Attendees tour the outdoor booths during the Outdoor Economics Conference in Farmington on Thursday. (Courtesy Outdoor New Mexico)
FARMINGTON – Heads of State see a new future for Farmington as a potential hub for outdoor products and activities after decades of dependent on the extractive industries.
During the New Mexico Outdoor Economics Conference in Farmington this week, officials touted the northwestern city of New Mexico as a potential showcase for the state’s transformation from an oil and gas-based economy to a multi-pronged approach that includes outdoor recreation.
Partly due to closings and cuts in the oil and gas industry, Farmington is lagging behind other cities in job recovery in 2021, with an unemployment rate of 9.3% in July, the highest among the state’s four statistical metropolitan areas.
However, during the event, Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett highlighted the growing footprint of the city’s outdoor industry. While Farmington lacks an industry presence in Durango, Colorado, 50 miles north, Duckett said the city welcomed its first river rafting guides last year and has several bike shops along the redesigned Main Street.
“We’re trying to figure out how to get into the outdoor recreational movement that’s happening all over the mountain state,” said Duckett.
Hundreds of new Mexicans flocked to Farmington for the three-day conference, which highlighted the advances in the state’s small but growing outdoor industry. The fourth annual event, directed by the nonprofit Outdoor New Mexico, was designed to advance economic development strategies related to the New Mexico public lands and featured panel discussions on a range of outdoor topics.
Several heads of state, including New Mexico Public Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard and Cabinet Secretary for Economic Development Alicia Keyes, were on hand to discuss the state of the industry, which includes businesses from ski resorts to bike manufacturers.
“In New Mexico we have a tradition and a heritage from nature,” said Garcia Richard. “We have people who have lived on this land for thousands of years and that is a really deep part of who we are.”
Other leaders, including Sen. Martin Heinrich and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, spoke virtually at the conference.
Axie Navas, director of the state’s Outdoor Recreation Division, said the industry contributed $ 2.4 billion to the state’s economy in 2019. Although updated data is not yet available, individual companies reported booming sales during the COVID-19 pandemic when state and local lockdowns, along with fears of contracting the virus, pushed New Mexicans outdoors.
Despite the growth, Keyes added that the industry lags far behind some of its neighboring states in terms of overall impact. In Colorado, for example, Keyes said the outdoor industry contributes around $ 12 billion annually.
For this reason, Keyes said, the current administration has identified outdoor recreation as a target industry for New Mexico that aligns with the strengths of the state while helping to diversify the state’s economy outside of oil and gas.
“It was a real pleasure to have this North Star,” Keyes said.
During the event, the panels covered a wide range of industry-related topics, from funding resources for small businesses to trail development. Participants from across the state expressed an interest in finding ways to inclusive develop the industry. To that end, Navas and other leaders highlighted the state’s Outdoor Equity Fund, which was launched last year to fund programs that make nature easier for underserved populations.
“The Outdoor Equity Fund created a level playing field for so many of us,” said Ray Trejo, Southern New Mexico Outreach Coordinator for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, during a panel discussion on equity.
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