House passes memorial supporting 'Wild Friends' insect education and interagency workshop

The New Mexico House passed House Memorial 26, a memorial introduced by Representative (speaker 31) that supports an educational program run through UNM (frequently referred to in the transcript as 'Wild Friends') and requests an interagency workshop for staff from Game and Fish, State Land Office, State Parks, Forestry Division, Department of Agriculture and Department of Transportation, with technical support from the Xerces Society.

On the floor the sponsor described the program as student-led, noted that many of the young advocates appeared at committee and at the roundhouse during the session, and said the program connects science to civic engagement. The sponsor told the chamber that more than 14,000 students had participated in the program over several years.

Several members praised the students’ presentations and discussed program details, outreach into schools and possible field components. Representative (speaker 34) and others asked whether the workshops would be interagency and whether outreach to rural schools was included; the sponsor confirmed the workshops are intended for agency staff and would be hosted at UNM with hands-on opportunities and outreach across the state.

The presiding officer announced the final-passage vote as 54 in the affirmative and 0 in the negative; the memorial passed. The memorial asks relevant agencies to participate in workshops and to consider habitat and roadside mowing practices to protect pollinators and insects that support birds and ecosystems, but it does not appropriate funds or create a program.