What We Do

The Outdoor Recreation Division aims to increase the over-all mental and physical well-being of New Mexicans through the power of outdoor recreation, enabling residents throughout the state to hold jobs that afford them dignity, joy, and stability. We strive to commit all residents to protecting their state's natural heritage - its lands and waters, its flora and fauna - and find a future on that path. We aim to parlay this commitment into long-term, sustainable investment, both in infrastructure and education. These are a few of the daily actions we take to achieve that ultimate, aspirational outcome.

annual OUtdoor economics conference

The upcoming New Mexico Outdoor Economics Conference, created by Outdoor New Mexico, will be held in Las Cruces, September 25 - 25, 2024. The conference highlights successful community economic development efforts within and outside of New Mexico connected to protected lands and focuses on the development of governmental policies and local entrepreneurship tied to these opportunities. The exciting three days will also unite leaders across the state interested in developing and enhancing opportunities to grow New Mexico’s outdoor recreation economy.

For more information on the 2024 event as it is announced, visit the official conference website.

NM Mainstreet Collaboration

In April 2021, an innovative New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS) and Outdoor Recreation Division (ORD) collaboration launched to connect communities’ downtowns with their natural resources. NMMS and ORD will create the “Outdoor Recreation Asset Atlas” to study five counties. The end result will identify up to five trail creation or improvement projects connected to MainStreet districts. Outdoor recreation development, when connected to MainStreet community downtowns, has great potential to support local, asset-based economic development.

The Adventure pitch

In 2021, ORD invited outdoor businesses to participate in the first-ever Outdoor Pitchfest in Farmington during the Outdoor Economics Conference. Business ideas related to the nature-based outdoor recreation industry were eligible. The six finalists pitched their ideas to a panel of judges from the economic development, outdoor industry, and investing sectors. Read more about the participants.

Congrats to Susan of Free-to-Roam eBiking and Frankie of Bosque Mobile Bike Repair, winners of the Judges’ and Peoples’ Choice awards, respectively.

The event returned as the Adventure Pitch to the 2022 Outdoor Economics Conference. ORD partnered with CNM Ingenuity for the facilitation of the event. Adventure Pitch was live streamed from the ORD Facebook page during the conference. The 2022 competing finalists were announced in September and the winners were announced on October 7th at the event. Read about the winners here.

In 2023, Adventure Pitched returned to the Outdoor Economics Conference held in Santa Fe, October 23-25. The six finalists pitched their ideas to an expert panel of judges — and the winners were announced moments afterward. Read about the winners here.

Adventure Pitch will return to the 2024 Outdoor Economics Conference held in Las Cruces, September 23-25. Application for this year’s Pitch opens this summer.

outdoor equity fund

Access to the outdoors is a basic human right – yet it’s one that has often been denied to many of our youth. As a result, our underrepresented kids haven’t had the chance to experience some of the best of New Mexico: Its outside world. In 2020, the Outdoor Equity Fund was created -a first-of-its-kind funding program to get kids outside. Since then, the fund has awarded nearly $4 million to 181 organizations throughout the state to get nearly 60,000 New Mexico youth outdoors.

The 2023-24 grant cycle is open! The 2023 grant guides and application are available on our Grants page. Early applications are encouraged.

Paid high school outdoor internship

Since fall 2021, New Mexico’s first paid outdoor industry internship pilot program has placed 67 students with 14 employers in the outdoor recreation industry in Taos, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Las Cruces. The program, sponsored by ORD, is run by Future Focused Education (FFE), an Albuquerque-based nonprofit that seeks to better connect underserved and nontraditional students to college and careers.

In the first cohort of this ORD program, three students – Jose, Sarah, and Gabriel – worked with outdoor industry employers in Las Cruces and Santa Fe. Students put in a total of 423 hours with the employers, according to FFE. Participation has grown steadily since the first cohort announced in September 2021.

Find more information about the internship and how you can participate as a school or employer. The program is always seeking additional outdoor businesses and non-profits for placements. The internship is a result of the Cradle-to-Career Outdoor Industry Strategy.

The cradle-to-career outdoor industry strategy

In 2020, the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program awarded the ORD a technical assistance grant to create a statewide outdoor education and industry strategy. The plan builds a pathway from pre-K through higher education for students interested in working in and for the outdoors, and emphasizes early outdoor access through programs like the Outdoor Equity Fund, climate education, and real-world paid experience that opens doors to solid New Mexico careers in tribal and rural areas.

Read the full report.

outdoor recreation trails+ Grant

Access to the outdoors should be low-cost and ubiquitous for all New Mexicans. That's why lawmakers created the Outdoor Recreation Trails+ grant. This program supports projects that enhance communities' outdoor recreation opportunities. Trails, river parks, wildlife viewing areas, and more contribute to economic development, prosperity, and wellness. The grant funds shovel-ready projects that directly add to that access. The ORD awarded six inaugural grants in fall 2020. In 2021, ORD awarded over $500,000 to 25 projects across the state. For 2022, Trails+ reopened with $7 million in funding. This program has now supported 100+ projects. The 2023 grant cycle is open with 10 million in funding! Learn more and apply today.

New Mexico 30x30 Initiative

In 2021, Gov. Lujan Grisham signed Executive Order 2021-052, Protecting New Mexico’s Lands, Watersheds, Wildlife, and Natural Heritage. The order begins by identifying the multiple values provided by conserved lands and waters: 

“New Mexicans rely on the State’s lands and watersheds to support our economy, sustain traditional ways of life, provide our drinking water, ensure food security, preserve biodiversity, and provide recreation opportunities that promote the health and wellbeing of all who call New Mexico home.”  

These values guide the work of the 30 by 30 Advisory Committee (“Committee”), comprised of seven state agencies, including ORD, and the State Land Office. Agencies are directed to individually review and utilize existing programs, funding, and authorities to reach the ambitious conservation targets of conserving at least 30 percent of all lands in New Mexico by 2030, with an additional 20 percent of lands designated as climate stabilization areas.

Learn more at the EMNRD website.

outstanding national resource waters petition

The ORD successfully led a petition to designate 125 miles of rivers in New Mexico as Outstanding National Resource Waters based on their “outstanding” recreational significance to the state. The waters include the Upper Rio Grande, the Rio Hondo, and the headwaters of the Jemez. The petition was approved by the State Water Quality Control Commission summer 2022. It will protect the water quality of these rivers in perpetuity for hunters, anglers, acequias, birders and everyone else living and recreating along their banks.

The first annual New Mexico 30x30 Report was informed by over 600 comments. These comments shaped the committee's work to chart a new direction for conservation in the state.

The Committee developed a framework for accomplishing the 30x30 goals, conducted tribal government and public outreach activities, and drafted a common set of definitions for “Conserved Lands” and “Climate Stabilization Areas” that can be used to measure our progress. The report is a uniquely New Mexico approach to conservation strategies.

Read the 2023 New Mexico 30x30 Report.