A coalition released a report on and celebrated the first year of New Mexico’s Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund. (Courtesy photo)
New Mexico officials and conservation groups gathered in Silver City earlier this week to celebrate investments in projects they say will address conservation, watershed issues and mitigate climate change — despite federal cuts to environmental programs.
In 2023, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 9 creating the “Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund,” an investment fund to provide recurring revenues for land, water, agriculture and outdoor recreation projects. The fund now sits at $382.9 million, and provides $12.5 million to 10 state agencies as grants.
July marked the first year of the fund’s payout, supporting 185 projects in New Mexico’s 33 counties and 10 tribal communities. Some of the projects included: addressing soil issues in Socorro; planting crop cover in Taos; and building trails in Carlsbad. Other priorities that received funds: agricultural programs to counter noxious weeds; wildlife surveys in every county; and watershed restoration from fire damage and historic buildings protections. View an interactive map of all the projects here.
New Mexico conservation groups issued a report on the fund’s inaugural year that totaled its positive impact on 64,905 acres of public and private land, but also noted that all of the projects included a federal funding match, and all of the state agencies faced challenges as a result of federal funding upheaval. “While most grants are secure, some still face uncertainty,” the report said.
While celebrating the fund’s achievements at an appearance in Silver City, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also referenced the potential threats public lands in New Mexico could face under the current federal administration.
A previous version of the GOP’s spending bill in the Senate would have allowed the sale of 21,000 square miles of public lands in New Mexico to private buyers, sparking protests at the Western Governor’s association. The proposal was later scrapped on procedural grounds, but members of the New Mexico Congressional delegation say the fight isn’t over.
As such, Lujan Grisham in her comments floated enshrining protections from selling federal public lands in a special session, saying that while Republicans “didn’t achieve it, but they’ll do it again.”
“I think we ought to have a special session and just put in state law: ‘No, thank you. We can’t do it here,’” she told the crowd. And if somehow they can, we get every right of first refusal.”
In a written statement, the governor’s Director of Communications Michael Coleman clarified that the governor would not call a special session exclusively for public lands.
“She is strongly considering calling a special session to deal with Trump administration budget cuts and public safety concerns,” Coleman wrote. “Public lands could be placed on a call with those other issues.”
Coleman said Friday the timing for a prospective special session “remains unclear.”