.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........
Enjoying the great outdoors over the weekend, Kelly Aldridge bird watches at the Rio Grande Farm Community Garden off Montaño in Albuquerque. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal)
CARLSBAD – New Mexico officials are hoping an appetite for outdoor recreation during the coronavirus pandemic will help the state’s economy recover.
The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division requested more funding for outdoor programs and support initiatives to be considered during the next legislative session scheduled to begin in January, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.
The division, part of the state’s Economic Development Department, requested more than $3 million to fund its Great New Mexico Trails Package, which would provide funding to local communities and agencies with plans to develop and maintain hiking trails statewide.