Otero Soil & Water Conservation District

Otero Soil & Water Conservation District is a U.S. government entity based in Alamogordo, New Mexico, that serves as a prime recipient of federal grant awards focused on rangeland management, wildfire risk reduction, and natural resource conservation in southern New Mexico. The organization has maintained active SAM.gov registration since August 2014 and specializes in collaborative land management initiatives that balance ecological restoration with multiple-use objectives across public and private lands in the region.

The District has demonstrated substantial expertise in rangeland restoration and invasive species management through three consecutive Cooperative Agreement awards from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the Rangeland Resource Management program (CFDA 15.237). The most recent award, a $120,000 Cooperative Agreement effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2029, focuses on hand thinning, piling, lopping, and scattering of juniper; herbicide treatment of invasive species; and public education on wildfire risk reduction and natural resource conservation. A prior $100,000 award from September 2024 to September 2025 concentrated on noxious and invasive weed control through inventorying, treatment, monitoring, and restoration of native vegetation, with accompanying educational materials development for land managers. An earlier four-year award spanning October 2022 through September 2027 addressed comprehensive rangeland rehabilitation in southern New Mexico, including weed treatment, native plant restoration, archaeological site surveying, and multi-jurisdictional stakeholder coordination. Additionally, the District has served as a sub-awardee under the Energy Minerals & Natural Resources Department for the James Canyon CAR-Two Goats Non-Federal Lands project, which targets forest stand reduction and wildfire risk mitigation in communities west and east of Cloudcroft. Throughout these awards, the District collaborates extensively with the U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, state agencies, local governments, and private landowners to execute landscape-level restoration efforts that improve habitat, prevent erosion, enhance watershed function, and protect communities from catastrophic wildfire.