New Mexico Land Conservancy

The New Mexico Land Conservancy is a statewide, non-profit land trust founded in 2002 in recognition of and in response to important land conservation needs throughout New Mexico. NMLC is dedicated to ensuring that New Mexico remains the “Land of Enchantment” by working to preserve the state’s unique and diverse land heritage for conservation purposes and the benefit of local communities, the public and future generations. NMLC works with landowners, and public and private partners to protect significant wildlife habitat, productive agricultural lands, scenic open space, cultural and historic sites, and recreational lands at community, watershed and landscape scales. NMLC’s current 25-year goal is to conserve, directly or in partnership with others, one million acres of high conservation value lands throughout the state by 2037.

Our work at the New Mexico Land Conservancy is based on a deep respect for private property rights. We adhere to the established best standards and practices of the land trust industry to complete high quality conservation easements and other projects. Everything we do — landowner relations, field work, stewardship, and monitoring — respects both the land and private property rights.

We achieve our mission by:
- Using voluntary land protection methods to help landowners conserve their land
- Monitoring, stewarding and legally defending the properties we have helped protect to ensure that the conservation purposes are fulfilled into the future
- Educating landowners and partners about land conservation and stewardship tools, techniques and benefits; and increasing general public awareness about conservation
- Engaging in policy and legislative initiatives that further land conservation and stewardship

We are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors whose primary role is policy-making, governance and strategic planning for the organization.