Protect Tesuque

Hello, I am Mark DeCamp. I have resided in Santa Fe County, just behind the village of Tesuque, for nearly 10 years. I’m a board member of Protect Tesuque, a non-profit New Mexico public interest corporation created to help protect our small community’s aquifer and the drinking water it provides against contamination by reckless, unlawful discharges of partially treated sewage. A local resort, Bishop’s Lodge Auberge, plans to dump 30,000 gallons per day of partially treated wastewater near Little Tesuque Creek, which directly feeds the aquifer on which100’s of community residents depend for their drinking water. I’ve organized this Go-Fund-Me to gain your support for Protect Tesuque and the community it serves.

Tesuque, New Mexico, is a small, historic community nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de Christo mountains just north of Santa Fe. Indigenous communities, Hispanic families, farmers, artists, and craftspeople have made Tesuque their home for many centuries. Tesuque is known for its pristine watershed, its natural beauty, vibrant ecosystem, deep multi-cultural roots, and close proximity to Santa Fe.

But our way of life is under threat.

A burgeoning resort and residential development want to discharge up to 30,000 gallons per day of its partially treated sewage at the headwaters of our aquifer in clear violation of New Mexico State regulations adopted 50 years ago to protect downstream residents against the surface and ground water degradation and contamination such reckless discharges will cause. The Resort’s “state-of-the-art” treatment process not only fails to remove the pharmaceutical and chemical contaminants that most threaten public health, but it does also not even test for them, posing serious long-term cumulative health threats to the residents of Tesuque Valley and four downstream Native Pueblos.

What We’re Fighting For

Since forming in mid-2024, Protect Tesuque has built a powerful local movement: Our actions to date include:

To date, our funding has come entirely from our own neighbors — residents of Tesuque and Santa Fe who believe in the power of collective action and clean water.

Through matching gift drives, personal outreach, and one-on-one canvassing, our all-volunteer fundraising team has raised over $250,000 to cover legal, scientific, and community organizing expenses. No PACs. No outside influence. Just people who care.

But Now We Need Your Help

The multi-billion-dollar corporation that owns Bishop’s Lodge Resort has no concern for long term impact its partially treated sewage will have on our community’s water supply. We are approaching the legal finish line — and it’s the most critical phases yet.

Our small community need your support. These funds will go directly toward legal expenses, scientific expert work, and community outreach needed to see this effort through — and to win.

This is a fight for Tesuque — but it’s also a fight for every community in America trying to stand up to corporate overreach and demand that environmental laws be enforced.

We’ve gotten this far because only because of community support. Now, as the Resort sues Protect Tesuque and 12 individual community members to silence public opposition, we ask for your continued support. Your donation here will help us carry this legal fight to the finish line — and if you wish to stand with the individuals named in the lawsuit, please also consider contributing to their separate legal defense fund [Search GoFundMe for: Support Tesuque 12 Against Unfair Lawsuit ]. Let’s show that when our water and voices are under threat, we rise together.