Governor backs plan for outdoor recreation agency

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday threw her support behind legislation establishing a state office of outdoor recreation, which an unlikely coalition of backers say would boost an industry they view as key to diversifying New Mexico’s economy. The newly elected Democrat did not just put her political muscle behind the idea, either. She put […]

Governor backs plan for outdoor recreation agency

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday threw her support behind legislation establishing a state office of outdoor recreation, which an unlikely coalition of backers say would boost an industry they view as key to diversifying New Mexico’s economy.

The newly elected Democrat did not just put her political muscle behind the idea, either. She put her calf muscles behind it, bicycling from the governor’s mansion to the Capitol in a show of support for Senate Bill 462.

“Montana, you’re done. We’ve got it all right here,” Lujan Grisham later told reporters.

She was probably only half-joking. Her administration has quickly put the tourism and outdoor industries at the top of its economic development efforts.

And a crowd ranging from conservationists to conservative rural lawmakers are on board. They see the outdoors as a resource they can capitalize on to buoy communities that have struggled economically or are facing a future in which old industries might no longer be reliable.

Senate Bill 462 would set aside $1.6 million to establish the Outdoor Recreation Division within the Economic Development Department.

The division would help develop businesses geared toward the outdoors and market New Mexico’s outdoor attractions. The division would also help expand structure such as trails to promote outdoor recreation.

And it would manage a fund for programs to get young people from low-income communities into the outdoors.

The industry has been getting organized for years, bringing together groups as disparate as the hook-and-bullet crowd, snowboarders and mountain bikers. And part of that has included having state as well as local governments recognize the outdoors industry as the big business it is.

Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, South Carolina and Montana already have created offices of outdoor recreation, according to industry news website SNEWS.

In some of these states, such offices have been key to winning big attractions, such as the Outdoor Retailer trade show that moved from Salt Lake City to Denver in 2017 and took with it thousands of visitors.

But that is not necessarily where the new administration wants to focus.

“This cannot be about just chasing — and I don’t mean that in a negative way — large business enterprises,” Lujan Grisham told reporters during a news conference in her office with the bill’s gaggle of Democratic and Republican legislators. “… It’s really a signal that New Mexico will help small, local businesses both be more sustainable and grow. And we want to create new businesses.”

In New Mexico, the sector already supports 99,000 jobs in and generates $9.9 billion in consumer spending annually, according to the Outdoor Industry Association, a trade group.

Backers say the sector can buoy the economies of rural communities by drawing tourists, as well as supporting businesses that may serve those visitors or ply the world beyond New Mexico with products such as outdoor gear.

“The things that are part of our tradition, our heritage, our culture will lead us to a brighter economic future,” said Rep. Nathan Small, a Democrat from Las Cruces and a sponsor of the bill.

Still, there’s a fragile quality to what makes the state so beautiful. With its sparse crowds and unique culture, can the state really invite more visitors and not risk them either loving New Mexico to death or turning a place like Taos into an adobe version of Aspen?

The bill’s rollout Tuesday seemed designed to rebuff criticism that building up the outdoor industry is just to kowtow to affluent adventurers in search of skiing or trophy hunting.

Lujan Grisham was flanked by her secretaries of economic development, tourism and Indian affairs.

Rep. D. Wonda Johnson, a Democrat from Church Rock and a sponsor of the bill, said developing the outdoor industry will go hand in hand with protecting sacred sites and allowing communities to share their own stories.

“There’s certain things in our state that are nonpartisan,” said Sen. Steven Neville, a Republican from Farmington and another co-sponsor. “And outdoor recreation and the economy are those kinds of things.”

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

A New Mexico-based LGBTQ rights organization endorsed 15 candidates for state House and Senate seats for the 2024 elections.  Marshall Martinez, executive director of…
Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pocket vetoed two bills the legislature passed this legislative session: one changing the Cybersecurity Act and the other concerning law…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

Migrating birds appear to have caused a virus in dairy cattle that is causing reduced milk production. So far, the disease, which initially started…
Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republican-backed legislation in the U.S. Congress would make it harder for the government to designate new national monuments. The proposed Congressional Oversight of the…
Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with…
Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican Brittany Behenna Griffith has a laundry list of adjectives to describe the ideal special education teacher:…
Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican A challenging task awaits New Mexico lawmakers in the next 30 days: Reconciling three very different…
Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with covid-19 patients, emergency physician Sonya Stokes remains shaken by…
Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to six tribal nations and…
Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee discussed a potential constitutional amendment that seeks to limit the governor’s executive powers. The committee approved…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit…
Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the case against the abortion medication mifepristone. It will hear a second…
New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid announced on Wednesday that it will cover the cost of Opill, the first oral contraception approved for over-the-counter use. It is…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit…
San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

The Navajo Nation and San Juan County reached an agreement Monday about commission districts after the tribe alleged that its members were not adequately…
MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

New Mexico’s 2022 election was ranked most well-run in the country by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Election Data and Science Lab’s Elections Performance Index.…
Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

Migrating birds appear to have caused a virus in dairy cattle that is causing reduced milk production. So far, the disease, which initially started…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report