NMVFO plans 20+ volunteer work projects each year. Click here for a printable overview of the 2024 project season, and check back often for additional information posted as it becomes available. To receive updates and detailed information about upcoming projects and events, be sure to sign up for the NMVFO newsletter on the Home page. Public land agencies that are interested in proposing a project should contact our Projects Team (projects@nmvfo.org) for more information and our easy-to-complete project proposal form.
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Juan Tomas (ABQ Open Space)
September 10, 2022 @ 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Contact Leader(s): Larry Benson, L.Benson@nmvfo.org with any questions.
RESULTS: Fifteen NMVFO volunteers and two Open Space staff members built 1/3 mile of new trail through the forest in this popular recreation area. The day’s work included clearing and leveling a smooth well-drained tread, digging and chopping out more than 20 tree stumps plus numerous roots and saplings, and sawing or lopping branches intruding on the trail. (OS employees had previously laid out the route with pin flags and the felled largest trees with a chain saw.)
Description: (This project has been rescheduled from August 20 because of weather.) Albuquerque’s Open Space Division maintains five areas on the east side of the Sandia and Manzanita Mountains. The largest of these is the Juan Tomas Open Space, which encompasses 1,290 acres of primarily piñon-juniper and ponderosa forest growing at elevations up to 7,760 feet. We will be using a variety of tools to clear vegetation and excavate the forest floor to create about a half mile of new trail that is a part of a larger 1.1 mile trail reroute. Construction of some rock retaining walls may also be required. We will hike in about a mile on mostly level ground to the work site. Participants should wear sturdy boots or work shoes (no sandals or soft shoes), long pants, hats, and other apparel appropriate for the predicted weather, especially rain gear. Also bring work gloves and a day pack with water, snacks, a light lunch, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and other personal items. We expect to finish by 3:30 PM, but volunteers are welcome to leave earlier if necessary.
Meeting Place: From Albuquerque, take the Tijeras exit (#175) off Interstate 40 and drive south on State Highway 337 for 9 miles (passing by Juan Tomas Road). Turn east (left) on Oak Flat Road. Continue for about 3 miles (a half mile beyond a dirt parking lot with a pipe gate). Turn into the gravel parking lot on the left side of the road as shown in this satellite view.
Difficulty: 
Group Size: 20 (if the project fills again the waitlist will be reopened)
Sign up below. One person per signup.
For more information: If this is your first NMVFO project, you can find more information about difficulty ratings and what to expect at Volunteer FAQ, or email the project leader.
Please read our Volunteer Guidelines before signing up for this project.