The City of Albuquerque Open Space Division and Rio Grande Community Farm (RGCF) are proud to announce the 19th Annual Maize Maze””Color Maze! The eight-acre maze is located on the Los Poblanos Fields agricultural Open Space north of Montaño. The Maze will feature activities, public art installments, and a scavenger hunt that will educate and inspire visitors about Color.
Aside from serving as an annual fund raiser for RGCF, a 501(c)3 Non-profit, the Maize Maze also fulfills a core part of the Farm’s mission: to provide habitat for wildlife. Each year, the Maze serves as both food and habitat for hundreds of migrating geese and cranes.
WHEN: The 2016 Maize Maze will be open Fridays 1pm-10pm, Saturdays 10am-10pm and Sundays 10am-7pm during the month of October.
HOW MUCH: Daytime admission for the maze are $8/adults and $6/kids (3-12 years old). Kids 2 and under are free. After dark for all ages is $16.
WHERE: Los Poblanos Fields is located in the heart of Albuquerque at 1701 Montano Road NW. Parking for the maze is 1 mile west of Fourth St NW. Turn north on Tierra Viva and park in the gravel lot to your left.
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On September, Saturday 17th, join us as we plant more native and drought-tolerant species along our hedgerows to support this wildlife and pollinator habitat! We will also be moving earth and mulch to make sure what we plant gets water and stays healthy.
Bring:
Water in a refillable bottle, good shoes, clothes that can get dirty, sunscreen and/or a hat, work gloves, and your favorite shovel with your name on it.
Location:
From the intersection of 4th and Solar (or Sadie’s Restaurant), head west on Solar for one mile. Immediately after you pass Alvarado Elementary turn south onto the drainage ditch and park along the fence. Walk across the bridge and you will be at the Community Garden.
RGCF is actively seeking new board members to help carry out our mission. Please contact us today if you are interested in attending a board meeting to see if being on the board is right for you!
Rio Grande Community Farm Board Member Job Description
Mission: The mission of the Rio Grande Community Farm (RGCF) is to improve the health of our community through sustainable agriculture, fresh food, and education. We carry out our mission through our work in five strategic areas: demonstrating sustainable urban agriculture, growing food for and with our community, providing education and training opportunities in agriculture, enhancing urban wildlife habitat, and growing and celebrating the farming community.
Position: The Board will support the work of RGCF and provide mission-based leadership and strategic governance. While day-to-day operations are led by RGCF’s Executive Director, the Board/Executive Director relationship is a partnership, and the appropriate involvement of the Board is both critical and expected. Specific Board Member responsibilities include:
Leadership, governance and oversight
- Serving as a trusted advisor to the Executive Director as s/he develops and implements RGCF’s strategic plan
- Reviewing agenda and supporting materials prior to the board and committee meetings
- Approving RGCF’s annual budget, audit reports, and material business decisions; being informed of, and meeting all, legal and fiduciary responsibilities
- Contributing to an annual performance evaluation of the Executive Director
- Assisting the Executive Director and President in identifying and recruiting other Board Members
- Partnering with the Executive Director and other board members to ensure that board resolutions are carried out
- Serving on committees or task forces and taking on special assignments
- Representing RGCF to stakeholders; acting as an ambassador for the organization
- Ensuring RGCF’s commitment to a diverse board and staff that reflects the communities RGCF serves
Fundraising
Board Members will consider RGCF a philanthropic priority and make annual gifts that reflect that priority. So that RGCF can credibly solicit contributions from foundations, organizations, and individuals, RGCF expects to have 100 percent of Board Members make an annual contribution that is commensurate with their capacity.
Board terms/participation
Board Members will serve a three-year term to be eligible for re-appointment for one additional term. Board meetings will be held monthly and committee meetings will be held as determined.
Qualifications
This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual who is passionate about RGCF’s mission. Selected Board Members will have achieved leadership stature in business, government, philanthropy, or the non-profit sector. His/her accomplishments will allow him/her to attract other well-qualified, high-performing Board Members. Ideal candidates will have savvy diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships and persuading, convening, facilitating, and building consensus among diverse individuals.
Service on RGCF’s Board of Directors is without remuneration.
Saturday, April 16th
9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Join us in bringing more biodiversity, habitat and shade to the community garden and Field 4 hedgerows. We received a significant and diverse donation of trees and perennials from Albuquerque Open Space and we’re excited to get them planted!
If you have gloves and a shovel or rake please bring them! Also make sure you bring water.
Where? 1260 Solar Rd NW Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM 87107 From the intersection of 4th and Solar (or Sadie’s Restaurant), head west on Solar for one mile. Immediately after you pass Alvarado Elementary turn south onto the drainage ditch and park along the fence. Walk across the bridge and you will be at the Community Garden.
The City of Albuquerque Open Space Division and Rio Grande Community Farm (RGCF) are proud to announce the 18th Annual Maize Maze””Celebrating Pollinators! The eight-acre corn maze is located on the Los Poblanos Fields agricultural Open Space north of Montaño. This year’s maze design features many different pollinators: critical but threatened creatures that play a vital role in our food systems. In partnership with the ABQ BioPark, the Maze will feature activities, public art installments, and a scavenger hunt that will educate and inspire visitors about pollinators. “The City of Albuquerque is excited to once again host this unique event that serves to educate the public about local agriculture while offering an enjoyable and exciting maze experience,” said Mayor Richard Berry.
