The New Mexico Land Conservancy is establishing a new conservation agreement around the vistas that inspired the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, the 20th century artist who called the enchanted lands around Abiquiu and the Chama River home.
“The stark colorful geology, the verdant grasslands going right down to the Chama River and Abiquiu lake – all that just makes it such a multifaceted place with tremendous conservation value,” said Jonathan Hayden, executive director of the New Mexico Land Conservancy in announcing the conservation plan.
O’Keeffe kept a remote home a few miles from her larger home in Abiquiu. The conservation easement will be established across 10 square miles of property that is owned by the charitable arm of Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., on the outskirts of Abiquiu.
O’Keefe’s two homes are outside the conservation area and owned and managed separately by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe.
The land within an initial conservation easement has been the backdrop to movie sets for decades, including a re-creation of Los Alamos in the 2024 movie “Oppenheimer.” The conservation agreement guarantees some continued access for film productions. Farmers in the area will also continue to access the land for winter grazing.
New Mexico provided a $920,000 state grant for easement surveys and to support programming at the adjacent Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center and its use of the conservation area.
Editor’s note: Reporting from The Associated Press contributed to this article