Katharine Pacheco and Scotney Blackburn will present an overview of programs and services provided by NMSU Taos County Cooperative Extension Service, including agricultural and community development education programs, youth development & 4-H, 'county agent' activities, and Katharine's involvement with the LISTOs program through UNM-Taos, pairing natural resources management students with local agencies and organizations. They'll also provide an overview of the Extension Master Gardener Program, a 16 week course through NMSU on-demand with unique Taos field trips. Interns in the Master Gardener program also conduct service hours in the community and are encouraged to network and have an impact on the community. Scotney will share about her experiences with the course and the connections it has made from arborists to coordinating the greenhouse operations at the Taos Integrated School of the Arts.
Katie Pacheco was born and raised in Taos and is currently a Natural Resource Management student at UNM-Taos. She is an intern with the New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service, as part of the LISTOS program, in which students are given opportunities to explore the NRM world. Katie's passion is entomology.
Scotney’s life has unfolded in layers: motherhood, a Bachelor's degree from WTAMU, marriage, an MBA, a photography business, nonprofit leadership, and eventually a move to Taos, New Mexico with my husband Sam and their two boys. When they lost her father-in-law to cancer in 2023, he left them their home, land, and a responsibility to tend it well.
She spent the years that followed healing and building, transforming our property into a regenerative landscape that is now a Certified Monarch Habitat. She became a New Mexico Master Gardener and Certified Garden Consultant, supporting gardeners on their journey to growing food, reconfiguring garden spaces to flow, installing pollinator friendly native habitats that reduce water usage, and teaching local students in a greenhouse setting.
Monthly Los Jardineros meetings are open to the public. This is our last meeting of 2026, so we will be holding elections to the Board of Directors and sharing a potluck lunch. Please sign up for a dish to share when you register.