(The Center Square) – The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division is providing $1 million in new Outdoor Equity Fund grants to 30 organizations, school districts, and local governments throughout the state
The state created the Outdoor Equity Fund in 2019 to improve outdoor access for New Mexican youth, according to ORD. Since then, the fund has provided nearly $5 million to 211 organizations across New Mexico.
“The organizations and communities receiving funding for their youth programs are not only fostering the next generation of outdoor leaders by introducing new experiences but also planting the seed of the possibility of a career in outdoor recreation. These 30 programs actively introduce 6,498 young New Mexicans to the outdoors through day hikes, hunting and tanning, bike rides, ecosystem monitoring, adaptive equine camps, fly fishing, acequia cultural preservation, and more,” Acting New Mexico Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Jon Clark said.
The 30 grants total $1,052,347 and range in size from $5,000 to $40,000 each.
“We are grateful and excited to be able to have the opportunity to get Indigenous and Hispanic youth out onto their traditional lands to learn about their culture, history, language, landscape, and traditional forms of conservation through fly fishing,” Vidal Gonzales, owner of The Uncivilized Outdoorsman and partner with Trout Unlimited, said. “With the mentorship from their elders, our youth will have the opportunity to engage in outdoor recreation that centers on their traditional ways of life.”
The state spent $2,793,846 in the Outdoor Equity Fund awards in 2023. It used a mix of state and federal money for this, including $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. The program will get funding from the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund in fiscal year 2025.
“At ORD, we are committed to championing a vision where all New Mexicans have equal access to the transformative power of nature,” ORD Director Karina Armijo said. “With the announcement of 30 more awardees to the Outdoor Equity Fund and 84 total in this fiscal year alone, we collectively ensure that outdoor experiences become an inclusive and empowering force for all, fostering a diverse community that thrives in the great outdoors.”
Examples of programs funded include $35,550 for the Adaptive Sports Progam in Sandoval County, providing a ski and snowboarding program for public school students with disabilities; $40,000 to Animas Public Schools to give students “environmental and climate education related to current events”; $39,990 to CYCLE Kids, Inc. to promote riding bikes; $39,050 for Hero’s Path Palliative Care in Bernalillo County to provide environmental education to children; and $25,000 to Youth Heartline in Taos County to offer outdoor camping and hiking for children ages 9 through 13.
