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New Mexicans Call On Congress To Protect Their Public Lands And Recreation Opportunities

From national parks like Chaco Canyon to handball courts in Albuquerque, many open spaces in American have been made possible by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). This critical funding for conservation is set to expire in just 100 days unless Congress acts quickly.

“For a western state like New Mexico, being out in wild and undeveloped spaces is a way of life,” said John Crenshaw, president of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. “This fund has made parks, open spaces, recreation areas and our precious watersheds accessible to thousands of New Mexicans while protecting the wildlife that thrives in our deserts and mountains. Without it development could encroach, eating away at the wild places that make this the Land of Enchantment.”

The conservation fund represents one of the most successful laws of the last 50 years. First established in 1965 by the Johnson administration, the fund takes a portion of the royalties paid by oil and gas companies for the right to drill, and makes those funds available in the form of grants to aid in the purchase of lands for the enjoyment of all Americans. Congress renewed this fund by an overwhelming majority in 1990, and today, there is wide bipartisan support for permanently renewing it. Yet, some in Congress refuse to allow a vote on this common sense legislation.

“It’s up to Congress whether or not this program, which has made the outdoors accessible to people of this state, continues,” said Michael B. Casaus, the New Mexico State Director of The Wilderness Society. “Senators Heinrich and Udall and Reps. Luján and Lujan Grisham have shown their support and we hope that their colleagues in the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives will join them in reauthorizing this program so a new generation of New Mexicans can hike and fish and camp and explore the beautiful land of their state.”

Across the country, it is hard to drive down the street without finding a park made possible by the conservation fund. In fact, there are more than 41,000 projects across the country enabled by it, including $261,000,000 in grants for projects in New Mexico.  These parks range in size and scope from Petroglyphs National Monument outside of Albuquerque to baseball fields in Carlsbad. These spaces shape and define American communities.

“As a state legislator, I know how much we all depend on public parks and open spaces for gatherings, celebration, community building and recreation with our families. This program has brought us the spaces that bring us together,” said New Mexico State Senator Michael Padilla of Bernalillo County.  “I hope that my colleagues in Congress can work together to beat the deadline and ensure that the Land and Water Conservation Fund continues to protect lands in New Mexico.”