HM 34 — CITIZEN SCIENCE IN STATE AGENCIES

HOUSE MEMORIAL 34 56TH LEGISLATURE- STATE OF NEWMEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 2024 INTRODUCED BY Kristina Ortez 6 8 10 A MEMORIAL REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A WORKING GROUP TO EXPLORE THE EXPANDED USE OF CITIZEN SCIENCE BY STATE AGENCIES.

145 WHEREAS, New Mexico is rich in natural resources and wildlife and features outstanding natural areas;

and WHEREAS, New Mexico is filled with persons who take great e t 17 pride in the beauty of the state and all that the state's w l n d 18 environment has to offer;

and = = 19 a l WHEREAS, wild friends, an award-winning civics education i a e r 20 program at the university of New Mexico school of law, has a t m m 21 become involved in helping to advance citizen science d r e 22 initiatives for the New Mexico state government;

and c e s k 23 WHEREAS, the mission of wild friends is to provide a e a n b 24 statewide, experiential education program that integrates u [ civics and wildlife law to help students in grades four through .227092.2 twelve understand the democratic process, develop good citizenship skills and contribute to wildlife conservation by involving the students in public policy projects of their choosing;

and HM 34 Page 1 WHEREAS, citizen science, in which members of the public volunteer to help conduct scientific research, could help fill the gap between state agency needs for personnel and available personnel.

and WHEREAS, citizen science can contribute to New Mexico's e t 17 economic development, environmental health and community w l n d 18 engagement.

As one student said, "Citizen science projects = = 19 a l could provide more outdoor recreation opportunities in New i a e r 20 Mexico.".

Other students said that citizen science projects a t m m 21 could "encourage citizens to go out in nature", "promote active d r e 22 participation in the community" and "raise our happiness";

and c e s k 23 WHEREAS, citizen science projects can engage youth, e a n b 24 connect youth with their communities and expand educational u [ opportunities.

As one student said, "Citizen science gives me .227092.2 - 2 - the opportunity to be involved in science in a simple and productive way.".

HM 34 Page 2 and WHEREAS, citizen science projects have been particularly beneficial in monitoring bird populations, water quality and plant species proliferation and will continue to be helpful in the future;

As one wild friends student said, "Birds form a distinctive part of New Mexico's unique e t 17 heritage.".

Another student said, "Birds are amazing animals w l n d 18 with unique behaviors, and citizen science allows me to learn = = 19 a l more about them.";

and i a e r 20 WHEREAS, a citizen science pilot project about birds could a t m m 21 help state agencies identify what the challenges and d r e 22 opportunities are for future projects while providing much- c e s k 23 needed data on bird populations and engaging the public.

As e a n b 24 one student said, "It would help New Mexican citizens become u [ invested and aware about our diverse bird populations and .227092.2 - 3 - concern for their future.", while another student said that the pilot project could "help state agencies conduct studies of bird populations by providing valuable data on a large scale that may not otherwise be gathered";

and WHEREAS, several state agencies and other organizations have expressed interest in convening a working group to implement a bird pilot project and discuss how to best move HM 34 Page 3 citizen science forward in New Mexico because, as one student said, "Learning about and caring for the environment is not a one-person job, and state agencies can't do it by themselves.";

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state parks division of the energy, minerals and natural resources department, the department of environment, the state land office, the department of game and fish and other interested state departments and agencies be requested to participate in a e t 17 working group convened and managed by the wild friends program w l n d 18 to develop and recommend actions to establish and expand the = = 19 a l use of citizen science using the best available science and i a e r 20 data collection practices, including a pilot project for the a t m m 21 use of the wild friends program and for use as a template for d r e 22 state government agencies;

and c e s k 23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group be requested e a n b 24 to submit a report to the appropriate interim legislative u [ committee by October 31, 2024 that details the working group's .227092.2 - 4 - recommendations, including infrastructure, funding needs and strategies to advance the use of citizen science;

and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the state parks division of the energy, minerals and natural resources department, the department of HM 34 Page 4 environment, the state land office, the department of game and fish, natural heritage New Mexico and the wild friends program at the university of New Mexico school of law.

-HM 534 -Page 115 135 157 e9 t25 17 w l n d 18 = = 19 a l i a e r 20 a t m m 21 d r e 22 c e s k 23 e a n b 24 u [ .227092.2