The Culprits
Bishop’s Lodge Resort, Auberge Resorts, Juniper Capital and New Mexico Environment Department
At the center of this issue are multiple entities that have become synonymous with negligence and regulatory failure in Tesuque: Bishop’s Lodge Resort; its parent company, Auberge Resorts Collection; Juniper Capital; and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED).
Who Does What?
Juniper Capital is the sole owner of Bishop’s Lodge Resort. It has hired Auberge Resorts Collection to manage the local resort on its behalf. Given this relationship, Juniper Capital makes all decisions on all aspects of makes decisions on all aspects of the property development, including commissioning and executing the disputed sewage processing system for Bishop’s Lodge Resort, Auberge Resorts Collection In addition, Juniper Capital controls the waste disposal decisions for an additional 80+ homes, plus those to be developed in the future, through a relationship with a separate entity, the Bishop’s Lodge Hills Homeowners Association, Inc., a New Mexico non-profit.
Juniper Capital
Per their website content in April, 2025, Juniper Capital is located in Scottsdale, AZ and is involved in all aspects of real estate investment, focusing on value creation through direct investments and advising institutional clients.
They take an active role in management, board membership, or advisory positions. Juniper Capital specializes in distressed or undervalued assets requiring repositioning and complex restructuring, favoring high-quality, irreplaceable real estate. Their approach includes substantial repositioning and other value-added strategies.
Bishops Lodge Resort
After years of shutdown and renovation, Bishops Lodge reopened on July 1, 2021 under the of Auberge Resorts Collection, with room prices over $1,000 a night. Three months later, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in Delaware awarded ownership of the luxury property to Juniper Capital, who today maintains 100 percent ownership of the 317-acre resort in return for $35 million in debt forgiveness, according to Wall Street Journal and Law360. Renovations were done on 13 buildings, including the main Lodge, which dates back to 1915 and now houses the SkyFire Restaurant. The new buildings include 12 three- and four-bedroom vacation homes.
According to a Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection spokeswoman, the resort produces 14,000 to 16,000 gallons of wastewater daily. That amount is expected to increase to just shy of 20,000 gallons a day after Juniper Capital adds a spa, a pool, and a fitness center.
Since the summer of 2024, rumors have circulated that Juniper Capital wants to sell the resort. Talk of Juniper Capital’s desire to offload Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection aligns with its stated investment parameters* of only holding onto an asset for a term of 2-5 years.
Auberge Resorts Collection
Auberge Resorts (officially Auberge Resorts Collection) is an American multinational hospitality group headquartered in Mill Valley, California, and Bethesda, Maryland. Founded in 1981 as Auberge du Soleil, the group operates 27 hotels and resorts in 2023 in the United States, Mexico, and Europe, over 1,000 people worldwide with an annual revenue of $300 million.
Although no mention of a commitment to being responsible stewards of the environment can be found on the Bishop’s Lodge Auberge Resorts Collection website, its Auberge du Soleil property in (location) claims that it strives to live in harmony with the environment while preserving and protecting the Napa Valley terroir and culture. It states that by implementing eco-friendly practices and encouraging our guests, team members, and community to be stewards of the land, we strive to minimize our environmental footprint and inspire a responsible and sustainable lifestyle.
NMED
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is the agency responsible for safeguarding New Mexico’s water resources. In the case of approving the discharge of the partially treated sewage from Bishop’s Lodge Resort, NMED has failed to enforce the state’s Liquid Waste Regulations. Instead, NMED issued a draft permit that violates core legal requirements.
The permit allows large-scale waste aggregation, off-site waste treatment, and discharge rates that exceed regulatory limits. These actions directly contradict the laws NMED is obligated to uphold, raising serious concerns about its role. Rather than acting as a watchdog against water pollution in New Mexico, NMED appears to be enabling it.
Our Goals
Stop The Dumping
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Stop Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts and the Bishop’s Lodge Hills and Villas from contaminating our drinking water.
Protect Our Water
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Ensure immediate adoption of an environmentally sound solution for disposal of the sewage generated by the Resort and the Hills and Villas.
Ensure Our Future
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Secure prompt adoption and enforcement by County and State governments of suitable sewage and waste disposal regulations to protect the quality and viability of Tesuque Basin’s drinking water, acequias and ecosystem.