The Guild welcomes Alex Kaste to Southwest Staff

Written by Alex Kaste

Alex Kaste joined the Guild in January 2026 as the Southwest Project Coordinator, where he supports the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) and contributes to the Fire Adapted New Mexico Learning Network (FACNM). In this role, Alex works closely with landowners, community partners, and local organizations to support fuels reduction efforts, increase wildfire preparedness, and strengthen collaboration across the wildland–urban interface (WUI) in northern New Mexico, with a focus on the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed. 

Alex’s interest in land stewardship and wildfire resilience began during his undergraduate studies at Oregon State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Science, along with a minor in Ichthyology and a certification in Geographic Information Sciences. While at OSU, Alex gained hands-on experience assisting with a coastal cutthroat trout monitoring project on the Willamette River and working as a Stewardship Technician with Greenbelt Land Trust. Through this work, he developed an appreciation for caring for working landscapes and supporting the people who depend on them. His first experience with prescribed fire—participating in oak release treatments—sparked a lasting interest in how proactive forest management can reduce wildfire risk while improving ecological health. 

Following graduation, Alex worked with the Sonoma Ecology Center in California as a Restoration Technician and GIS Field Specialist. There, he supported fuels reduction, prescribed burning, and vegetation management projects in fire-prone landscapes near communities. Working in the WUI reinforced the importance of thoughtful, community-supported approaches to wildfire mitigation and highlighted the role that collaboration plays in protecting homes, infrastructure, and natural resources. 

Alex later moved to New Mexico to join the Bureau of Land Management’s Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Program as an Ecological Monitoring Crew Lead. This position allowed him to work across the state’s diverse public lands and deepen his understanding of New Mexico’s diverse ecosystems. After a successful field season, he was promoted to Ecological Data Analyst and Crew Supervisor, where he helped translate field observations into information that land managers and partners could use to guide restoration and fuels treatment priorities. 

Alex strongly identifies with the Guild’s mission to forge a healthy future for people and forests through responsible stewardship. Witnessing the impacts of catastrophic wildfire in the WUI in both New Mexico and California underscored for him the urgency of proactive fuels reduction, shared responsibility, and community preparedness. Through his work on the Community Wildfire Defense Grant and with FACNM, Alex is excited to help build relationships, support local leadership, and contribute to communities becoming safer, more resilient, and better prepared to live with fire. 

Outside of work, Alex enjoys mountain biking, exploring northern New Mexico’s public lands, and spending time outdoors with his wife and cat, Fitz.