Aside from serving as an annual fund raiser for RGCF, a 501(c)3 Non-profit, the Maize Maze also fulfills a core part of the Farm’s mission: to provide habitat for wildlife. Each year, the Maze serves as both food and habitat for hundreds of migrating geese and cranes. By popular demand, Blackout Theatre is bringing even more thrill to the fields with the third installment of Quarantine””an interactive performance that brings the audience into the story. Throughout October the undead will haunt the farm starting at dusk. Visit www.quarantineabq.com for more information.
WHEN: The 2015 Maize Maze will be open Saturdays and Sundays only, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the month of October.
HOW MUCH: Admission for the maze are $7/adults and $5/kids (3-12 years old). Kids 2 and under are free. Quarantine is $20/person (Ages 13 or older).
WHERE: Los Poblanos Fields is located in the heart of Albuquerque at 1701 Montano Road NW. Parking for the maze is 1.1 miles west of Fourth St NW. Turn north on Tierra Viva and park in the gravel lot to your left.
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Everyone knows about the annual Maze in Albuquerque, help us to continue a new tradition incorporating the Maze and a 5K fundraiser.
Come join us for a beautiful morning run/walk through the Los Poblanos Open Space and finish off your 5K through the Maize Maze for a wild end to the race. This course has almost zero elevation gain and should encourage the novice and keep the quick on their toes. Bring the kiddos for a fun 400 meter kids dash after the 5K (kids up to 12). There’s sure to be some balloon sightings as well along the Rio Grande valley.
All adult participants will receive a t-shirt and free Maze ticket. Top 3 adult runners will receive excellent prizes from local businesses. All kids dash participants will receive a free Maze ticket and the first 50 to register will receive a medal.
THERE WILL BE RACE DAY REGISTRATION AS WELL All proceeds benefit the Rio Grande Community Farm, a 501(c)3. We have lots of plants and programs growing at the farm this year and we would love to tell you all about them.
Race day Registration begins at 8, the 5K will start at 9 and Kids Dash is at 10.
Learn More & Sign-Up
Saturday, October 17th
9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Interested in planting milkweeds for assisting monarch migration? Curious about planting drought tolerant perennials? Love to learn about permaculture principles and landscaping?
Join us in bringing more biodiversity, habitat and shade to the community garden and Field 4 hedgerows. We received a significant and diverse donation of trees and perennials from Albuquerque Open Space and we’re excited to get them planted!
We’ll have a short morning introduction and talk by Sean Ludden our Executive Director and Farm Manager, and during lunch we’ll have other speakers discuss the importance and necessity in our desert climate to add more biodiversity and habitat to our valley, especially near fields and farmland.
For an hour volunteered with us you’ll receive a ticket for entrance to our Maize Maze so you can come enjoy it another day.
From Rio Grande cottonwoods, to buffalo berry and echinacea, we are adding to Field 4 like never before. Bring your friends and family to help bring more habitat, flowers and biodiversity to your community.
Parking is located near Alvarado Elementary, and along Nabor Rd. and Solar Rd. in the North Valley.
We have another busy year planned, with numerous workshops and tour opportunities, an expanded community garden to help grow your appreciation for local food, soil-building projects on the main field, and our Maze event in October. We would also like to welcome Sean Ludden as Farm Manager. New this year to RGCF, he will be organizing many of our community events and outreach, field planning and above all working towards making this truly a farm for our community.
About RGCF’s New Farm Manager
Sean Ludden is both Farm Manager at Rio Grande Community Farms, and owner, farmer for Nepantla Farms, which he operates, along with his wife in his scant spare time. From managing diverse organic farming acreages in the North Valley for 5 years, and growing medicinal herbs at home, Sean has many years of experience in the art of farming in aridlands. His philosophy on organic farming, heirloom seed preservation, and traditional farming methods have been featured in interviews with The Huffington Post, Santa Fe New Mexican, and New Mexico Magazine. Sean tirelessly promotes the use of traditional seeds and techniques in contemporary agriculture and helped to found Bosque Seed Collective last year to help local farmers renew the art of seed stewardship in the Middle Rio Grande Valley.
Fields Forever by Todd Tibbals. This signed, original watercolor is 18×24 and painted on 140 lb. French-made Arches, rag paper.
For our winter fundraiser, we are auctioning a beautiful watercolor scene of the Los Poblanos Fields Open Space painted by local, nationally recognized artist Todd Tibbals. This unique art piece can be yours if you are the highest bidder. One of our donors has started the bidding at $1000.00! The auction will close at midnight on February 15, so get your bid in right away in the form below!
Now about the artist–Todd Tibbals was born in Columbus, Ohio, graduated from Miami University in Ohio and was tabbed for one of the first Peace Corps groups in 1962. Todd has combined four years of Peace Corps work in Peru and Ecuador, a Masters Degree in Latin American History and formal training at the Corcoran School of Art to emerge as a preeminent visual interpreter of the Latin American and Southwestern realities. For Todd, New Mexico, where he has painted and taught since 1970, represents a cultural halfway house between his Midwestern roots and his Latin American experiences. Todd has garnered many awards while exhibiting his watercolors, acrylics and drawings throughout the United States, Mexico and Italy. We are fortunate to have such an accomplished artist as a neighbor and supporter of Rio Grande Community Farm!