The Legislative session in 2024 was a short, 30-day session solely focused on the state’s budget. But in that short time, we saw huge successes for conservation funding, which will ensure restoration and protection work will happen on the ground at a far greater scale than New Mexico has ever been able to do.
New Mexico’s 2024 legislative session ended with a historic $300 million appropriation for the Land of Enchantement Legacy Fund. This will support land and water conservation, agriculture, and outdoor recreation projects.
In the 2023 session, Audubon was part of a large coalition which worked to establish the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund. Prior to this fund, New Mexico did not have a dedicated source of revenue for conservation work. Not only did this mean agencies had to request additional money from the legislature every time they wanted to do a large project not within its regular budget, it also meant we did not have the often-required matching dollars to secure federal money.
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