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May 8, 2018
The Honorable Tom Udall
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Martin Heinrich
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Ben Ray Lujan
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Steve Pearce
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Michelle Lujan Grisham
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Senators Udall and Heinrich and Representatives Lujan, Pearce, and Lujan Grisham:
As business leaders, owners, and managers in New Mexico, we’re enthusiastic about the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the benefits it has provided for our state and nation. This program has done a great deal to help protect and enhance the natural areas, cultural heritage, and places to recreate that are essential to our local economies and community well‐being.
We ask that you do all you can to achieve full funding for and permanent reauthorization of this vital program before its September 30, 2018 expiration date. Without the certainty that reauthorizing LWCF provides, the collaborative work by willing sellers, non-profit partners, and government agencies on many of the conservation acquisitions and successes described below would never have happened and future efforts will grind to a halt.
Since its creation by Congress in 54 years ago, LWCF has benefitted New Mexico’s communities and residents through both its “state side” and “federal side” programs.
LWCF’s federal side program has provided funds for protection of places iconic to our state where residents and visitors go to hike, hunt, and fish as well as learn about our culture and history. These places include El Malpais, Petroglyph, and Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monuments; Valles Caldera National Preserve; El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail; Chaco Culture National Historical Park;Valle de Oro and Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuges; the Gila, Carson, Santa Fe, Lincoln, and Cibola National Forests; Rio Grande del Norte National Monument; the Organ Mountains; and many others.
LWCF’s state side funding, provided through grants to local governments and the State, is also important to our communities. Since 1965, over 1,000 grants have been made through LWCF’s state side program to New Mexico, totaling over $43 million and touching every county in our state. Matched with state and local funds, these grants have enabled construction and enhancement of state and local parks, pools, ball fields, and other recreation facilities in our communities. State parks that have benefitted from LWCF include Eagle Nest Lake, Mesilla Valley Bosque, City of Rocks, and Pancho Villa.
Combining both the federal and state side programs, LWCF has provided over $312 million to projects that have leveraged millions more in state, local, and private matching funds to contribute to the betterment of our state and well-being of our citizens.
LWCF does so much for our communities, from protecting our drinking water and providing public land access for sportsmen to ensuring our children have places to exercise to attracting entrepreneurs, retirees, and tourists who benefit our economy and value what protected public lands add to their quality of life.
As LWCF’s September 30, 2108 deadline approaches, we urge you to work toward this program’s permanent reauthorization and full funding. Doing so will ensure that our nation will continue to invest in its natural, cultural, and recreational heritage, which benefits our communities, our economy, our children and our grandchildren.
Sincerely,
| Annemarie Marek, Marek & Company, Santa Fe 87506 |
| Anthro Pottery, Catherin Veblen, Corrales 87048 |
| ANTIX INC. Anthony Harris, Las Cruces 88005 |
| Archinia, Rachel Preston Prinz, Santa Fe 87506 |
| Barbara Gates CPA, Santa Fe 87501 |
| Ben Archer Health Center, Joseph Yaroch, Las Cruces 88007 |
| Black Range Lodge, Catherine Wanek, Hillsboro 88042 |
| Blue Heron Enterprises, Mary Canavan, Las Cruces 88005 |
| Business Development Manager, Joseph Maestas, Santa Fe 87505 |
| Camunez Law Firm, PC, Rosanne Camunez, Las Cruces 88005 |
