July 18, 2016
For immediate release
ALBUQUERQUE – The New Mexico Wildlife Federation is excited to announce that U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich will be joining our rafting event scheduled for tomorrow, July 19 with U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan Grisham. The entire NMWF staff is looking forward to this opportunity to connect youth from Taos, Taos Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo, Albuquerque, and the Southside of Santa Fe with the outdoors in their own backyard. Many of these youth have never been on the river, and we are excited to provide them with this opportunity to connect with nature and their congressional representatives.
“So many children in our state don’t get the opportunity to experience the outdoors,” said New Mexico Wildlife Federation Executive Director Garrett Vene Klasen. “But given the opportunity, children light up and have a transformative experience when they get outside. That’s why we are excited to take children from communities throughout New Mexico on the river to experience nature in their own backyard. We are also very excited that Senator Martin Heinrich, Representatives Ben Ray Lujan, and Michelle Lujan Grisham will be joining us to see first-hand how important it is to protect our water, land, and wildlife for this next generation.”
Agenda:
- 8:30 am: Attendees and Congressional staff meet at Rio Grande Gorge Bureau of Land Management Visitor Center in Pilar, NM
- 8:45 am: Listen to instructions, gear up and launch by 8:45am
- 9am – 11am: Rafting in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument
- 11 am: Pull out of the Rio Grande River at County Line Parking Lot
- 11 – 11:30am: Press interviews and photos, lunch, and recreation – County Line takeout (BLM) just north of Rinconada, NM
- 12 pm: Head back to private vehicles
This trip will provide an important opportunity to discuss the importance of conservation, protection of watersheds, and a hands-on educational experience for at-risk youth in our state.
