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Photo by Claire Coté Seniors group photo at Earth Day clean-up at Questa Park, removing thistle plants and picking up trash, April 20, 2026.

Earth Day Beautification Success

On Wed, April 20, 2026 over fifty Junior-Senior High School Students, volunteers, a Village of Questa Councilor, and leaders from LEAP, Forest service, Taos County Solid Waste and Roads all gathered for a community-wide clean-up and beautification effort. The group fanned out across the Questa area, along all major roadways, Eagle Rock Lake and at Questa Park.


Students and volunteers removed invasive plants, picked up trash, filled holes, reburried irrigation lines and pruned trees at Questa Park, guided by Claire Coté of LEAP. At Eagle Rock Lake, mentored by Forest Service and LEAP personnel, they dug holes, installed new posts and fishing line receptacles, refinished picnic tables and other maintenance tasks. Teams of students walked along road ways throughout Questa collecting trash,

supported by the Taos County Solid Waste and Roads Department. Special thanks to all the students and teachers who spent their morning beautifying our community. We appreciate you! Students and volunteers enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Questa Youth Center catered by Rosie’s Smokehouse, sponsored by LOR Foundation, and organized by teacher and Questa Junior-senior Honor Society leader, Santana Santistevan.


This year’s effort was made possible by collaborators Questa Junior-Senior High School Honor Society, LEAP (Land, Experience and Art of Place), Village of Questa, US Forest Service, Taos County Solid Waste and Roads Department, Localogy, and Community Volunteers. LEAP’s clean-up and beautification efforts at the Questa Park was funded by Chevron Grants for Good and the IMPACT Grant through Taos Community Foundation as well as individual donors.


The Earth Day clean-up was organized in solidarity with the Village of Questa Beautification Committee, spearheaded by Village Councilor Jason Gonzalez. Let’s keep the momentum going; if you go fishing at Eagle Rock Lake, put your used or tangled fishing line in the new green receptacles around the lake; if you see trash in our community, pick it up; if you have trash to throw, find a trash can or dumpster. Together, we can prevent litter, protect wildlife and keep our community clean and beautiful.


Find more photos from Earth Day 2026 in Questa and other events at LEAPsite.org.

Photo by Santana Santistevan.
2026 Earth Day clean-up group photo: Questa Junior Senior High School Students and teachers, LEAP leaders, Community Members, Taos County Solid Waste and Road Department personnel, April 20, 2026.
Photo by Santana Santistevan
Students stop for a photo while picking up litter along roadways in Questa, Earth Day Clean-up, April 20, 2026.
Photo by Santana Santistevan
Students install signage for a newly installed post and used fishing line receptacle at Eagle Rock Lake, April 20, 2026.

  • Claire holds a Bachelors in Fine Art and Cultural Anthropology from the University of New Mexico (summa cum laude, 2004) and a Masters in Art and Ecology from Dartington College of Arts in Devon, England (distinction, 2008). Claire's anthropological training and global travels inform her work. Her respect for the diversity of planetary ecology and the geo-socio-cultural particularities of Place are the basis for her commitment to environmental and social justice and life-long learning.