Climate change is already affecting New Mexico’s ecosystems in ways we can see and measure. We must act now to reduce the adverse impacts of rising temperatures and extreme weather on the places that sustain us.

Many current restoration practices – for example, introducing controlled burns and restoring streamside vegetation – can help reduce the adverse effects of climate change. But forest and stream restoration is not keeping pace with climate-driven changes. We need to do more, and do it faster. Our objective for the Jemez Mountains and other vulnerable landscapes: to accelerate and expand work that improves the health of forests and streams and the plants and animals that inhabit them. Healthy systems will be more resilient to rising temperatures and deeper droughts.