Support bi-partisan conservation, support Senate Bill 9

All of us who call Taos home share one fundamental value — a profound respect for our lands and waters. We may look at these resources through different lenses or with different priorities, but we share the knowledge that good land and water stewardship is essential for our way of life, our economy and the soul of Northern New Mexico.

The three of us are part of a broad, bipartisan coalition of community members who have come together over the past five years to respond to the crises our lands and waters face. Across New Mexico, farmers, ranchers, acequia parciantes, conservationists, hunters, fisherman, skiers, boaters and recreationists of all stripes have come together to find a way to ensure we have sufficient funding to steward our lands and waters for generations to come.

This is where SB9, the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund comes in. This bipartisan bill would create the state’s first-ever dedicated source of recurring funding for conservation, prioritizing land and water stewardship, forest and watershed health, outdoor recreation and infrastructure, agriculture and working lands, historic preservation, and wildlife species protection. The Fund would invest in existing state programs, which could unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants. It would not create new programs, but instead ensure consistent, permanent funding for existing, time-tested programs already used by land stewards across our state.

Taos stands to benefit greatly from this fund, as so many of its programs have already shown positive results across our county. Projects like those on the Rio Hondo watershed have improved forest health and protected water sources. Others, like the Trampas to San Cristobal Forest Restoration project, have reduced risk of catastrophic wildfire that threatens water supplies for communities like Arroyo Hondo, Valdez and San Cristobal. The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) River Stewardship Program has long benefited communities like Red River through habitat restoration and riverbank stabilization projects to support riparian habitat and healthy ecosystems for fish, wildlife and native plant species. The New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Soils Program has helped producers throughout Taos County improve their soil health and implement regenerative agricultural practices on their land. The Red Willow Center at Taos Pueblo and the Rio Fernando Park owned by Taos Land Trust have improved soil health with innovative practices funded by this program. Many of the acequias throughout our county have benefited from the Taos Soil and Water Conservation District’s acequia infrastructure development support.

Taos County also benefits from the Office of Outdoor Recreation, whose Trails+ Grants Program has made important infrastructure improvements to the Enchanted Circle Trail System in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. And the Taos Academy Charter School, the Roots & Wings Community Charter School, Vista Grande High School and Taos Pueblo youth have all benefited from the Outdoor Equity Fund, which provides state grants to ensure local youth get to spend time enjoying the natural wonders of our region.

These are just a few of the many ways Taos County has and could continue to benefit. As good as these projects are, we are not doing enough to care for our natural heritage. We are the only state in the West that hasn’t created a dedicated permanent fund for conservation work, and it shows. There is so much work to be done to ensure our lands and waters are resilient. We are all aware of the incredible vulnerability of our area to potentially devastating wildfires. We struggle with invasive weed species proliferating across our county. In order to ensure we are able to expand our conservation and restoration work, we need to ensure consistent dedicated funding through the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund.

With support from the governor and legislators in both chambers, we have a once-in-ageneration opportunity to deliver for New Mexico’s communities this session. We are grateful to have representatives like Sens. Bobby Gonzales and Pete Campos, as well as Reps. Kristina Ortez and Susan Herrera, who understand these issues. We hope they and all legislators in Northern New Mexico will unite in supporting SB9 this session.

The decisions our legislators make now could substantially impact the health of our lands and waters for generations to come. We can’t let another year go by without action — the extreme weather conditions we’re experiencing are threatening the natural heritage of Taos County and all of New Mexico. Let’s meet the moment we are in and pass SB9 to leave a legacy that future generations deserve. Join us at enchantmentfund.org.

Gillian Joyce is executive director for Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos and government relations representative for Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. She lives in Ranchos de Taos. This My Turn was co-authored by Lawrence Gallegos, New Mexico field organizer for Western Landowners Alliance and governing board member for New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council. Joe Zupan, executive director for Amigos Bravos, also co-authored this submission.