Macy Michaels grew up raising a variety of animals on her family’s ranch in Wilcox, Arizona, and recognizes the serious impact climate change is having on ranchers and people living in rural areas of the American West.

The statewide water outage has significantly increased the price of irrigation and fodder, as well as greatly uncertain access to water sources. This uncertainty can be even more terrifying for those outside of active management areas, or geographic zones where groundwater conservation laws must be complied with.

“I just pray and hope that we get as much rain as possible every summer,” she said.

Despite the challenges that are likely to affect these communities, 19-year-old Michaels is following a path that she believes will lead to hope and a sustainable future for not only her generation, but the next. increase.

She was awarded a 2022 scholarship by the Los Charos Foundation, symbolizing the foundation’s mission to teach students how to live a cowboy life.

The Los Charos Foundation is an Arizona-based charity dedicated to keeping the West alive by supporting and educating rural youth. The foundation was founded in 2015 by Los Charos del Desierto, a group of people of diverse backgrounds in Tucson who have been horseback riding in the Southwest once a year since 1956 in the fall. The Los Charos Foundation has 18 directors who are passionate and experienced in the world of cowboys.

Arizona has weathered and weathered drought for more than 20 years, and more rural families are cracking under the pressure.was there More than 2 degrees Fahrenheit increase in average heat over the past centuryto start a faster evaporation time and pose a threat. Diversity of native plant species. In some cases, these rural areas are forced to use more water than they can sustain, forcing wells to be dug deeper or abandoned after they dry up.

“We needed to do something for the kids here,” said Los Charos Chairman Steve Turcotte. The foundation serves underrepresented or poor youth in Cochise, Santa Cruz, South Pima, and East Pinal counties.

Since 2015, Los Charos has awarded over 100 young people with scholarships totaling over $500,000. Last year alone, she offered $153,000 in scholarships that would take her to a two- or four-year degree at either a university, technical school, or community college. This year, we received over 60 applicants, many of whom will be the first members of their families to attend post-secondary school.

“It taught me many things that many people need in life,” Michaels said. “As a leader, I like to manage my time and just take responsibility.”

Michaels said the scholarship gave her the financial headroom she needed to pursue her passions, her dream of teaching about ranching and rodeo. She plans to graduate with a degree in animal science and Cochise joins her community rodeo team at her college.

The program’s first recipients graduated from the University of Arizona last year, and five more graduates this spring with degrees in veterinary technology and nursing, welding and hoofing, and other occupations.

“I don’t care if farming is what they want to do,” Turcotte said. “We’re raising our people. That’s the point.”

People living in rural Arizona are 5 percent less likely to graduate from high school than those living in urban areas, and more than 20 percent live in poverty, according to the report. Data from the Arizona Bureau of Economic Research. Los Charros does not discriminate based on the grades students receive in high school. If accepted into the program, scholarship recipients will have up to two semesters to demonstrate their commitment.

“We feel that young people in rural areas should be given the same opportunities as other young people,” said Dean Fish, an annual fundraiser for the Foundation and a member of the Scholarships Committee. Told.

To help scholarship recipients earn money and gain appreciation for raising and caring for animals, the Foundation has launched projects to help prepare for life after graduation.

“We buy chickens, turkeys, goats, pigs, lambs, etc., deliver the animals to their homes, set up pens and deliver weekly feed,” Turcotte said. “Then they take them to an exhibition and we buy the animal back. They get the money and we donate the meat.”

Many students have never experienced the responsibilities that come with caring for land and livestock. But the youth project is one of the foundation’s most successful initiatives, Turcotte said.

Los Charos is also heavily involved in supporting 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) programs, with students who have a background in, or a particular interest in, farming or ranching. We display our animals at the Pima County Fair in Tucson. others.

Because their livelihoods depend on maintaining the balance of the land’s ecosystems, the foundation encourages students to develop identities as conservationists and environmentalists. Richard Blatt, one of the founding members and former president of the company, said he believes the root of success is getting children to come home with a work ethic and an appreciation for the environment.

“For me, the values ​​are hard work, preserving the land, and having the freedom to go out into the open and pursue your dreams,” Bratt said.

Some of the foundation’s founders have opened their ranches to the public to teach respect for the environment through climate-smart farming practices such as land mitigation and reduced water use. Blatt said the foundation wants students to understand how much work goes into getting produce from farm to table.

“The biggest thing we want them to know is that we have a cheerleader for them,” Fish said. “Los Charos is a foundation that not only believes in their future, but that we will invest in it.”