Growing, Greening, and Advocating for Outdoor Equity: A Spring Note from Our Executive Director

Spring is here, and we're hitting the ground running at Nature Niños! A quick reminder—we're officially a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which means more opportunities to grow, build partnerships, and serve even more youth across New Mexico. We're incredibly grateful for the support that has helped us get here and for the funders who are making this season's work possible.
A huge shoutout to Nusenda, the Foundation for Sustainable Living, and Bass Pro for investing in our mission. We're also excited to share that we received USDA Forest Service funding as a sub-awardee from GreenLatinos to support greening work with YCC crews at Mark Armijo Academy and Robert F. Kennedy High School. While that funding is currently frozen, we're still moving forward thanks to support from the Trails+ grant through the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division. This work isn't just about improving outdoor spaces—it's about creating career pathway opportunities for youth interested in conservation, land stewardship, and outdoor careers. By working on real-world projects, these students gain hands-on experience that can open doors to future jobs in the field.
This semester, we're serving youth as young as four in our Tiny Trees programs all the way up to high school students at MAA. No matter their age, we're making sure kids across New Mexico get outside, explore, and learn in ways that connect them to the land and each other. Our focus is on breaking down barriers—whether that's access, gear, transportation, or funding—because every child deserves time in the outdoors.
And we've got some exciting news—Summer Camp is back! After taking a summer off, we're thrilled to offer camp opportunities again this year. We'll have day camps for ages 7-12 and overnight camps for youth 12+, which will include fishing clinics for both bass and trout. Summer camp has always been a special time for Nature Niños, and we can't wait to get back out there, exploring, fishing, and learning alongside our campers. Stay tuned for details on how to sign up!
And while we're out in the field, we're also showing up where decisions are made. On March 18th, we're partnering with the Outdoor Recreation Division for Outdoor Recreation Day at the State Capitol. We'll be there making sure the Outdoor Equity Fund gets funded at $8 million over the next two years—because outdoor access isn't a privilege, it's a right. The OEF helps organizations like ours provide experiences that change lives, and we need to make sure that opportunity continues.
These are just some of the amazing funders and partners that make our work possible, and we are incredibly grateful to all of them. Your support allows us to keep showing up for New Mexico's youth, ensuring they have the opportunity to connect with the outdoors and build a lifelong relationship with nature.

Thank you for believing in this work. Let's make this spring one to remember!

See you out there,

Sarah Candelaria

Executive Director