Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape coordinator briefs Curry County commissioners; questions raised about local input

Marco Antonio Louvares, coordinator for the Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape, told the Curry County Commission on Feb. 25 that the partnership covers about 2,400,000 acres across Curry, Roosevelt and Quay counties and is now entering an implementation-plan drafting period with a planned vote in October. Louvares said the Sentinel Landscape program connects federal, state and private partners — naming Legacy Works Group as the fiscal agent and noting the Federal Coordinating Committee includes the Departments of Interior, Agriculture and Defense — and that the program’s priorities focus on water security, agricultural resilience and communication across the landscape.

"Water is the biggest landscape risk in Eastern New Mexico," Louvares said, adding that the implementation plan will outline governance, goals and procedures and that he sees his role as a ‘force multiplier’ connecting local partners with national support. He said agricultural producers represent about 87% of the landscape and that nonprofit partners work directly with producers on on-the-ground practices such as rainwater capture, playa restoration and aquifer mapping in partnership with institutions including New Mexico Tech.

Commissioner Martin questioned whether Curry County or local landowners had requested designation and asked who sets the goals in the plan. Martin said he was concerned about multiple overlapping conservation or planning efforts in the county and the potential for restrictions on private-property rights. Louvares responded that the partnership relies on producer participation and offered to provide a complete partnership list and a summary report of how nonprofits work with agricultural producers. He said the program aims to advance both Department of Defense interests (noting Cannon Air Force Base and Melrose Air Force Range are within the broader region) and agricultural-producer goals, describing that relationship as “synergistic.”

Louvares invited commissioners and local stakeholders to join the planning process, noting the program’s prior designation work was led by other local coordinators and that the national Sentinel Landscape program — established in 2013 — provides technical and funding networks to selected landscape areas. He said the partnership has been using Basecamp for communications and will continue outreach as the implementation plan is drafted.

What happens next: Louvares offered to provide the commission a partnership roster and a summary of partner roles and funding sources; the commission requested further information on local landowner input and the precise program goals to be included in the implementation plan before the October vote.