State provides $13.5 million lift for outdoor programs

This year’s legislative session yielded funding for universal childcare, roads and more — and outdoor recreation also got a piece of the pie.

For fiscal year 2027, which spans July to June of next year, state lawmakers designated special appropriations totaling $13.5 million for New Mexico’s outdoor recreation programs — boosting an industry that contributed $3.6 billion to the state’s economy in 2024, according to recently released federal data.

“The outdoor recreation industry enhances the quality of life as well as the economies of communities throughout New Mexico,” Economic Development Department Secretary Rob Black said in a statement. “This funding fuels economic growth, creates jobs and career pathways, bringing new opportunities for everyone, especially our youth.”

Broken down, $3.5 million of the funding will go toward the Outdoor Recreation Division’s Outdoor Equity Fund, a grant program that was created to connect New Mexico’s underserved youth with outdoor activities and experiences.

The fund was the first of its kind across the nation when the Legislature established it in 2019, alongside ORD, after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham named outdoor recreation a target industry for growth in New Mexico. The fund has since connected more than 106,000 of the state’s youth with the outdoors.

ORD’s Outdoor Recreation Trails+ Grant program, launched in 2020, will receive the majority of the funding. That $10 million will help the program pay for community-led trail development and improvements, forest and watershed restorations, and infrastructure projects across the state, a news release said.

The purpose of the program is to “expand recreational access and strengthen local economies,” the news release said. The program has so far supported an estimated 2,367 temporary, part-time and full-time jobs associated with the funded projects, which range anywhere from trail creation to the development of a mountain bike park.

These two programs also receive permanent funding from the state’s Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, and the Outdoor Equity Fund receives an annual allocation from the Equity Fund.

Total program financing will be announced later this year, along with the opening and closing dates for the FY27 grant cycle, according to an ORD spokesperson. The division will also be announcing the final rounds of the FY26 grant recipients for both programs in the coming weeks.

The FY27 special appropriations for these programs are similar to what was invested last year, which was $13 million. The state is directing this year’s extra $500,000 to the Outdoor Equity Fund, marking a record special appropriations investment in the grant program, the ORD spokesperson said.

“We deeply appreciate the governor and legislators for continuing to prioritize equitable access to New Mexico’s outdoors,” Outdoor Recreation Division Director Karina Armijo said in a statement. “This investment helps ensure that communities across the state — especially rural and Tribal communities — can access the economic, health and quality-of-life benefits that outdoor recreation provides.”

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.