New state park waits governor’s signature

For proponents of the proposed Slot Canyon Riverlands State Park in Doña Ana County, the location makes sense.

The proposed Rio Grande Trail goes right through the area and it borders the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument. 

Legislation that would provide approximately $9 million in funding to the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department to create the state park – encompassing 783 acres in Doña Ana County – is waiting for the governor’s signature having received bipartisan support, including passing the Senate on a unanimous vote.

Should the governor sign the bill, funding is in the budget to support creation of the state park.

The state park could bring new opportunities for hiking, bird watching, non-motorized boating, camping and other outdoor recreation while also protecting wildlife habitat and restoring ecosystems.

“At the end of the day, there was very strong bipartisan support to do it, and people are genuinely excited to have this park be created and looking forward to visiting it when it's built,” bill sponsor Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, said.

Steinborn credits the push for a state park to efforts that began years ago by Patrick Nolan with Friends of the Organ Mountains and Beth Bardwell, a river advocate. These advocates brought the idea of the Slot Canyon Riverlands State Park to Steinborn and to Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces. Steinborn and Small were joined by Rep. Joanne Ferrary, D-Las Cruces, in sponsoring the legislation.

This year’s bill – House Bill 219 – builds upon a previous Senate memorial Steinborn and Small brought in 2023 requesting the State Parks Division complete a feasibility study looking into the establishment of a state park at Broad Canyon Ranch. The State Parks Division acquired the ranch in 2008 with the help of the Trust for Public Lands and the World Wildlife Fund.

HB 219 would implement one of the three alternatives identified in the feasibility study. Under this scenario, the state park would include a visitor’s center and a campground. An existing ranch house could be repurposed and the state park could also include an outdoor classroom.

The state park also fits with the vision that Steinborn has for New Mexico. Steinborn serves as executive director of Outdoor New Mexico and has passed various pieces of legislation over the years supporting outdoor recreation, including establishing the Outdoor Recreation Division and paving the way for the Rio Grande Trail. He was also part of the effort that successfully pushed for the creation of Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument.

“I think [Slot Canyon Riverlands is] a very special and popular attraction that a state park would really capitalize on and bring in a lot of visitors,” he said. “So, I think it'll literally grow the upper economy of this region, I believe and be another feather in the feather in the hat of the state and is just another great destination that people can experience when they come to New Mexico.”

The slot canyons are narrow, winding canyons.

“They're very kind of surreal and other worldly,” Steinborn said.

The proposed state park brings in various habitats including the riparian area along the Rio Grande where beavers build dams and large cottonwoods grow to the desert slot canyons, he said.

The creation of the state park will also increase access to the national monument, according to Steinborn. He said there is not a sanctioned access point where the proposed state park will be located.

“People have to park on the side of the road and hop a fence and then walk through state land to get to it,” he said.

Steinborn said a state park and designated parking area will improve public safety while increasing access.

The proposed state park is also near the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center as well as other public lands.

“It's just kind of a gem sitting amongst a bunch of other gems,” Steinborn said.