| CASA A Center Advancing Sustainable Architecture, Howard and Phyllis Kaplan, Albuquerque 87122 |
| Copier Guy, Inc, Jon Simmons, Las Cruces 88005 |
| Cowgirl BBQ, Patrick Lambert ,Santa Fe 87501 |
| D and D’s Organic Haven B & B, Debra and Daniel Nordquist, Glenwood 88039 |
| Dead Running, Hanne Burleson, Organ 88052 |
| Dede Feldman Co., Dede Feldman, Albuquerque 87104 |
| Desert Habitat Designs, Debra Sands-Miller, Las Cruces 88011 |
| Desert Woman Botanicals, Monica Rude, Gila 88038 |
| Dragonfly GCE LLC, Tracy Baker, Las Cruces 88005 |
| Earthstone International, Gay Dillingham, Santa Fe 88501 |
| Editor, Sheridan Phillips, Santa Fe 87501 |
| Educator, Ada Browne, Santa Fe 87501 |
| Educator, Antoinette Reyes, San Miguel 88058 |
| Educator, Retired, Armena Taylor, Las Cruces 88011 |
| Enchanted Occasions Event Rentals LLC, Deanna Green, Las Cruces 88001 |
| Event Planner, Linda Hall, Las Cruces 88012 |
| EverGreen Building Solutions, Stephen Onstad, Santa Fe, 87508 |
| EverGreen, Stephen Onstad, Santa Fe 87508 |
| EXHIB-IT!, DJ Heckes, Albuquerque 87109 |
| Farm to Table, Helen Henry, Santa Fe 87501 |
| Good News Good Planet, Mandy Stapleford, Arroyo Seco (Taos) 87514 |
| Grant County Community Health Council, Cari Lemon, Silver City 88061 |
| Green Chile Paddy Wagon, Janet Beatty-Payne, Las Cruces 88005 |
| Half Baked Food Truck , Ceara Angel Las Cruces 88005 |
| Health Alternatives, Dr. Joni Newcomer, Las Cruces 88011 |
| Heartland Payment Systems, Marilyn Storey – Santa Fe 87508 |
| High Desert Healthcare & Wellness, Tracy Conrad, Santa Fe 87501 |
| Housing Support, Inc, Ken Odenheim, Las Cruces 88011 |
| Housing Support, Inc., Ken Odenheim, Las Cruces 88011 |
| Independant Retail Associate, Leo Clear, Las Cruces 88001 |
| Kathy Priola LLC, Santa Fe 87501 |
| Kuhns & Associates, Barbara Kuhns Las Cruces 88001 |
| Las Cruces Academy, Vincent Gutschick, Las Cruces 88011 |
| Las Cruces Civic Concert Association, Lucretia Jones, Las Cruces 88005 |
| Las Cruces Community Theatre, Janet Beatty-Payne, Las Cruces 88005 |
| Light Efficient Design, Mario Luna Jr., Las Cruces 88005 |
| Lorien Construction, Inc., Charles Dillon, Questa 87556 |
| Los Rios River Runners, Francisco Guevara, Taos 87571 |
| Lumiere Editions, Chip Leavitt, Silver City 88061 |
| McClure Publications, LLC, Cassie McClure, Las Cruces 88001 |
| Mountain Kids! LLC, Katie Macaulay, Santa Fe 87504 |
| Natural Aquatic Solutions, El Paso, TX 79924 |
| Natural Awakenings New Mexico(Magazine)m Andrea Williams, Albuqerque 87113 |
| Nelson Denman Music Studio, Santa Fe 87501 |
| Organic Water Health, El Paso, TX 79902 |
| Overland Restorations, Wendy Phillips, Silver City 88061 |
| Quail Acres, Arlan Lazere, Gila 88038 |
| Retired Management Consultant, Marguerite Wood, Santa Fe 87505 |
| Retired NMSU, Chris Campbell, Albuquerque, 87108 |
| Rising Sun Holistic Counseling, Josefa Perea, Las Cruces 88007 |
| Russin Reporting LLC., Jenifer Russin, Las Cruces 88001 |
| Santa Fe Farmers Market, Anna Belian, Santa Fe 87505 |
| SBH Web Design LLC, Steve Harris, Las Cruces 88001 |
| SMS, Glen Salas, Albuquerque 87102 |
| Solar Investment Fund, Taylor Selby, Santa Fe 87507 |
| Soroptimist International of Las Cruces, Janet Brydon, Las Cruces 88005 |
| Southwest Energy Integrators, Kurt Albershardt, Silver City 88062 |
| State Representative Joanne Ferrary, Las Cruces 88012 |
| Susan C Brown, Consultant, Las Cruces 88011 |
| Taos Dawn Designs aka Dawn Chandler Fine Art, Dawn Chandler, Santa Fe 87505 |
| Taos Ski Valley, Inc., Dawn Boulware, Taos Ski Valley 87525 |
| Teres Kids, Alexandra Merlino, Santa Fe 87501 |
| The Village at Northrise, Donald Wilson, Las Cruces 88011 |
| Thoughtfully Produced, Celerah Hewes, Albuquerque 87102 |
| Trainer, Chris Campbell, Albuquerque 87108 |
| Transformational Light Designs, Dawn Cheney, Las Cruces 88011 |
| Triple L Ink Graphic Design, Linda Lillow, Albuquerque 87105 |
| UNM Faculty, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Michael Mandell, PhD, Santa Fe 87507 |
| Veeyah, LLC, Paul Droege, Albuquerque 87112 |
| We Are People Here, Janiece Jonsin, Santa Fe 87501 |
| Wild Resiliency, Larry Glover, Santa Fe 87508 |
| Wood Sharks, LLC Jamie Tedesco, Taos, NM. 87571 |