Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps, a program of Conservation Legacy
Grants Awarded
The Hiking Club program of Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps aims to reconnect Indigenous elementary-aged youth in the Pueblo of Acoma with their ancestral lands and culture, fostering exploration and curiosity. Through guided field trips and excursions, participants gain a deeper understanding of their heritage, benefiting both the youth and the local community by promoting cultural revitalization and stewardship of the land.
The Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC) Hiking Club program provides engaging outdoor activities and cultural lessons to Indigenous elementary and middle school aged children during summer. The program facilitates guided trips and activities such as hiking, wildlife viewing, traditional agriculture and local cultural lessons that promote exploration and deeper connection to ancestral lands, augmented relationship building, and life skills development. The club runs multiple two-week sessions throughout the summer, using funds from the Outdoor Equity Fund to train and support local leaders in creating holistic, regionally relevant program plans and in purchasing necessary supplies to ensure a safe, enjoyable, and culturally enriching experience for the youth.
In harmonize with local values, the Mescalero Apache community plans to establish well-designed trail systems guided by a locally hired coordinator who will facilitate community involvement, asses trail needs, and serve as liaison among different organizations associated with the initiative. By engaging all segments of the community, from youth to elders, to identify a suitable location for trail development and ascertain their desires regarding trail utilization and design, a cohesive vision for a safe, accessible, diversified, and sustainable trail network will be developed. The finalized plan positions the project for successful grant application for future trail building, by presenting a coherent trail blueprint grounded in community priorities, and showcasing preparedness for construction.
Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps was created in 2008 by Indigenous community leaders in the Pueblo of Acoma with the vision of bringing our Nations back to ecological and cultural well-being by engaging underrepresented Indigenous youth and young adults in conservation service programs that reconnect participants to the land, their cultural heritage, and their traditions. By partnering with local community organizations, agencies, and institutes of higher learning to create paid service and career training opportunities, personal and professional development, and pathways to postsecondary education and employment, ALCC seeks to increase the access of historically marginalized Indigenous communities to mental health resources, higher education, and high-paying culturally connected employment opportunities. This holistic and trauma-informed program design is necessary for the healing and rejuvenation of our communities, who have consistently identified cultural connection and youth engagement as a high priority. In partnership and collaboration with Tribal Administration, community leadership, and local advocacy, ALCC currently operates one office in Arizona in the Hopi Tribe and four offices in New Mexico located in Gallup serving the Navajo Nation, in Albuquerque to engage urban Indigenous youth, in the Pueblos of Acoma and Zuni, and next year will be hiring its first coordinator from the Pueblo of Isleta to begin focused operations in the community. Each of these offices are operated by staff who are members of the same communities they seek to serve and carry the local and cultural connections to ensure alignment with community values. By adapting the traditional conservation corps model to best serve its communities through local operations on Tribal land, ALCC has been able to meet participants where they are to provide healing outdoor recreation opportunities and culturally aligned programming for the next generation of Indigenous leaders.