More Kale / Less Sale

Cultivating Growth over Expansion
My thoughts about the Tres Semillas Land Sale
By Andrew Furse

“‘To always be doing something, to move, to change—this is what enjoys prestige, as against stability, which is often synonymous with inaction.’”
Luc Boltanski and Eve Chaipello

If the land is sold without any safeguards, our new-town square would be lost. 
Any money obtained from the sale, no matter how large a sum, would be trivial. 
 
Any reinvestment with that money may draw a veil over the missing piece but a hole will have opened up and that veil won’t support us for very long.
 
Most will remember what used to be and what was lost
and any reinvestment that takes control over what has grown slowly and collectively over all these years, will be rushed.
 
Busine$$ is notorious for that. 
 
And in whatever enterprise takes over, whatever new enterprise forms…
you may find poems, but no poetry. 
 
If the land is sold and safeguards aren’t in place to curb the impulses of capital investment, never mind the spiritual vacancy caused by the sale, you can expect the worst. 
 
The Northern Youth Project, Abiquiu Farmers Market, and the Frosty Cow have been on this land for years, chosen because they align with the mission of Tres Semillas. Which is to provide economic opportunity in the Abiquiu, New Mexico area.

• Tres Semillas have relied on NYP and the Farmers Market to qualify as a tax-exempt entity and claim a property tax exemption.
• Tres Semillas have relied on the Farmers Market and NYP to tend the land and maintain or improve its market value. 
• Tres Semillas have relied on these organizations to raise their own funds and create a successful charitable profile.

 
The Northern Youth Project and the Farmers Market have legitimized this organization, maintained their water rights, cleaned the acequia, policed their parking lot for the post office, pruned trees and mowed the lawn to provide a space that is welcoming and safe for all. 
 
They have relied on these entities to create the fiction that Tres Semillas is a functioning charity.
 
”Over time we realized that we were running a public park or an industrial park without the money or staff to do that.  And we had taken our eye off the ball.  It was time to reboot….” 
 
-Bernadette Gallegos. 
 
Since the creation of Tres Semillas Foundation seventeen years ago, Bernadette and Steve Gallegos have been in leadership positions on the board the entire time. 
 
Should they continue to serve on the board?
And what new direction will Tres Semillas “reboot” toward?

For the past few weeks, community members have been encouraged to write letters to the Tres Semillas board with their opinions about the land sale.

“Those who have written letters want us to give away our primary asset which we would otherwise use to pursue Tres Semillas’s goals.  We see no reason to give away a corporate asset.”   
 
-Peter Solmssen, Tres Semillas director

Peter has described the land as a “primary asset,” “a corporate asset.” Peter sees this as a corporate matter. The land is a pot of money for Tres Semillas.
 
The Tres Semillas Foundation has had seventeen years to pursue their charter.  That's seventeen years of reports, minutes and meetings, elections, project proposals, reports and experiments. Seventeen years in which they took their “eye off the ball” according to Bernadette Gallegos.  & four years in which they raised zero dollars.   ZERO.
 
And if the land is sold, what will they use that money for?
Something they have not yet decided or disclosed.
 
If after 17 years and in light of their recent admission that “eyes had been taken off of the ball”, what qualifies ANY of these individuals to continue with Tres Semillas?

“I’m not sure what adding new directors would accomplish.  Richard and Joseph resigned, leaving the four of us directors, which is plenty of directors for this tiny corporation.” 
-Peter Solmssen
 
Why should Tres Semillas elect more board members?

One reason would be to diversify perspectives which will help steer the organization away from making bad decisions.

Another reason to elect more board members would be to annul the optics of the current membership of Tres Semillas. 
 
It's well known that the board is made up of 2 married couples.  4 director’s in total.

To some, this is concerning.
 
But this isn’t against any law, and this information is disclosed on the registration statement filed with the attorney general.  But to always talk of, "what's in the best interest of Tres Semillas" or "we need to do what's in the best interest of Tres Semillas" makes some think that a genuine attempt at that is being made. 
 
Yearly elections, and minutes made available for the public encourages transparency and disclosure.  Elections are to be had yearly at the annual meeting “held the first Saturday of December.”
 
Diversify your board, stop the sale and if you don’t have the energy to continue, transfer the land to an organization that can.
 
Since moving toward this sale a crisis has been created, but in that wake is opportunity.   We have people from the pueblo that want to join the board.  People that have led organizations in fundraising that want to join the board.  We have people with imagination and vision and a stake in "the best interest of Tres Semillas" that want to join the board.

 Let's do this TOGETHER.