Foundation
The people, organizations, and relationships that determine what is possible at Trinchera — and an honest account of the relationships that have not yet begun.
heritage-structure4:3 · REALFort Garland adobe — 1858 military post. Low sun, long shadows on adobe.
| Person | Role | Relationship | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Norden | Chief Executive, Trinchera + Islas Secas; Board Chair, Taos Ski Valley | Warm — approximately two years via Joshua Alvord; gatekeeper for Bacon | Tier 3 |
| Louis Bacon | Owner — Moore Capital Management; co-founder, Waterkeeper Alliance | Indirect — through Norden only | Tier 2–3 |
| Dawn Boulware | VP Social & Environmental, TSV; Taos Pueblo Foundation board | Active — supportive, has made community introductions | Tier 3 |
| Matt Weyer | Sustainability Manager, TSV; leads NetZero 2030 | Warm | Tier 3 |
| Tara Sheahan | Founder, ONIYA Bison Rewilding | Direct | Tier 3 |
| Joshua Alvord | Co-Founder, Oliizoi Inc. | Primary — relationship holder for the cluster; prepared the prospect profile | Tier 3 |
FPIC has not started.
There has been no direct contact with Ute governments or Taos Pueblo regarding this place. Dawn Boulware’s service on the Taos Pueblo Foundation board is a potential bridge, not a shortcut. Free, Prior and Informed Consent in this bioregion must be authentic and early, and it has not begun.
| Nation / community | Significance | Contact status | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ute (Mouache & Capote) | Historical inhabitants of the Sangre de Cristo and San Luis Valley | No direct contact — research needed | Tier 1 |
| Taos Pueblo | UNESCO World Heritage; ~75 miles south; 1,000+ years continuous habitation | No contact — Dawn Boulware is a potential bridge | Tier 0 |
| Hispano acequia communities | Oldest water rights in Colorado; communal irrigation governance | Regional — active in San Luis Valley water governance | Tier 1 |
| Oglala Lakota (via ONIYA) | Bison cultural practice and ceremony | Through Tara Sheahan | Tier 3 |
ponderosa-bark1:1 · AIPonderosa bark macro — puzzle-piece plates, warm amber-orange. Texture study for the bark token.
| Organization | Type | Role | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moore Charitable Foundation (1992) | Private foundation | Bacon's philanthropic vehicle — Trinchera Blanca, TSV, and Islas Secas Foundations | Tier 2 |
| Taos Ski Valley | Private company, B-Corp 97.8 | World's only B-Corp ski resort; CarbonNeutral certified; headwaters anchor | Tier 1 |
| TNC — Medano-Zapata Ranch | Conservation NGO | ~2,000 bison, ~103,000 acres total; adjacent corridor node | Tier 1 |
| ONIYA Bison Rewilding | Fiscally sponsored nonprofit | 37.5 acres, La Jara, Conejos County; pre-operational | Tier 3 |
| Colorado Open Lands | Conservation NGO | Easement holder (~80,000 acres) | Tier 0 |
| USFWS | Federal agency | Easement holder (~167,000 acres combined) | Tier 0 |
| TNC Rio Grande Water Fund | Conservation program | 20-year; $6.3M+ deployed; ~251,000 acres treated; 100+ partners | Tier 1 |
| Institution | Program | Relevance | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State University | Warner College — rangeland ecology, wildlife | Elk, grassland carbon, cutthroat trout | Tier 1 |
| Adams State University | San Luis Valley campus | Local workforce partnership | Tier 1 |
| UC Boulder | Mountain Research Station — alpine ecology | High-altitude monitoring | Tier 1 |
| Colorado College | Baca Campus (Crestone) — field ecology | Adjacent; existing San Luis Valley research | Tier 1 |
| Fort Lewis College | Indigenous studies + environmental science | Ute connections, co-research | Tier 1 |
FPIC pathway: Dawn Boulware to Taos Pueblo; Fort Lewis College to Ute Mountain and Southern Ute cultural preservation offices. First step is a formal letter of introduction.
- Taos Pueblo — UNESCO — Tier 0
- Taos Ski Valley — B-Corp — Tier 1
- TNC — Medano-Zapata — Tier 1
- CSU Warner College — Tier 1
- Fort Lewis College — Tier 1
- Norden/Bacon prospect profile (Alvord, June 2026) — Tier 3