~Welcome Home~

In 2025, we made some major progress on our newest housing project started in 2020 now affectionately called Drum House. It is named in honor of Steve Craven known to many as Drum, who died in December 2017. In his passing, he left us a Legacy which brought about all these new changes. It paid for most of this house, and it paid for most of the new bluegreenhouse still under construction.

In Drum House, we have about half the eaves blocked, and the first loft space has been established. We plan to finish the eaves blocking and seal the building completely before Solstice. Designs for the stairway and shared landing between lofts have begun to be drafted to finalize our needs. We do have all materials on hand to complete the exterior siding & trim, and tongue & groove for the interior ceiling and walls. If you're interested in helping us work on this in 2026, please contact us. Bluegreenhouse needs windows & doors installed, walls installed, & a small host of other things inside. 

To finish off the Legacy left to us by Drum, we installed new solar systems increasing our abilities across the land at least 2000%. We no longer use gasoline generators for main power supplies.  The new system is easily upgradeable when we can afford more 48v LiFePO batteries. We also purchased new refrigerator & stove appliances. The new gas stove is an untold amount more efficient compared to the old stove's 7 always burning pilot lights. 

To jumpstart our short term water safety goals, a gracious friend of the Sanctuary donated some jackhammer rentals, & We all went to jackhammering through the moon garden one morning this fall... starting a trench to bury new water lines from the cisterns (the same ones purchased in 2020 with a grant we received from Seeding Sovereignty). The Old cistern network connecting all the garden spigots across the land will remain as an overflow from our new drinking water supply. 

We sponsored & received a grant of $90,450 from the Economic Development Department of New Mexico to build & maintain a new recreational arts & sculpture trail to be built connecting the Ancient Way to El Morro National Monument. Work has begun & this project will be completed by December 2026. More information to be posted as possible.

We started some real talk about a few of our Heritage Adobe structures during our Annual gathering & public Save the Heart House meeting this August. All Adobe buildings are in dire need of some serious TLC. The main house main SW entrance is literally melting & crumbling & there's only so much a bandaid could do at this point. We have a temporary roof being built to hopefully stem any further damage this winter. In the works are some serious Adobe Restoration & Finishing workshops for 2026.

Part of our long term vision involves completing the Drum House, moving the kitchen there, then renovation can begin on the Main house: demolition, repairing, &/or rebuilding the structural supports as warranted, new insulation, roofing with metal, & ultimately turning it into a full-featured bathing facility & social space.

Meanwhile, the TeaRooms plans are being drafted to make that building more habitable with roof redesign & standard height lofts. Unfortunately, most of the Adobe walls & some of the rock foundations are, as one resident described, "swiss cheese," & they must be entirely rebuilt. 

New Housing Ideas - Juniper Two Too - a pair of smaller residences built in the cinderblock shell of old Juniper House. East & West houses would have a shared central cistern & patio zone. 

Studio Remediation - all strawbale must be removed, foundation stem walls dug & cemented, new walls & insulation, new insulated windows. During renovation, add additional bunk housing in place of northern patio.

None of this can be done without some serious financial donations & physical labor from friends of the Sanctuary like You. If you'd like to make a financial contribution,  please visit our Giving page. If you are interested in helping with these projects in 2026, please contact us for more information.