Mother Nature Center at Santa Fe Juneteenth 2026

Mother Nature Center is honored to join the Santa Fe Juneteenth Celebration on the Plaza on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 2:00–9:00 PM.

Stop by our booth to receive free Johnson-Su Compost Inoculant, free seeds, and practical gardening and soil restoration advice. Whether you're growing food in a backyard, community garden, school garden, or restoring larger landscapes, we'd love to connect and share tools that help build healthier soil, healthier food, and healthier communities.

We are looking forward to celebrating another beautiful Freedom Day on the Santa Fe Plaza. This year's event features an incredible lineup including Sudan Archives, the Stacia Wa Collective, Shine Eye, Sol Bentley, and a Black Writers Showcase curated by Sankofa Alliance, along with African drumming, food vendors, artists, poets, speakers, local businesses, and community organizations.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, marking June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the freedom of enslaved people more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, resilience, culture, remembrance, and community.

We are grateful to be part of this important gathering and thank the organizers, community partners, performers, vendors, and volunteers who make this event possible. All are welcome.

Come celebrate, connect, and grow with us.

Saturday, June 20, 2026
2:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Santa Fe Plaza

We look forward to seeing you there!

We’re honored to support the incredible work of Seed & Bloom at the Penitentiary of New Mexico.

As the Mother Nature Center begins collaborating to bring composting, biological agriculture, soil restoration, and biostimulant knowledge into Seed & Bloom’s programs, we invite our community to come out for an evening of inspiration, healing, and transformation.

Seed & Bloom facilitates therapeutic horticulture and culinary arts programs inside PNM, where students grow food, restore greenhouse spaces, prepare meals together, and reconnect with purpose, creativity, and community through hands-on learning. Their work is rooted in the belief that healing can happen through relationship with the living world, healthy food, teamwork, and meaningful skills.

🌿 Healthy soil. Healthy food. Healthy people.

From composting and hydroponics to cooking, gardening, and regenerative growing practices, these programs are helping cultivate hope, dignity, and pathways toward reentry and restoration.

🎥 SEED & BLOOM — 2 Year Anniversary Celebration & Fundraiser


📍 Jean Cocteau Cinema — Santa Fe, NM


🗓 Thursday, May 28th


⏰ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM


🎟 Suggested Donation: $15

The evening includes:
• Screening of Seeds of Change: Breaking Free from the Prison Food Machine
• Remarks from Seed & Bloom students and facilitators
• Handmade artwork and offerings available for purchase

We hope to see the community show up in support of this beautiful work.

Learn more about Seed & Bloom here:
@theseedandbloomproject

Celebrate Earth Day 2026 with Mother Nature Center at the Railyard Park

Join Mother Nature Center at the Railyard Park Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 25, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM for a day of community, learning, and hands-on activities celebrating the living world around us.

This year's theme, "Encouraging the Ecotone: Life is Richer in the Overlaps," reminds us that some of nature's greatest abundance emerges where different ecosystems meet and interact. Just as biodiversity flourishes at these edges, strong communities grow through connection, collaboration, and shared stewardship.

Visit the Mother Nature Center booth to receive free Johnson-Su Compost Inoculant, free seeds, and practical advice on gardening, soil health, water conservation, composting, pollinator habitat creation, and ecological restoration. Whether you're planting your first garden or managing a larger landscape, we're excited to share tools and knowledge that help build healthier soils and more resilient communities.

The Earth Day celebration will feature live music, children's activities, seed ball making, educational exhibits, nature play, and many opportunities to connect with local organizations working to create a healthier future for all.

At Mother Nature Center, we believe that healthy soil is the foundation of healthy food, healthy communities, and healthy ecosystems. By sharing seeds, supporting biodiversity, and restoring the biology beneath our feet, we can all play a role in healing the land and strengthening our connection to place.

Come celebrate Earth Day with us, pick up seeds and compost inoculant, meet fellow gardeners and land stewards, and discover ways to bring more life and abundance into your own backyard and neighborhood.

Earth Day 2026
Saturday, April 25, 2026
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Railyard Park, Santa Fe

Together, we can cultivate thriving ecotones—where people, plants, wildlife, and community meet to create a richer future for all.

Learn how to build a Johnson-Su Bioreactor in Española with Ryan Ramaker. This incredibly easy-to-construct composting system mimics a biodiverse forest floor in peak environmental condition, with moisture levels that create the perfect habitat for living soil biology to grow. Biology (micro homies) that can later be transferred to gardens and farms in support of optimizing plant health and food production while eliminating chemical inputs.

Mother Nature Center at Native Earth Day 2026

Mother Nature Center is honored to join the Santa Fe Indigenous Center's Native Earth Day 2026 celebration.

