New Mexico’s deep bench of conservation leaders discusses Udall & Haaland’s 30x30 resolutions to protect nature
Senator Tom Udall, Congresswoman Deb Haaland, and State Representative Georgene Louis discuss New Mexico’s role in reaching the bold 30x30 goal
The Center for Western Priorities held its fifth stop on the Road to 30 virtual tour of states across the West to emphasize the importance of the bold proposal to protect 30 percent of America’s lands and water by 2030, known as the 30x30 initiative. The event was co-hosted by the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club and moderated by Jennifer Rokala, Executive Director of the Center for Western Priorities. The event featured New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, New Mexico Representative Deb Haaland, New Mexico State Representative Georgene Louis, and Camilla Feibelman, Director of the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande Chapter. The conversation focused on protecting New Mexico’s natural heritage, biodiversity, public health, and economic recovery from the impacts of the coronavirus.
Recent polling by the Center for Western Priorities shows that 75 percent of voters in five key Western states — AZ, CO, MT, NM, and NV — support setting a national goal to conserve 30 percent of America’s lands and ocean areas by 2030 to help protect wildlife and open spaces for future generations, with majority support across party lines for the ambitious conservation goal. In New Mexico specifically, 79 percent of voters said they supported setting a national goal to conserve 30 percent of lands and ocean by the end of the decade.
Highlights from the speakers at the New Mexico event are shared below.
Tom Udall, United States Senator for New Mexico: “When we commit to protecting 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030, we are laying the foundation for New Mexico’s children to enjoy our state’s natural treasures while boosting our outdoor economy. The 30x30 goal is not only one of the most urgent protections for our current health and well-being — it’s absolutely essential to ensuring we can pass on a livable planet to the next generation and preserve our human life support system. Conservation leaders in New Mexico are moving us toward 30x30, and I am proud to carry this movement forward with Congresswoman Haaland, Representative Louis, and the grassroots environmental supporters leading this fight in New Mexico and across the country.”
Deb Haaland, United States Representative for New Mexico’s 1st district: “New Mexico families deserve clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment, but every day they are facing the impacts of our changing climate — from mass migratory bird die offs to worsening drought to wildfires. To curb wildlife extinctions, fight climate change, reduce toxic pollution, and safeguard healthy natural systems, the United States must confront the nature and climate crises head-on. Conserving our lands and waters is one of the most efficient and cost-effective strategies for protecting wildlife and stabilizing our climate, and leading scientists recommend conserving 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030 to tackle this urgent crisis. I’m proud to be working with Senator Udall on this in Congress and I appreciate the leadership of Representative Louis and other local and state leaders in taking action in New Mexico and throughout the United States.”
Georgene Louis, State Representative for New Mexico District 26: “As a member of the Pueblo of Acoma, I was raised to be a good steward of Mother Earth, which means respecting people, animals, land, and water. We must act now to strengthen our communities and ensure that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy nature. Let’s honor our ancestors by purposely taking steps to protect our environment and our health to live happy and productive lives.”
Camilla Feibelman, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Director: “Our Land of Enchantment is at risk from incinerating fires and intractable drought — all results of climate change, driven by the fossil fuels extracted from ancestral Tribal and public lands. Over 93 percent of BLM-managed land around Chaco Canyon has been leased for drilling. The agency is pushing through a plan to allow over 3,000 new wells — while the impacted tribal communities struggle with Covid-19, a toxic legacy of environmental contamination from uranium, coal, methane leaking, and produced water spills. The communities and lands around Carlsbad Caverns are also at risk. This is a time to protect our lands, water, air and communities. We join in the fight for 30 percent protection of our land and water by 2030.”
Jennifer Rokala, Executive Director of the Center for Western Priorities: “Scientists have urged us to protect at least 30 percent of our planet’s land and water resources as a necessary step to prevent the unraveling of the ecosystems that support all life on this planet. The Center for Western Priorities asked voters in five Western swing states about the 30 by 30 goal in our Winning the West poll this spring, and there was a bipartisan consensus in favor of it. In New Mexico specifically, 79 percent of voters said they supported setting a national goal to conserve 30 percent of lands and ocean by the end of the decade. Despite the administration’s best attempts to roll back conservation protections, there is strong bipartisan support from voters in the West to conserve our public lands for future generations, a critical step towards reaching this bold 30 by 30 goal.”
A video recording of this event is available on RoadTo30.org. To learn more, check out our video explaining the 30x30 initiative, featuring National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Enric Sala and U.S. Senator Tom Udall.
Coinciding with the Road to 30 virtual tour, the Center for Western Priorities has published a series of explainer blogs and interactive story maps delving into the important conservation roles played by National Wildlife Refuges, BLM’s National Conservation Lands, state parks, tribal land management, and wildlife corridors.
The Road to 30 Virtual Tour will visit states across the West throughout the summer and fall. To stay informed on the virtual tour and for more information about 30x30, visit our website and sign up for our Road to 30 mailing list.
30x30 Background:
Nature across the world is collapsing. Global human activity has altered three-quarters of the Earth’s lands, while within the United States, about a football field worth of natural area is converted to human development every 30 seconds. Hundreds of leading scientists have warned that this rapid loss of natural space is resulting in a mass extinction, exacerbated by climate change. In the face of this crisis, scientists have urged us to conserve at least 30 percent of the planet’s lands and oceans by 2030 (30×30), a step that is necessary to prevent the unraveling of fundamental natural systems. Research has found much higher animal and plant abundance within protected areas, both on land and in marine reserves. Protected natural areas are also critical to stabilizing the climate and reducing the risk of the most severe impacts of climate change.
Protected natural areas have numerous economic and environmental benefits, including drawing visitors to local economies built on outdoor recreation. Outdoor recreation and tourism provide rural communities — that may otherwise be dependent on the boom and bust cycles of energy development — an opportunity to diversify their economies. Protected natural areas also provide a competitive advantage for hiring and retaining workers; research shows that in the West, protected public lands support faster rates of job growth and higher levels of per-capita income. Natural areas also provide fresh drinking water to hundreds of millions of Americans, and research has shown that protecting watersheds is the most cost-effective strategy to ensure clean drinking water. Increased human health and well-being is also related to access to natural areas. These benefits can include lower risks of disease and obesity, as well as better mental health.
For more information, visit westernpriorities.org. To learn more about the 30x30 goal and to participate in discussions about this bold vision, visit RoadTo30.org. Sign up for Look West to get daily public lands and energy news sent to your inbox, or subscribe to Go West, Young Podcast.”
