Valencia Soil & Water Conservation District

09/10/2026

Current lineup of 1-hour, 8-hour, and 10-day educational events for July 2026 through April 2027 at https://vitalsoillandscapes.com/events. Many of these events are free to attend and are designed for homeowners, gardeners, students, landscape professionals, farmers, ranchers, and anyone interested in creating more resilient, water-wise landscapes.
If you know someone who may benefit, please share these workshops with your colleagues, constituents, clients, and friends, especially through social media platforms.

Hope to see you in class!

Links to FB events
https://www.facebook.com/share/1FAeMZ3LcR/
Tree Guilds for the Drylands - Osuna Nursery
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Agk2v2Q4J/
Tree Guilds for the Drylands - Plant World Nursery
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BkZ2fbou6/
Using Prickly Pear (Opuntia) In Dryland Tree Guilds
https://www.facebook.com/share/1GoyCtu9Ce/
Using Apple Trees in Permaculture Tree Guilds
https://www.facebook.com/share/1D5wJ26Ger/
Introduction to Permaculture

These, in particular, provide the deep dive knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to apply permaculture to any human civilization related problem with an emphasis on designing and growing permanent landscapes:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EoyVBVD8q/
Nurturing Your Land: A Permaculture Journey Through Soil, Water, Earthworks and Plants

https://www.facebook.com/share/1LiDcRqoW4/
10-Day Drylands Permaculture Design Certification Workshop - Santa -Fe

09/03/2026

Attention walkers and nature enthusiasts! Whitfield nature trails will be open on Sundays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in September and October! This is in addition to our normal business hours from 8:00 to 4:30 Tuesday through Saturday. Come enjoy the cooler weather and birds!

08/02/2026

07/24/2026

Sign up for the 2026 Master Naturalist Class at Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area occurring Wednesday evenings Aug 19-Oct 24, 2026 at 2424 Highway 47, Belen. Access applications on the VSWCD Website.

07/19/2026

Whitfield's gates will be open on Sunday morning, July 19 at 6am for our friends to make use of the cooler temperatures to walk and enjoy nature. They will remain open for the day, closing around 7pm. The Visitor center will remain closed but the bathrooms will be available.

07/03/2026

Whitfield gates will be open this holiday weekend, from Friday July 3rd - Sunday, July 5th. On July 3, gates open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 7:30. p.m. On Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5 gates are open from 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Escape the crowds and come take a nature walk!

06/27/2026

Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area will be open until 6:30pm today for cooler walking. Enjoy!

06/25/2026

For Immediate Release:

Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District takes the matter of the arrest of Board Member Sharon Hagaman seriously. Yesterday, upon learning of her arrest for attempting to commit a felony assault with a deadly weapon, the Personnel Committee met. As Board Chair, I contacted the family and others. I have called for a special meeting of the Board of Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District at Whitfield this coming Saturday at 1:00 p.m. On behalf of the Board, I apologize to the family of the minor child affected and to the larger community. Such behavior is unacceptable. I personally have asked her to tender her resignation. Yes, she will have her day in Court, but elected officials must be held to a high standard.

—Teresa Smith de Cherif
Board Chair

06/19/2026

Whitfield is open until 7:30 p.m. today. There is decent cloud cover. Come on over and take a walk in YOUR nature park.

06/17/2026

We're open until 7:30pm for those would like to take a walk at Whitfield tonight.