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Community Outreach
Over twelve years ago two northern Arizona ranching families — the Metzgers of the Flying M ranch and the Prossers of the Bar T Bar ranch — asked interested members of the surrounding community to collaborate with them in the ranch management process. This new openness to a working relationship among the ranches, the agencies, and community members led to the creation of the Diablo Trust.
The Diablo Trust strives to share information with our community and agency partners and beyond on various topics such as:
- ranch quality;
- forest encroachment on rangelands;
- riparian zones and water quality;
- rangeland recreation and education;
- eco-tourism;
- conflicting expectations among urban and rural publics about rural environment, asthetics and land use; and
- showing how a collaborative group can address and resolve controversial issues about range management.
Past community outreach projects and events have included:
- numerous presentations (including the famous skit by the Diablo Trust Players) to local, statewide and national groups;
- participation by members in on-going collaborative planning efforts (see Collaborators);
- development and implementation of a field based environmental education curriculum and subsequent educational video (see Education);
- invitations to performing, literary, and visual artists to the Diablo Trust area to interpret the land through their work (e.g., see Reflections of the Land);
- a meeting in the fall of 2004 with sixty members of the Garden Club of North America's Conservation and National Affairs & Legislation Committees for a day-long discussion on the challenges and opportunites of managing ranch land sustainability in the American Southwest (see Garden Club);
- an annual campout during which members and prospective members enjoy some history and some music as well as conversation and good food;
- receptivity to and encouragement of research and monitoring projects initiated by local universities;
- hosting land tours for community members wanting to learn more about this landscape and its ecological, economic and political promises and problems; and
- table exhibits and presentations at various community events.
Everyone is welcome to attend our monthly meetings and land tours. Check the calendar for a complete listing of public events.
Learning from the land and sharing our knowledge...
So there will always be a West.