our different fiscal (October – September) and membership (January-December) years
- Monthly general meetings
- Board meetings
- Relationship with Sandia Ranger District
- Memberships
- Annual newsletter
- Communications
- Projects
- Volunteer training and certification
FOSM typically has over 100 members including active participants and individuals who support the organization financially or otherwise but don’t participate in activities.
Not all volunteers supporting Sandia Ranger District are members of FOSM.
Sam and fellow co-founder Don Carnicom remain active members of the organization.
Annual Newsletter
In addition to his management of FOSM projects, Sam edits the annual newsletter, which reviews major events and accomplishments over the past 12 months. The newsletter is distributed to all FOSM members as a Word document.
Copies of newsletters since 2007 are available here.
Lou Romero Explains why we Store our Tools in the FOSM Guard Station Rather than a Tool Shed
Those of us who work on one (or more) of the weekly crews are very appreciative of the neatly organized building in which we store our large collection of tools and supplies. Some have heard old-timers like Sam Beard tell the story of how the building itself was a gift and how Sandia Ranger District provided the land upon which it is installed. Joele Hertel and Sam recently brought electical power into the building and added new racks to better organize the many valuable tools that are stored within it.
Not many of us, however, know the story of why we call it a Guard Station rather than a tool shed. Lou Romero has captured this story in a 5-page document that you can read by clicking on the image below. He also has provided a very personal account of why the term means so much to him.
