Collins Lake Ranch News

For the second year, Collins Lake Ranch is hosting Outdoor Environmental Education classes at the Ranch. Highlands University is once again bringing in educators from around the State, including instructors from the University, to work with Mora students. This year they are focusing on fifth graders which allows them to provide a deeper dive into awide range of environmental issues. In addition to the students from MISD, they are also offering local home school students the same program.
Funding for this program comes from several sources, including the LANL Foundation, the Albuquerque Community Foundation and LANL/Triad,

A big thank you to our friends at Santa Fe Community Foundation for the opportunity to share our story on their monthly radio program, Community Matters.  The program aired on KSFR on August 16, 2023.

You can listen to the episode by clicking this link.  https://www.ksfr.org/show/community-matters

Thanks to a generous grant from the New Mexico Governor’s Commission on Disabilities, we now have a beautiful area for our clients to play and help with their sensory issues.

While most people would look at this and see a pleasant playground, individuals with sensory issues are using this to help them better manage the processing of the myriad sensory stimulants that they are bombarded with.  Swinging is particularly useful to help the brain sort out external stimuli.  When Alex was younger, he was extremely agitated by bright lights and loud noise.  It got to the point that a passing shadow was enough to drive him crazy.  Sensory Integration sounded a bit far-fetched, but after just a few months of working with a therapist he was able to tolerate attending sporting events and other boisterous activities.  He thought is was just playing, but it really worked.  Even today, he loves any opportunity to swing and it definitely calms him down.

Along with swing sets, we have installed seesaws, a balance beam, and a wonderful outdoor xylophone.  The shade structure is a huge plus and we have plenty of room to incorporate additional items in the future.

In addition to helping our clients, this area has been a real boon for other kids that visit the Ranch.  Maybe everyone benefits from sensory stimulation, even if they think they are just having fun at the playground.

In May 2023, the PBS series, “America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston”, spent a week in New Mexico, filming a series about amazing things happening around the State.  We were thrilled to be one of the film locations, where PBS focused on our Environmental Education program and our response to the 2022 wildfires.

Fourth and ninth grade students from Mora ISD arrived for their Friday enrichment classes to find a full production crew on site.  Not only did the kids get a day of outdoor education, but they also learned about film-making and were able to share their stories with the PBS national audience. 

The release date for the New Mexico series has not yet been announced, but we will update this blog once we know more.  Send us a message to sign up for our newsletter and you’ll be one of the first to view this exciting program!

It was the 5^th of May and the weather was perfect for our Cinco de Mayo celebration at Collins Lake Ranch.  Students from the Mora Special Education department along with additional friends from Taos and Las Vegas joined our clients and staff for festivities at the Activity Center.  After several years of social distancing due to the COVID pandemic, it was nice to get together and meet again in person.

The Center was beautifully decorated with maracas, straw hats, balloons and flags, much to the delight of the visitors.  Our staff prepared a delicious barbeque meal with potato salad and all the fixings.  They even made margaritas (non-alcoholic, of course). 

As much as we like to take our clients out in the community, it is also nice to have clients from other agencies visit us at the Ranch.  The Mora students were especially happy to get out of school for a few hours and rekindle friendships with Alex and our staff.  We look forward to more events like this in the future!

After a long, slow process (think COVID and wildfires), we have finally completed our first Artist Residence. This is a fully equipped two-bedroom home that we designed for teachers, artists and other nature lovers to spend some relaxing time at Collins Lake Ranch. What a great place to finish your novel or paint that masterpiece.

We hope to have musicians joining us this summer for concerts by the lake and this might be where they stay for a few days. Maybe an expert lecturing on disability services for the region decides to unwind after the conference. The possibilities are endless.

If you or someone you know would like to visit us for a few days or few weeks, please contact us and check on availability and rates. The magic of the land will transform you – all you need to do is be open to accepting its teachings!!