Fresh Dirt: Scoop #8

🌄Bridging Watersheds, Classrooms, and Community Tables

This edition finds us connecting the dots from the classroom to the watershed. We're bridging complex science and community action—from launching investigative soil kits for students, to navigating urgent grant deadlines for watershed health, and gathering at the local bar to discuss how smoke from wildfires affects the taste of your steak. It's all about building resilience, one connection at a time.

🌱 Seeds of Knowledge: From Compost to Watershed Plans

We’re closing the conservation loop, connecting last month’s focus on compost to this month’s push for watershed resilience. The NMED 319 Grant (due Dec. 18) offers a roadmap for communities like Storrie Lake—where aging infrastructure meets urgent erosion challenges—to transform environmental vulnerabilities into actionable plans. Just as quality compost relies on good feedstock, effective restoration starts with strategic planning.

🤝 Roots in the Community: Soil, Smoke, and Supper

At Borracho’s in Las Vegas, ranchers, scientists, and residents gather to explore the ties between wildfire smoke, local beef quality, and watershed health. This Thursday’s Watershed Social hosted by Hermit’s Peak Watershed Alliance continues this essential dialogue, uniting the “soil-to-supper” cycle with community-driven solutions.

🕵️ Real Dirt: Forensic Pedology in the Classroom

Inspired by crime scene investigation, our new Soil Science on Campus Kits turn students into environmental detectives. They’ll tackle real-world “cold cases” of erosion and contamination, bridging the gap between basic soil science and the complex challenges facing our working lands.

🚌 Field Notes: A New Home for Catena HQ

We’ve moved out of Mrs. Jones (the bus!) and into a permanent headquarters—a leap forward for scaling our mission. From here, we’re launching CineSuelo events (with a $10k monitoring system prize for hosts), finalizing forensic pedology kits, and preparing to open the NM Erosion Control School in February 2026.

🎉 Yours in Dirt,

-gabby

P.S. Whether you’re writing a watershed plan, hosting a community event, or teaching the next generation of soil sleuths—remember that every layer of work, like every layer of soil, builds toward resilience.