We invite Native families, gardeners, farmers, youth, and community members to gather in celebration of our relationship with the land, seeds, food, and future generations. Visit our booth to receive free Johnson-Su Compost Inoculant, gardening resources, and practical guidance on building healthy soil, growing nutritious food, conserving water, and restoring local ecosystems.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to pick up seeds and plant starter kits from the Santa Fe Indigenous Center and connect with a wide range of community partners, including Bienvenidos Outreach, NMSU Santa Fe County Extension Office, Santa Fe Farmers' Market Institute, Khalsa Family Farms, the Pueblo of Pojoaque Agriculture Department, and many others working to strengthen food sovereignty, community health, and ecological resilience throughout our region.

Native Earth Day is a celebration of Indigenous knowledge, stewardship, and the enduring relationship between people and place. It is an opportunity to share skills, exchange seeds, build community, and honor the teachings that remind us that healthy people and healthy lands are deeply connected.

Whether you are an experienced grower or just beginning your gardening journey, we encourage you to join us for a day of learning, connection, and celebration.

Together, we can grow healthier communities, restore the land, and cultivate abundance for future generations.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Learn how to build a Johnson-Su Bioreactor in El Rito with Lina Alegre and Navona Gallegos. This incredibly easy-to-construct composting system mimics a biodiverse forest floor in peak environmental condition, with moisture levels that create the perfect habitat for living soil biology to grow. Biology (micro homies) that can later be transferred to gardens and farms in support of optimizing plant health and food production while eliminating chemical inputs.

Join us as we take care of our bodies, guided by elder Atarangi, as she leads us through the Mahi Raakau system of self-help and self-healing. We all work hard on the land, and this is critical self-care for our well-being and longevity as earth stewards. https://www.maorihealers.com/classes-om

“Our curriculum at MNC has largely revolved around the forest and the many useful things that can be made from the forest. We fondly call these survival arts, The Stick Curriculum. Atarangi shares with us another lovely stick art so that we can help ourselves.” -Ibrahim Loeks, Director

Join us as we take care of our bodies, guided by elder Atarangi, as she leads us through the Mahi Raakau system of self-help and self-healing. We all work hard on the land, and this is critical self-care for our well-being and longevity as earth stewards. https://www.maorihealers.com/classes-om

“Our curriculum at MNC has largely revolved around the forest and the many useful things that can be made from the forest. We fondly call these survival arts, The Stick Curriculum. Atarangi shares with us another lovely stick art so that we can help ourselves.” -Ibrahim Loeks, Director

Join us as we take care of our bodies, guided by elder Atarangi, as she leads us through the Mahi Raakau system of self-help and self-healing. We all work hard on the land, and this is critical self-care for our well-being and longevity as earth stewards. https://www.maorihealers.com/classes-om

“Our curriculum at MNC has largely revolved around the forest and the many useful things that can be made from the forest. We fondly call these survival arts, The Stick Curriculum. Atarangi shares with us another lovely stick art so that we can help ourselves.” -Ibrahim Loeks, Director

WHERE:

SITE Santa Fe, 1606 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501

More info to come, along with other events with Brad in Santa Fe Sept 22-24.

Join Brad Lancaster, author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond and co-founder of NeighborhoodForesters.org, for an inspiring discussion on how simple, low-cost strategies can transform our homes, neighborhoods, and community into thriving oases of abundance. Brad will share practical ways to work with natural systems—harvesting rainwater, reusing greywater, growing shade, building fertile soil, and revitalizing public spaces—to create healthier, more resilient environments.

Through compelling real-world examples, you’ll see how hand-built structures have restored wetlands, how sun and shade are harnessed to power homes naturally, and how stormwater can be redirected to grow beauty, food, and community. Brad will highlight how these regenerative practices can shape local development and the land development code. By incentivizing green infrastructure and integrating water-harvesting landscapes into urban design, these approaches support long-term water security, climate resilience, and vibrant public spaces.

It’s more than a presentation—it’s a call to action and a practical roadmap to engage and partner with your natural surroundings and to further embed sustainability into the city’s growth and development. Come learn how to turn scarcity i

For tickets:

https://www.livabilityspeakerseries.com/event/planting-the-rain-to-grow-abundance

As New Mexico faces intensifying drought, water scarcity, and skyrocketing food prices, the need to grow food locally — and wisely — has never been more urgent. Climate disruption is not some future threat. It’s here. And unless we build systems of resilience now, our communities will be increasingly vulnerable.

That’s why La Milpa’s water catchment system matters.

This isn’t just about infrastructure — it’s about survival, sovereignty, and care. With every basin dug and every tree watered with harvested rain, we’re building a future where our communities can thrive even in crisis. We’re reclaiming the right to nourish ourselves, tend to the land, and pass on knowledge that will sustain generations.

