As the CIELO-G Intern with The Frontera Land Alliance, I coordinate community guided hikes with local experts while sharing our mission. So far in 2026 we’ve hosted Geology hikes, Critter Night Hikes, Native Plant Talk & Walk, Birding Hikes, Watercolor Hikes and Nature Therapy Hikes! These events are available to community members at no cost.

The Frontera Land Alliance is a nationally accreditated land trust, which means that we can help landowners leave a legacy by creating conservation easements to ensure that their land – farms, ranches, open space – is never developed. We’ve also worked with community advocates to preserve open space in El Paso where development was planned. Since 2004, The Frontera Land Alliance has preserved more than 8,000 acres of land in west Texas! Urban sprawl has happened fast in El Paso, without much consideration for wildlife corridors or greenspace.** It’s up to us to ensure we maintain undeveloped open space for habitat, outdoor recreation, flood prevention, etc.** Frontera’s work has far-reaching impacts:

*2026 marks the 5 year anniversary of the Knappland and Lost Dog Nature Preserves, which provide critical water reclamation for El Paso.

*The official dedication of El Paso’s Castner Range National Monument by President Biden in 2023, ensuring a historically and environmentally significant piece of land is protected forever.

*A new conservation easement in Jeff Davis Co. this year, which will host bird species research through a grant from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

*Managing 1,400 acres of preserves and 14 miles of trails!

*Providing outreach and education to 6000 community members each year through free guided hikes, hands-on learning activities, and restoration.