Public Lands, Water & Wildlife:
Building Resilient Landscapes and Communities
New Mexico is home to nearly 35 million acres of public lands. They support wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and traditional cultural practices that are essential for our state’s diverse communities.
However, our wildlife, waters and ecosystems are at grave risk from decades of mining and oil and gas activity, climate change impacts, and limited agency capacity to enforce rules.
In addition, complex water rights and decreasing water supplies have fueled disputes on the best ways to manage New Mexico’s waterways and rivers.
Our Vision
Governor Lujan Grisham’s executive order on 30×30 committed to protect 30% of state lands and waters by 2030. By creating a uniquely New Mexican approach, we can safeguard the natural resources we rely on for food, jobs, and recreation and protect our communities.
- Address loopholes in existing law that allow mining and other extractive industries to pollute our water and land
- Modernize our state’s water infrastructure and management to address the challenge of climate change
- Spark local, regional and federal policy discussions that will protect 30% of our watersheds by 2030
- Protect watersheds from development, pollution and diversion
Embudo Box Trail
Hike through the canyon carved by Embudo Creek in Dixon, New Mexico.
Photo: Sherman Hogue
Related Work
Learn more about conservation efforts.
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New Mexico has the least amount of protected lands in the West, but we have a vast landscape filled with remarkable biodiversity and cultural significance. Just to the west of Santa Fe, perched between mountain ranges, bordered by cottonwood-laced waterways, and filled with the rich heritage and traditions of its…
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Once-in-a-generation conservation funding bill passes Senate! On February 14th, New Mexico took a big step toward establishing the state’s first dedicated, sustainable funding for land and water conservation when the New Mexico Senate passed SB 9 – Create Legacy Permanent Funds - on a vote of 33-7. Please thank your…
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Two years ago, in 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report warning us that if we are to avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change, we need to cut our greenhouse gas emissions in half in twelve years. That twelve-year window has already been whittled down…
Broad-Based Support
CVNM partners with and supports these organizations in order to move the needle on conserving Public Lands, Water and Wildlife.
Special thanks to…