Non-Local News Releases

More than 170,000 students have participated since 2007 

SANTA FE — New Mexico State Parks has increased funding for its Kids in Parks transportation grant program after school requests surpassed available funds for the 2025–2026 school year. 

The program reimburses teachers for transportation costs to bring students to state parks for curriculum-based outdoor learning. For the current 2025-2026 school year, total funding increased to $34,199 – a roughly 128% increase over the program's   original $15,00 allocation, with State Parks providing an additional $19,199. 

"The Kids in Parks program ensures that transportation costs don't stand in the way of students experiencing outdoor learning," said Toby Velásquez, state parks division director. "Our state park system offers a vast array of environmental and cultural learning opportunities that help students build lasting connections to New Mexico's natural and cultural resources." 

SANTA FE – The Mexican wolf has returned to the wild in the state of Durango, Mexico, marking a historic effort nearly 50 years in the making.

Thanks to extensive collaboration between state, federal and Mexican agencies and other partners, two family groups consisting of four wolves each were transported from the U.S. to Durango in March 2026. 

Additionally, an adult female Mexican wolf from the U.S. equipped with satellite telemetry was released in the state of Chihuahua to an area where other wolves are documented. Additional wolves from the U.S. are slated to be released in late spring into the same area, where they are expected to find other wolves and form successful packs to expand the number and area occupied by Mexican wolves.

Santa Fe, NM — In response to a deeply troubling report released by the New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ), New Mexico Senate Republicans are demanding an immediate, top-to-bottom refocus of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) on its core mission: protecting vulnerable children. Additionally, the Senators are calling for direct accountability from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, CYFD Cabinet Secretary Valerie Sandoval, and the Democrat legislators who have repeatedly stonewalled Republican legislation aimed at addressing this agency's deadly failures. 

Grants will support facility modernization, environmental compliance

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LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico meat processing businesses can apply for a share of approximately $3 million in state grant funding beginning April 13, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) announced today.

The New Mexico Local Meat Processing Grant – funded by a one-time appropriation from the 2026 legislative session – is open to New Mexico-based slaughter, processing and value-added production facilities, including federally inspected, state-inspected and custom-exempt operations. Applications will be accepted April 13 through May 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time, through NMDA's Submittable platform.

The only museum of its kind in the US focuses on wildland firefighters, Smokey Bear, and Smokey's prevention message that "Only you can prevent forest fires."

We're celebrating with our annual Smokey Bear Days, May 1-2 which will take place on Smokey Bear Blvd inCapitan, New Mexico.

Located not far from Capitan Gap, where a bear cub with burned paws was found during a 1950 wildfire, the town of Capitan has embraced Smokey's story and his international legacy as a symbol of wildfire prevention.

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Wildlife urges outdoor recreationists to remain cautious following two separate incidents involving unusually aggressive wildlife behavior in Catron County.

In different incidents, a bobcat and a fox approached and engaged with hikers and campers within the Gila Wilderness. Though nobody was bitten, these reports raise suspicion of rabies infection, and come after a bobcat tested positive for rabies in Sierra County in March.

SANTA FE – Thousands of dollars in student debt relief has been awarded to eight veterinarians through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program provided by the New Mexico Higher Education Department. 

Established during the 2025 legislative session, the Veterinarian Medicine Loan Repayment Program provides up $80,000 in financial assistance to veterinarians who commit to practicing in rural areas of the state and provide food animal care for at least four years. 

The loan repayment program is designed to address the critical shortages of food animal veterinarians in New Mexico, supporting the care of livestock raised for food, such as cattle, sheep, goats and poultry, to protect the state's agricultural industry and directly support New Mexico's rural, frontier and tribal communities. 

29 of 39 funded projects expand access in rural and Tribal communities

SANTA FE — The Outdoor Recreation Division of the Economic Development Department of New Mexico is investing nearly $6 million to build and enhance more than 355 miles of trails and support 288 jobs across 21 counties.

The investment comes through the division's Trails+ Grant and represents the largest amount awarded in a single round to date. The total will be amplified by an additional $4.8 million in matching — funds bringing the total public investment to $10.8 million.

For this round, 59 applicants requested a record-setting $12.7 million in funding. Of the 39 projects ultimately awarded, 29 will provide enhanced outdoor access in rural and Tribal areas.