Mission

Thank you, Deb Haaland, Representative Tara Luyan, Andrea Romero, Kathleen Cates, Reena Szczepanski, Susan Herrera, and Marian Matthews, Senator Mimi Stewart and Angel Charley, state legislative counselors, Trout Unlimited, and press for joining us on this flight from Albuquerque over the heart of New Mexico’s landscapes.

Below us stretched the winding Jemez River and Jemez Canyon, carving through volcanic terrain. Further west, we traced the extent of Cochiti Lake and passed over the rugged alcoves of Capulin Canyon, each feature a node in a watershed that supports dozens of communities, from Albuquerque to rural reaches beyond.

The waterways we flew over supply drinking water, agriculture, wildlife habitat, and recreation across the larger Rio Grande basin. Along these corridors dwell some of New Mexico’s most vulnerable species - the endemic Jemez Mountains salamander, the Mexican spotted owl, and the native cutthroat and other trout species that depend on cold, clean headwaters. The integrity of these rivers, canyons, and forests underpins both ecological resilience and community well-being.

We are deeply grateful to our partners at Trout Unlimited, whose years of advocacy have underscored the importance of clean water, public land stewardship, and long-term investment in habitat restoration and wildlife connectivity. TU’s efforts to reconnect stream channels, repair eroded banks, and sustain habitat corridors echo what we could see from the sky: this is a place where restoration matters, where water is life, and where each enhanced stretch of habitat strengthens the fabric linking fish, wildlife, and people. Thank you for flying with us to elevate the stories of people and landscapes working in harmony to ensure a healthy, connected future for New Mexico’s wild places.

Photos from the flights.