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Juan Tomas (ABQ Open Space)

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.)

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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.

Juan Tomas Follow Up 2 (ABQ Open Space)

RESULTS: Seven NMVFO volunteers joined three CABQ Open Space Division personnel to complete finish-work on a new trail connector in Juan Tomas Open Space. A retaining wall was built, and countless stumps and roots removed!

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Description: This is the first of two projects this week, a continuation of building new trail in Juan Tomas Open Space, south of Tijeras. Directions to the meeting location will be provided to those who sign up. All tools will be provided. Required: work gloves and eye protection (sunglasses). Please wear sturdy boots and bring a daypack with lunch, snacks, water and sunblock. Masks are not required, but please have one handy in your pack. A hat is highly recommended, and raingear if rain is in the forecast. As a reminder, pets are not allowed on NMVFO projects.

Please sign up below by Tuesday, September 7.

Hope to see you there!

Difficulty:

Group Size: 15

For more information: If this is your first NMVFO project, you can find more information about difficulty ratings and what to expect at our Volunteer FAQ’s, or email the project leader.

Juan Tomas Follow Up 1 (ABQ Open Space)

RESULTS: Nine NMVFO volunteers worked with two CABQ Open Space Division personnel to continue building a trail connector in Juan Tomas Open Space which was started in August.

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Description: This is the first of two projects this week, a continuation of building new trail in Juan Tomas Open Space, south of Tijeras. Directions to the meeting location will be provided to those who sign up. All tools will be provided. Required: work gloves and eye protection (sunglasses). Please wear sturdy boots and bring a daypack with lunch, snacks, water and sunblock. Masks are not required, but please have one handy in your pack. A hat is highly recommended, and raingear if rain is in the forecast. As a reminder, pets are not allowed on NMVFO projects.

Please sign up below by Sunday, September 5.

Hope to see you there!

Difficulty: 1 Pulaski

Group Size: 15

For more information: If this is your first NMVFO project, you can find more information about difficulty ratings and what to expect at our Volunteer FAQ’s, or email the project leader.

Juan Tomas (ABQ Open Space)

RESULTS: Sixteen NMVFO volunteers and five Open Space Division personnel completed the central section of a new connector trail through the forest on the eastern edge of the 1300-acre Juan Tomas Open Space in the Manzanita Mountains. Volunteers removed grass, shrubs, roots, and levelled ground to create a 2-foot wide tread along. Although most of the route was flat, they carved a bench on about 60 feet of slopping terrain and build one rock retaining wall.

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Albuquerque’s Open Space Division maintains five areas east of the Sandia and Manzanita Mountains. The largest of these is the Juan Tomas Open Space, which encompasses 1,290 acres of primarily pinon-juniper and ponderosa forest growing at elevations up to 7,760 feet. It lies adjacent to the Sandia Ranger District’s Oak Flat Group Picnic Area and an extensive multi-use trail network.

Description: 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 will connect two existing trails. Construction of rock retaining walls may be included. The hikes to and from the ends of the new trail will average about a mile over mostly level terrain. 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 if the Monsoon season is active. Also bring work gloves and a day pack with water, snacks, lunch, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and personal items. We will likely finish before 4:00 pm, but if not volunteers are welcome to leave earlier if necessary.

Check in August for our latest pandemic precautions at COVID-19 Protocols. If the project becomes full, you can email Larry to be put on a waitlist. Update(s) with more details will be sent to registrants before the project.

Meeting Place: Take the Tijeras exit (#175) from 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 driving for about 2.5 miles. Turn into the dirt parking area on the left side of the road (in front of a pipe gate) as shown in this satellite view: Link to Map

Difficulty: 2 Pulaskis

Group Size: up to 20

For more information: If this is your first NMVFO project, you can find more information about difficulty ratings and what to expect at our Volunteer FAQ’s, or email the project leader.

Please read our volunteer guidelines before signing up for this project.

Juan Tomas Small Group Project Continued

RESULTS: During this weekday project, six NMVFO volunteers improved drainage, re-benched one section, and removed small stumps and roots from more than a quarter mile of existing trail.

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Juan Tomas Small Group Project

RESULTS: A group of five volunteers spent a half day at Juan Tomas Open Space. They removed berms along the edge of the trail as requested by CABQ OSD. They also removed 10 stumps and roots from the trail and built 9 drainage features.

