KRQE: New Mexico awards more than $1.7M for youth outdoor programs

September 20, 2023

The state announced Wednesday that 54 organizations in 16 counties have received more than $1.7M to make sure New Mexico kids have access to outdoor activities. The Outdoor Equity Fund grant aims to ensure kids have access to the outdoors while teaching them to respect the land, water, and cultural heritage of New Mexico. Funding for this round of grant funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act, private donations, and the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund.

“New Mexico’s Outdoor Recreation Division has quickly become a national model as we invest not just in trails and rural communities but also our youth,” said Economic Development Department Deputy Secretary Jon Clark in a news release. “The Outdoor Equity programs have introduced 20,892 young New Mexicans to the outdoors through day hikes, bike rides, camping trips, fishing, river adventures, acequia irrigation, and more. Many are having these experiences for the very first time, setting them on a path of healthier living and outdoor stewardship.”

The following organizations were awarded money:

Adobe Whitewater Club, Albuquerque, $40,000
Albuquerque Sign Language Academy, Albuquerque, $40,000
Amy Biehl High School Foundation, Albuquerque, $5,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central New Mexico, Albuquerque, $20,000
Camp Enchantment, Rio Rancho, $20,000
Cancer Awareness, Prevalence, Prevention and Early Detection, Alamogordo, $26,300.48
Centennial High School, Student Success Program/Outdoors Club, Las Cruces, $10,000
Center of Southwest Culture, Inc./Story Riders, Albuquerque, $40,000
City of Clovis, Clovis, $20,000
Collins Lake Autism Center, Cleveland, $25,218
Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions, Albuquerque, $40,000
Doña Ana Village Association, Doña Ana, $40,000
Earth Ways Inc., Gila, $33,680
Embudo Valley Tutoring Association, Dixon, $9,660
Environmental Education of New Mexico, Bosque Farms, $30,000
Families & Youth Inc., Las Cruces, $40,000
Fly Fish NM, Albuquerque, $25,239
Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, Las Cruces, $40,000
Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails, Albuquerque, $30,000
Global Opportunities Unlimited, Albuquerque, $14,600
Global Warming Express, Santa Fe, $40,000
Hermit’s Peak Watershed Alliance, Sapello, $40,000
Latino Outdoors, Albuquerque, $40,000
MANA de Albuquerque, Albuquerque, $23,500
Mountain Kids!, Santa Fe, $40,000
National Audubon Society, Santa Fe, $29,858.60
National Ghost Ranch Foundation, Inc., Abiquiu, $40,000
National Indian Youth Leadership Project, Albuquerque, $40,000
New Mexico Dream Team, Albuquerque, $40,000
New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, Albuquerque, $35,475
New Mexico Wildlife Federation – Nature Niños, Albuquerque, $40,000
PB&J Family Services, Albuquerque, $35,383.07
Reunity Resources, Santa Fe, $40,000
River Source/Partners in Education Foundation, Santa Fe, $30,000
Sandia Mountain Natural History Center, Cedar Crest, $40,000
Santa Fe Conservation Trust, Santa Fe, $40,000
Santa Rosa Elementary / Santa Rosa Middle School / Anton Chico Schools, Santa Rosa, $40,000
Semilla Project, Albuquerque, $40,000
Siembra Leadership High School Foundation, Albuquerque, $40,000
Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee Works, Inc., Gallup, $39,645.80
Southern New Mexico Mountain Biking, Las Cruces, $30,000
Talking Talons Youth Leadership, Cedar Crest, $40,000
Taos Academy Charter School, Taos, $15,500
Taos Land Trust, Taos, $32,500
Together for Brothers/Partnership for Community Action, Albuquerque, $40,000
Town of Mountainair, Mountainair, $20,732
Upper Chama Soil and Water Conservation District/New Mexico Earthlings, Tierra Amarilla, $40,000
Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, Silver City, $27,450
Village of Los Lunas Open Space (Parks and Recreation Department), Los Lunas, $31,890
Village of Pecos, Pecos, $40,000
Vista Grande High School, Taos, $40,000
Yerba Mansa Project, Albuquerque, $9,027.28
YouthWorks, Santa Fe, $31,200
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project, Zuni Pueblo $40,000