Board of Directors Roberto Chavez President Los Cordovas, NM D. Y. Begay Vice President Tselani, Chinle, AZ Molly Manzanares Secretary Tierra Amarilla, NM Geoff Bryce Treasurer Valdez, NM Executive Director Robin Collier 201B Camino de la Merced Taos, NM 87571 Buy Natural Dyes Buy Organic Wool Wool Washing Tierra Wools Other Links Natural Dyes International Cultural Energy Black Mesa Weavers Material Color ZERI Center for Land Grant Studies Millicent Rodgers Museum UNM Taos Taos Historic Museums McCune Charitable Foundation New Mexico Community Foundation The Dye Works		Bringing the sheep home in the fall Manzanares flock - Robin Collier photo Add My Name to the Mailing List
	A Non-Profit Educational Center for Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Flocks & Gardens OrganicWool, Yarn and Natural Dyes Wool Washing, Spinning & Natural Dyeing Living Traditions of the Upper Rio Grande, Pecos & Colorado River Watersheds
	NEWS • • • • • • ! Board Member Geoff Bryce Killed in Auto Accident Wool Tradition's Board member Geoff Bryce was killed Tuesday afternoon, June 15, 2004 when his pickup truck was hit by a semi-truck at the intersection of Hwy. 64 and the Arroyo Seco road, locally known as the Old Blinking light. Geoff was also the Director of the Taos Valley Acequia Association, a member of the New Mexico Acequia Association and Mayordomo of the Valdez acequia. For years he had worked in bringing together people from all parts of the community to strength and sustain our acequia systems and local agriculture throughout the state. All of us at Wool Traditions will miss him very much and his tremendous contributions to us and the whole community. Wool Traditions Center. We still continue to seek 10 - 15 acres of land for our permanent center, including a space for teaching and working with youth on projects about land, water & culture. Rising land cost, and encroachment by real estate development on to agricultural lands have made find a center location difficult. Click here for More News
	Wool Traditions is a new non-profit formed to buy wool from local sheep growers to produce affordable wool yarn for weavers of the Southwest, and to create an educational center to maintain the connections between land, water, sustainable agriculture and the living cultural traditions of the Hispanic, Pueblo and Diné (Navajo) communities. Origins Wool Traditions' origins come from experience over last two decades producing yarn from local sheep for weavers. From this work, it has become clear there is a need to produce larger spins of yarn in order to lower the cost and make it more competitive with imported yarns.
	In both the Diné and Hispanic weaving communities, weavers are less and less using yarn made from local wool and instead buying commercially dyed yarns made from imported wools. At the same time local sheep growers have been paid less and less for both their lamb and wool, causing many to quit raising sheep. Wool Traditions' purpose is to restore the connection between weaver and grower, which is the foundation of weaving traditions in the Southwest. Taos Center Wool Traditions' plan is to establish a wool processing facility in the Taos area providing organic wool washing, spinning and natural dyeing. Included will be a retail space to sell naturally dyed yarn and weavings made from local wools. Educational exhibits will tell the story of the process from sheep raising to finished weaving. Individual weavers using local yarn will be featured with photos and directions of how to visit and/or buy weavings from them.
	Board Members DY Begay, Geoff Bryce, Molly Manzanares. Not pictured: Roberto Chavez who was irrigating his fields!	In addition, the space would allow local groups working to conserve agriculture, such as the Taos Valley Acequia Association (TVAA), to present exhibits about the importance of agriculture to the whole community, educating the public about acequias and other traditional customs of land and water use, and the ecological importance of acequias, grazing lands, organic & sustainable agriculture. The Center would facilitate the production of web, print, video & radio pieces to tell this story to the public.
	The facility would include irrigated land, with grazing pasture for a small herd of sheep and other livestock, and a community garden demonstrating local crops. A constructed wetland would recycle wool washing and dye rinse water. Collaboration & Fundraising Wool Traditions plans to work with Cultural Energy, the Taos Land Trust, the Taos Valley Acequia Association, the Center for Land Grant Studies, The Oñate Center, Tierra Wools,Taos Historic Museums, The Taos Historic Society, The Millicent Rodgers Museum, The Taos Chamber of Commerce and University of New Mexico Taos and other community organizations to develop its educational program. Wool Traditions is now raising funds to purchase land in Taos and build the facility. The New Mexico Community Foundation is accepting tax deductable donations for the Center. Projects Wool Traditions has begun educational out reach within the community, including producing a series of radio programs and exhibits on the acequias in conjunction with Cutural Energy, KRZA Radio, TVAA and the NM Acequia Association. We are working with Hispanic and Diné weavers to design what yarns and colors are needed. We are buying Diné wool from the Hard Rock area from the Black Mesa Weavers for Life and Land. We are working with Marsha Mason's farm in Abiquíu to raise natural dye plants. By contract, and/or with our new mill, we will be spinning and naturally dyeing yarn for sale to weavers in the region. More News In October, 2003 we received a grant from the McCune Charitable Foundation to train 4 high school students to document an acequia in Taos with audio recordings, writing and photographs. The finished works will be broadcast on public radio stations and exhibited in the community. We still need to raise about $10,000 to fully fund this project, but the grant will fund purchase of equipment and to begin the training. To contribute to this project, contact Robin Collier, or become a member online! On July 7, 2003 Wool Traditions purchased the Trujillo Wool Mill in Chamita, NM. We will soon begin producing weaving & knitting yarn from local wool at this 120 spindle mill. This woolen system mill will be moved to Taos when our Center is funded & built. On June 9th, 2003, Wool Traditions received an anonymous donation of $40,000 toward our land purchase & programs. We are very grateful for this important gift which begins our fund raising campaign for our Center in Taos! We pursued many different locations, but so far have been unable to find a affordable home for our wool center. At this point we have suspended operations, until a location can be found.
Executive Director, Robin Collier, HC78 Box 10731, Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557 These pages coming soon! About Us | Donate | Mailing List | Projects | Media | Wool | Yarn | Dyes | Washing | Tierra Wools | Links