Ecodharma Land Stewardship Infrastructure Project
For over four decades, Mountain Cloud Zen Center (MCZC) has been a spiritual sanctuary where the land is an essential partner in our practice, path, and purpose to liberate all beings. In 2026, Mountain Cloud is excited to continue this legacy with the first phase of our Ecodharma Land Stewardship Infrastructure Project.
Mountain Cloud has received almost $50,000 in matching funds from the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division Trails+ Grant — funds matched by our own budgetary, volunteer, and partner contributions. That comes to about $100,000 going toward stewarding this land and the public education and local partnerships that will come with that stewardship this year.
With the support of this funding, this project will focus on improving our outdoor infrastructure to help us better tend to our 20+ acres of pinyon-juniper woodland. Through trail work, educational workshops, and wayfinding signs, this initiative expands equitable public access to contemplative, educational, and ecological experiences for everyone in our community.
Ecodharma Practice in Action
Ecodharma is a word we use to express the interconnection — the oneness — of ecology and Dharma. Ecodharma practice invites us to take our meditation practice outside, both in the stillness of seated meditation and in the action of physically tending the land. Ecodharma is an invitation to open our hearts to the reality of the ecological crises we’re facing and to respond compassionately – to care for the places and beings we are connected to.
As a part of Mountain Cloud’s broader Ecodharma programming, this infrastructure project blends active environmental stewardship with contemplative practice. It is a chance to physically embody the practice and teachings, all while deepening our relationship with the land and boundless beings that we share this place with.
What We’re Building Together
Over the next 12 months, our staff, residents, and volunteers will collaborate with local professional specialists to implement three core infrastructure developments:
- Restoring Our Trails & Meditation Sit Spots: We’ll widen and restore our historic trails to provide safer, more inclusive access for elders, youth, and visitors of varying mobility levels as well as craft intentional spaces for outdoor meditation. To foster a culture of care and support stability, we’ll introduce a “Walking Stick Library” alongside newly shaded outdoor meditation areas.
- An Educational Signage & Wayfinding System: We’ll install ADA-informed, high-contrast directional and interpretive signs across our trails system. This system will explicitly acknowledge Tewa land stewardship and history, share insights on local watershed ecology, offer recreation guidance, and integrate QR-coded iNaturalist prompts to invite visitors into citizen science biodiversity monitoring.
- Community Garden & Composting Upgrades: To enhance our land-based learning space, we’ll construct raised beds, upgrade our compost systems, and build durable shade and rain protection structures to support year-round outdoor public programming.
Public Education Workshops and Partnerships
Just as an ecosystem is interwoven and interdependent, this project is designed to be deeply collaborative. This initiative invests not only in physical infrastructure improvements but also in partnerships with local ecological organizations to offer free, hands-on action-learning workshops on our land open to the general public. Partnering with local youth groups, schools, and conservation educators, we will offer public sessions on soil health, trail maintenance, composting, mindful gardening, and pinyon/juniper forest fire mitigation.
Ongoing care for these spaces will be woven directly into the fabric of our community life, including our residency curriculum, weekly samu (work practice), seasonal sangha volunteer workshops, and silent retreats.
Our first public education workshop is on July 25th on soil health and erosion mitigation, which you can learn more about here. We’ll be scheduling more workshops in the coming months on topics like:
- Regeneratively Stewarding Our Paths
- Land Offerings & Composting
- Walking Sticks, Sit Spots, and Barefooted Land Practice
Our Team
Ryan Littman-Quinn (he/him) is a former resident and current Regeneration Consultant at Mountain Cloud Zen Center. He co-stewards the Ecodharma Infrastructure Project through hands-on land work, community education, and coordinating volunteer/work-practice efforts. Ryan is an Entrepreneur, Researcher, Educator, Facilitator, and Guide for individuals and organizations investing in people and our planet.
Chris Orozco-Fletcher (they/them) is a Trails Specialist at Mountain Cloud Zen Center. They have worked in various Conservation Corps over the past twelve years, and they continue to work in outdoor recreation. With Mountain Cloud, Chris is primarily working on creating better drainage, more accessible trails, and better trail and informational signage. While not working, they enjoy creating vivid art, playing chess, traveling, and going to social meditation.
Abby Shepard (she/they) is the Ecodharma Programs Manager at Mountain Cloud Zen Center. They’re also a community organizer and musician. Since encountering mindfulness meditation in 2018, Abby has been passionate about weaving the practice into various areas of engagement, from community organizing to music to program management. They are a 200-hour certified Skill in Action yoga facilitator, and her daily practice includes both Zen Buddhism and the Eight-Limb Path of Yoga.
Community Partners and Funders
This work is made possible in collaboration with various community partners and funders. This includes:
- Santa Fe Watershed Association
- Southwest Urban Hydrology
- Forest Stewards Guild
- Seeds of Wisdom
- Kayla Powers (Community Artist and Gardener)
- New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Trails+ Grant (Funding Partner)
- BESS Family Foundation (Funding Partner)
How to Get Involved
You’re invited to step onto the land and practice with us. Keep an eye on our website calendar and sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on upcoming Ecodharma Samu workshops, volunteer days, and special community events. You can also fill out the form below to be notified when workshops are scheduled and to indicate your interest in volunteering.
Together we can nurture a deeper embodiment of mindfulness, compassion, and active care for all beings.