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Juan Tomas (ABQ Open Space)

RESULTS: Fourteen NMVFO volunteers joined five staff members of the Albuquerque Open Space Division to clear and construct 1,425 feet of new trail through a forested area of the Juan Tomas Open Space in the Manzanita Mountains.

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Description: Albuquerque’s Open Space Division maintains five areas east of the Sandia and Manzanita Mountains. See https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreation/open-space/lands/east-mountain-open-space. The largest of these is the Juan Tomas Open Space, which encompasses 1,290 acres of primarily piñon-juniper forest growing as high as 7,760 feet. It lies adjacent to the Sandia Ranger District’s extensive multi-use trail network.

To follow up on projects during the past 2 years, we will be using a variety of tools to clear vegetation and excavate the forest’s surface to create a smooth well-drained trail segment. No strenuous hiking will be involved. Participants should wear sturdy boots or work shoes (no sandals or soft shoes), long pants, long-sleeved shirts, hats, and other apparel appropriate for the predicted weather, especially rain gear if the monsoon season is active. Also bring work gloves and a day pack with water, snacks and lunch, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and personal items. We may finish before 4:00 pm; volunteers are also welcome to leave earlier if necessary.

Pandemic Precautions: We will be practicing social distancing with masks and other related protocols. Unfortunately, carpooling will be restricted to members of the same household, and the size of the workforce will be limited to 15 people. So sign up below as soon as possible to avoid being placed on a waiting list. An update with more details will be emailed to registrants shortly before the project.

Meeting Place: Take the Tijeras exit from Interstate 40, drive south on State Highway 337 for 9 miles (passing by Juan Tomas Road). Turn east (left) on Oak Flat Road. Continue east (past the Oak Flat Group Picnic Area) for about 1.8 miles. Turn into the gravel parking area on the left side of the road in front of a pipe gate as shown on this satellite view.

Difficulty: 1 Pulaski

Group Size: Up to 15

For more information: If this is your first NMVFO project, you can find more information about difficulty ratings and what to expect at https://nmvfo.org/volunteer/volunteer-faq, or email the project leader.

Juan Tomas ABQ Open Space

RESULTS: Seventeen NMVFO volunteers and four City of Albuquerque Open Space Division personnel built over a quarter mile of new trail and closed a slightly longer section of old eroding trail.

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August 24 @ 8:30 – 4:00 PM

Difficulty: 2 Pulaskis Contact Leader: Lawrence (Larry) Benson, LawRBenson@aol.com, 505-821-7999, to sign up.

In addition to its heavily used recreational areas within Albuquerque, the City’s Open Space Division also maintains five less-visited public lands east of the Sandia and Manzanita Mountains. See https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreation/open-space/lands/east-mountain-open-space. The largest of these is the Juan Tomas Open Space, which encompasses 1,290 acres of primarily pinon-juniper forest growing as high as 7,760 feet. As shown on the lower right side of the following map, it lies adjacent to the Sandia Ranger District’s extensive multi-use trail network: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd555098.pdf.

Description: The goal of our project is to better connect the Juan Tomas Open Space to the Cibola National Forest’s heavily used Oak Flat Group Picnic Complex. We will be using a variety of trail-working tools to clear vegetation, remove rocks, and excavate soil to create about half a mile of smooth well-drained trail segments. Participants should wear sturdy boots or work shoes (no sandals or soft shoes), long pants, long-sleeved shirts, hats, and other apparel appropriate for the predicted weather, especially rain gear if the Monsoon season is active. Also bring work gloves if you have a pair (otherwise loaners will be available) and a day pack with water, snacks, a box lunch, sunscreen, and personal items. Depending on turnout, we may finish earlier than 4:00 pm, but volunteers are welcome to leave earlier if necessary. After we finish working, a VFO member and his wife who live close by have offered to serve some snacks and refreshments to interested volunteers. Additional guidance for new trail workers is available at https://nmvfo.org/volunteer/volunteer-faq/.

Directions: To reach the worksite, take the Tijeras exit from Interstate 40, drive south on State Highway 337 for 9 miles (passing by Juan Tomas Road). Turn east (left) on Oak Flat Road. Continue east (past the Oak Flat Group Picnic Area) for about 2.2 miles. Turn into the gravel parking lot in front of the gate on the north (left) side of the road, as shown here: https://www.google.com/maps/@34.998911,-106.3040672,116m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en