The Conservation Committee supports the mission of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico by monitoring issues affecting the status of native plants and natural habitats and informing and educating the board and general membership about these issues. The committee advocates for actions based on scientific principles that conserve native plant biodiversity, promote appropriate use of native plants to conserve water, land, and wildlife, and that foster connections between people and plants.

Guidelines: Advocacy includes, but is not limited to, endorsements, statements, research, and conservation activities. Advocacy requires that we understand, use, and extend the best scientific knowledge available to support decisions related to native plant conservation. The committee endeavors to work collaboratively with other agencies to accomplish its conservation goals.

The Conservation Committee includes members from several NPSNM chapters and is headed by the current conservation chair, Sylvan Kaufman. Are there conservation issues in your area? She can be reached at conservation [at] npsnm [dot] org.

This Conservation page endeavors to supply members and others with information on issues pertaining to the conservation of native plants and habitats on public and private lands in New Mexico and beyond. Entries in green below are clickable links.

You can help protect New Mexico's flora by contributing to The Jack and Martha Carter Conservation Fund. We are a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

New Mexico Forestry Seedling Program

Since 1960, the Forestry Division has offered low-cost seedlings to landowners to plant for reforestation, erosion control, windbreaks, streambank restoration, and wildlife habitat improvement. Millions of trees have been planted throughout New Mexico that were purchased directly through this program. 

The Forestry Division offers more than sixty different species for sale over the course of the fall and spring sales. These seedlings are sold in small containers, large containers, and/or bare root. Not all species are available in all types.  Large containers and bare root are more limited in the species available. You most own an acre or more of land to purchase the seedlings.

Find more information and the schedule through this Link.

Click on the summary above to download the full article.

New Mexico Thistle (Cirsium neomexicanum), relative of the artichoke.

Conservation sites/databases

  • See what's up with the Center for Plant Conservation, a network of botanic gardens and other science and conservation partners that collaboratively works to save the imperiled plants of the United States and Canada.
  • The SEINet data portal was created to serve as a gateway to distributed data resources of interest to the environmental research community within Arizona and New Mexico. It offers tools to locate, access and work with a variety of data, including species descriptions, maps, illustrations, herbarium collections and specimen records. And guess the plant of the day!
  • New Mexico Rare Plants  overview. The New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council's (NMRPTC) primary goal is to develop an internet version of a rare plant inventory with information on the basic biology and conservation status of New Mexico's approximately 190 rare plants. Photographs, drawings, and  maps accompany the written reports. The reports exclude sensitive information, such as detailed location data, which might further endanger rare species.
  • The National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC) Invasive Species News and Information -- USDA This site is not just a list of species, it is a connection to many information sources, studies and news articles.
  • Troublesome Weeds of New Mexico From NMSU and NM Department of Agriculture. This booklet downloads in a large format and may be easier to read and navigate by "zooming out."
  • Native Plant Society of the United States. An alliance of native plant societies, including NPSNM, with the mission to promote the conservation of native plants and their habitats through collaboration, education, and advocacy. Sign up for the NPCC native plant conservation news right here.
  • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in New Mexico 
  • Partners for Fish and Wildlife (US Fish and Wildlife Service) This program provides technical and financial assistance to landowners interested in restoring and enhancing wildlife habitat on their land.

 

Articles and References

Click the following links to find valuable information and thoughtful articles.

New Mexico Contacts

Help us maintain a living website by reporting to us any dead links. The internet is an active, evolving environment and good sites come and go! Write to: web "at" npsnm "dot" org.