And the beauty? It’s already blooming.

Fruit trees planted just months ago are now taking root — and even producing apples and peaches. Plants many might call "weeds" — like alfalfa, globemallow, quelites, and amaranth — are springing up on their own, protecting the soil with shade and nutrients. Even seasoned gardeners are amazed by this kind of growth. These sweet summer colors and harvests remind us of the magic that comes from care, time, and effort.

Thanks to recent rains, we’ve seen the system working — water flowing into our basin and feeding the trees, reducing reliance on our irrigation lines. Now, we’re ready to expand.

Join us for our next Water Catchment Workday on Saturday, August 16th from 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. at the Earth Care Office (6600 Valentine Way, Building A, Santa Fe, NM 87507)!

We’ll be grading, irrigating, and mulching, and learning from local experts about water harvesting and land restoration as essential climate survival strategies. You’ll leave with muddy hands, full hearts — and maybe some fresh fruit from the garden.

This is how we prepare for the future. Not with fear, but with tools, love, and each other.

Want to volunteer or bring a group? Contact Mykayla at mykayla@earthcarenm.org

Join us the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, earth restoration, plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. Other soil health organizations will be joining us and do bring a sample of your own soil or compost and they will put it under the microscope and have a look. Hope to see you there!

Native Earth Day!

Tuesday, April 22, 2025
10 AM - 1 PM
1420 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Santa Fe Indigenous Center is pleased to invite the Native Community to join us as we celebrate Native Earth Day! Join us and our partners - The Mother Nature Center, Three Sisters Collective, Traditional Native American Farmers Association, Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute, Bienvendios, Payne's Nurseries and Tewa Women United and learn more about what their organizations have to offer!

Stop by & pick up

Seeds, Seeds, Seeds, Plant Starter Kits, Compost, Seedlings, Reunity Resources Gift Cards, Receive Local Native Farmer Advice, SW Gardening information, Hydroponics demonstration.

Join us the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, earth restoration, plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. Other soil health organizations will be joining us and do bring a sample of your own soil or compost and they will put it under the microscope and have a look. Hope to see you there!

Join us the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, earth restoration, plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. Other soil health organizations will be joining us and do bring a sample of your own soil or compost and they will put it under the microscope and have a look. Hope to see you there!

Join us the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, earth restoration, plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. Other soil health organizations will be joining us and do bring a sample of your own soil or compost and they will put it under the microscope and have a look. Hope to see you there!

Join us the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, earth restoration, plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. Other soil health organizations will be joining us and do bring a sample of your own soil or compost and they will put it under the microscope and have a look. Hope to see you there!

Join us the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, earth restoration, plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. Other soil health organizations will be joining us and do bring a sample of your own soil or compost and they will put it under the microscope and have a look. Hope to see you there!

Join us and other members of the New Mexico Soil Health Enthusiasts Group the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, regenerative agriculture, and plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. At each market Soil Food Web certified lab techs will be available with their microscopes to have a look at your garden or farm soil and make recommendations on how you can optimize conditions for living microbiology in your soil! Hope to see you there!

Join us the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, earth restoration, plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. Other soil health organizations will be joining us and do bring a sample of your own soil or compost and they will put it under the microscope and have a look. Hope to see you there!

Join us the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, earth restoration, plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. Other soil health organizations will be joining us and do bring a sample of your own soil or compost and they will put it under the microscope and have a look. Hope to see you there!

Join us and other members of the New Mexico Soil Health Enthusiasts Group the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, regenerative agriculture, and plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. At each market Soil Food Web certified lab techs will be available with their microscopes to have a look at your garden or farm soil and make recommendations on how you can optimize conditions for living microbiology in your soil! Hope to see you there!

Join us and other members of the New Mexico Soil Health Enthusiasts Group the first Saturday of every month at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. We’ll be available to discuss soil health, regenerative agriculture, and plant-microbe symbiosis for optimization of plant growth and ecosystem functions. At each market Soil Food Web certified lab techs will be available with their microscopes to have a look at your garden or farm soil and make recommendations on how you can optimize conditions for living microbiology in your soil! Hope to see you there!

Learn Regenerative Soil Building Techniques hands-on at the Arco Iris Institute. For more info: allaboardearth@gmail.com

Learn how to make Johnson-Su Compost extract and application methods for different scales, from gardens to large farms. Learn to build a Johnson-Su Bioreactor. RSVP at office@mothernaturecenter.org

Learn about nixtamalization and how to support your gut microbiome by eating healthy, local, and traditional foods. Build a Johnson-Su Bioreactor and learn how to restore living soil to your land, translating into healthier, larger, and more nutrient-laden plants.