What We Love About New Mexico
Stories from communities across the state – about land, water, work, family, and home.
Across New Mexico, people are sharing what they love most about the places and ways of life that make this state special. From gardens to rivers, skies to traditions, these everyday stories illuminate what’s at stake for families, local economies, and future generations – and how care for our communities makes life better for everyone.
These stories also remind us that when communities receive resources and investment, it becomes easier to protect the places, traditions, and opportunities that make New Mexico home.
This page is a place to listen, learn, and connect with real New Mexicans and the places and traditions many of us cherish.
Across New Mexico, people are sharing what they love most about the places and ways of life that make this state special. From gardens to rivers, skies to traditions, these everyday stories illuminate what’s at stake for families, local economies, and future generations – and how care for our communities makes life better for everyone.
These stories also remind us that when communities receive resources and investment, it becomes easier to protect the places, traditions, and opportunities that make New Mexico home.
This page is a place to listen, learn, and connect with real New Mexicans and the places and traditions many of us cherish.
Aaron Lee
What We Love: Our Roots & Our Future
Aaron leads a community garden through The Semilla Project, where youth and neighbors learn to grow food together – nurturing connection, culture, and local skills, and eradicating food deserts one by one.
Through soil, sweat, and shared harvests, Aaron’s story reflects a long tradition of care for each other and our land in New Mexico – rooted growing community for the next generation. Community investments that support local food, youth programs, and neighborhood spaces help efforts like this grow and continue for future generations.
Francisco Guevara
What We Love: Our Rivers & Adventures
Francisco owns Los Rios River Runners, the oldest river rafting company in the state. His life and work are woven with the rivers that bring joy, jobs, and outdoor culture to many communities.
For Francisco, rivers aren’t just water – they’re connection, recreation, and livelihood. His story shows how caring for our waterways supports local outdoor jobs and keeps families in touch with the natural rhythms of the land. Investments in healthy rivers and outdoor recreation help sustain the local economies and traditions that depend on these waters.
Kalynn Jaramillo
What We Love: Our Traditions & the Skie
Kalynn is a lifelong balloonist who helps keep a treasured New Mexico tradition alive. From early mornings to dust-colored sky, his connection to ballooning captures our love for place, history, and community celebration.
Hot air ballooning is more than a spectacle – it’s a horizon full of memories, culture, and joy. Kalynn’s story celebrates the unique way New Mexicans carry tradition and wonder into the future. Supporting community traditions and the places where they happen helps ensure these shared experiences remain part of New Mexico’s story.
Carlos Matutes
What We Love: Our Outdoors & Access to Nature
Carlos works with GreenLatinos to protect outdoor spaces and ensure that Latino communities can enjoy forests, trails, and open land.
For Carlos, outdoor spaces are essential to health, heritage, and belonging. His story reminds us that care for nature includes making sure every community can explore, learn, and thrive outside. Investments in parks, trails, and outdoor access can help ensure that families across New Mexico have opportunities to enjoy and benefit from these spaces.
Edie Dillman
What We Love: Our Homes & Communities
Edie Dillman is the CEO and co-founder of B.Public Prefab in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where she designs and builds energy-efficient homes rooted in local craft, affordability, and community needs.
For Edie, home is about more than walls and roofs – it’s about comfort, affordability, and creating spaces where people can put down roots. Her story highlights how thoughtful design and local building practices can lower energy costs, support good local jobs, and strengthen communities while honoring New Mexico’s architectural traditions. Community investments that support affordable housing and energy-efficient homes can help more families live comfortably while strengthening local economies.
John Kelly
What We Love: Our Snow & Winter Sports
John Kelly works at Taos Ski Valley, where snow, winter sports, and mountain ecosystems are closely tied to local jobs, traditions, and the surrounding community.
For John, snow isn’t just recreation – it’s a livelihood and a way of life. His story reflects how reliable winter seasons support families, local economies, and outdoor traditions, and why caring for mountain environments helps ensure that winter sports remain part of New Mexico’s future. Supporting mountain communities and outdoor recreation helps sustain the jobs, traditions, and local businesses that depend on winter in New Mexico.
Why These Stories Matter
Every one of these voices shows us something important:
Connection:
Our attachment to land, water, family, tradition, and community is part of daily life here.
Care:
Protecting what we love means thinking about affordability, wellbeing, and opportunities for all New Mexicans
Community Benefits:
When resources are invested back into communities, they can support the places, traditions, and opportunities that make life in New Mexico possible.
Future:
These stories are about more than moments – they’re about how families and communities can thrive together across generations.
The values reflected in these stories – caring for our communities, protecting the places we love, and creating opportunities for future generations – are also reflected in New Mexico’s Community Benefit Fund.
What is the Community Benefit Fund?
The Community Benefit Fund is a New Mexico program created in 2025 to reinvest in communities across the state. The fund supports projects that improve everyday life – such as affordable housing, workforce training, outdoor spaces, clean energy improvements, and programs that help families lower energy costs.
By investing in local solutions, the fund helps communities protect the places they love while creating new opportunities for future generations.
Explore & Learn More
These stories are part of a larger conversation about how investing in New Mexico’s communities can support clean air and water, stronger local economies, and opportunities for families across the state.
Learn more about ideas like the Community Benefit Fund, which would invest in local projects that help communities thrive – from workforce opportunities and affordable housing to outdoor spaces and clean energy solutions.
Protect what you love!
Learn more about what these stories show us and how communities are caring for their home.