Shared Stewardship
Effective beginning 06/04/2025: This website, and all linked websites under the control of the agency is under review and content may change.
Collaborative Approach to Land Management
Stewardship takes a collaborative approach to land management. An example of shared stewardship is when federal, state and tribal governments come together on challenges like wildfires, floods and invasive species, or to improve health. This collaborative approach to land management builds on a long history of partnerships to manage the nation's forests and grasslands.
Shared Stewardship in the Southwestern Region
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs sign a Shared Stewardship Agreement.
USDA Forest Service photo by Sam Unger.
On October 10, 2024, The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed a Shared Stewardship Agreement to strengthen collaboration between state and federal land management agencies in the State of Arizona.
The State of Arizona and the USDA Forest Service have a long and successful record of collaborating on efforts to improve forest health and resilience.
The agreement focuses on federal and state agencies working together to respond to land management challenges and concerns across Arizona forests.
The agreement builds on a 2020 Shared Stewardship Memorandum of Understanding, aimed at accelerating the pace and scale of projects like the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), and will assist the state and the Forest Service in their continued efforts to address the wildfire crisis in Arizona's high priority “firesheds”.
Additional Information
New Mexico State Forester, Laura McCarthy served as master of ceremony during the signing of the Shared Stewardship memorandum of understanding between the Forest Service and the state of New Mexico.
The Shared Stewardship agreement between New Mexico and the USDA Forest Service was signed in 2019. This agreement solidified a long-standing collaborative relationship between the Forest Service and New Mexico that establishes a framework to coordinate forest and watershed management and to reduce wildfire and other forest health risks in New Mexico.
In 2019, State of Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen signed an agreement for Shared Stewardship.
The Shared Stewardship agreement allows the Forest Service and the State of New Mexico to work across federal, state, and private boundaries to complete restoration projects. The Shared Stewardship agreement includes a commitment to government-to-government consultation and collaboration with tribes and pueblos where feasible.
We also recognize land grants, Hispanic communities, and acequias as essential participants.
- Story Map: A tribe’s journey toward establishing forest resiliency
- This Shared Stewardship agreement aligns with New Mexico’s 2020 Forest Action Plan.
Additional Information
Together we identified and mapped 10 priority landscapes to concentrate restoration work over the next decade. The top 10 priority landscapes were identified using science-based spatial data and local knowledge. These landscapes were selected based on areas where restoration work could help communities, forests, and watersheds become more resilient to wildfire, disease, and climate change.
New Mexico Shared Stewardship Priority Landscapes
- East Mountain Area
- Enchanted Circle
- Greater Santa Fe Fireshed
- Northwest Gila
- Rio Chama CFLRP
- Riparian Landscapes
- Southwest Jemez
- Sacramento Mountain
- Upper Mimbres/Pinos Altos
- Zuni Mountains
Priority Area Contacts
| Priority Area | NM State Forestry Division POC | FS POC |
|---|---|---|
| East Mountain Area | Lawrence Crane Bernalillo District Forester | Molly Wright Cibola NF- Sandia Gennaro Falco Cibola NF-Mountainair |
| Enchanted Circle | Mary Stuever Cimarron District Forester | Aaron Johnson Carson NF |
| Greater Santa Fe Fireshed | Todd Haines Bernalillo District Forester | Joshua Hall Santa Fe NF |
| NW Gila | Abigail Plecki Socorro District Forester James Anzalone Socorro District TMO | Gabe Partido Gila NF Emily Irwin Quemado District Ranger |
| Rio Chama CFLRP | Jose Carrillo Chama District Forester | Aaron Johnson Carson NF Joshua Hall Santa Fe NF |
| Riparian Middle Rio Grande | Todd Haines Bernalillo District Forester | Anna Jaramillo-Scarborough SW Region-Watershed Improvement & BAER Coordinator |
| Riparian Pecos | Nick Smokovich Capitan District Forester | Anna Jaramillo-Scarborough SW Region Watershed Improvement & BAER Coordinator |
| Riparian San Juan/Animas | Mary Stuever Chama District Forester | Anna Jaramillo-Scarborough SW Region-Watershed Improvement & BAER Coordinator |
| SW Jemez | Todd Haines Bernalillo District Forester | Joshua Hall Santa Fe NF |
| Sacramento Mountains | Nick Smokovich Capitan District Forester | Sabrina Flores Lincoln NF Brian Truitt Lincoln NF |
| Upper Mimbres_ PA | James Anzalone Socorro District Forester Abigail Plecki Socorro District TMO | Gabe Partido Gila NF Henry Provencio Gila NF |
| Zuni Mountains | Lawrence Crane Bernalillo District Forester | Shawn Martin Zuni Mountains |
New Mexico State Shared Stewardship Core Contacts
| Name | Position | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Fredrick | Lead | 505 476-3343 |
| Mary Stuever | Chama District Forester | 575 588-7831 |
| Susan Rich | Forest and Watershed Health Coordinator | 505-228-4880 |
Forest Service Shared Stewardship Core Contacts
| Name | Position | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Ali San Gil | Lead | 505-235-9233 |
| John “Jay” Williams | Acting All lands meetings and NFS 5-year plans | 928-225-5513 |
| Ian Fox | All lands meetings and NFS 5-year plans | 505-401-5245 |
| Andy Graves | Reporting and covering national calls | 505-331-7907 |
| Ryan Heaslip | GIS and map support | 505-842-3240 |
| Laura Moser | Back up support as needed | 928-607-6040 |
| Amanda Collier | Back up support as needed | 505-318-8346 |
Success Stories
Through the Reserved Treaty Rights Lands (RTRL) program, the Coronado Forest, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire, and the Fort Apache Fuels Crew work together to reduce fire risk on Mt. Lemmon. Learn more by reviewing the video or article: Shared Stewardship Project Protects Mountaintop Village.