Business Sign-on Letter: Permanent Authorization and Full Funding for LWCF

May 8, 2018

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