A Life-long Love Affair with New Mexico’s Public Lands

Stephanie Garcia Richard is the first woman, the first Latina, and the first educator to serve as New Mexico’s Commissioner of Public Lands.

I find the greatest sense of peace and calm in the mountains of New Mexico. I was raised in Silver City, with the Gila National Forest in my backyard. That’s where my love note starts. I can remember the sense of wonder and amazement that I had as a kid — standing in the box canyons with my family and friends as the wild Gila River raged before our eyes.

That feeling has carried into my life as a public servant and as New Mexico’s first woman to serve as Commissioner of Public Lands. The spaces that we fall in love with after a family visit, or even just a drive from point A to point B — they are all in need of our continued and constant protection and preservation. As a State Representative, I was proud to represent the Jemez Mountain range — directly adjacent to Los Alamos, where my husband and I have made our home and raised our children.

As an adult, the Jemez Mountains have kept me grounded in the work ahead — whatever that work may be, I seek answers and solace all around the Land of Enchantment and the beautiful places and spaces throughout this country. When you trace back your story, where does your #lovenotestopubliclands originate?

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So many of our country’s parks and public lands written about in these love notes would not exist but for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). This important conservation program was permanently funded when Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act last year. You can learn more about the Land and Water Conservation Fund here.

Would you like to write about public lands that you cherish? Please email Mary Jo Brooks at brooksm@nwf.org for guidelines.