In September, the Collaboration Program welcomed Berit Robnett as our new AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer at the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute. 
Berit grew up in Albuquerque, where her love for the outdoors and community involvement shaped her commitment to environmental stewardship. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Earth and Planetary Science from the University of New Mexico, with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies.
As an AmeriCorps VISTA member, Berit’s service year focuses on building capacity by helping organizations strengthen their communications, partnerships, and long-term sustainability. She is the Institute’s third VISTA, continuing our efforts to expand collaborative capacity across New Mexico.
Berit will support the Connecting for Conservation (C4C) project in Santa Fe, a network that connects collaboratives and their partners working on forest and watershed restoration in the greater Santa Fe area. C4C’s mission is to strengthen these efforts through capacity building projects and to facilitate information sharing between local collaboratives and connect them with larger regional networks. In addition to her work in Santa Fe, Berit will also aim to help establish a C4C network in south-central New Mexico, extending this model of collaboration and connectivity to additional communities and landscapes.